Cortisol & Anxiety: How To Fix It | EP 16

Cortisol is not the villain wellness culture made it out to be.Cortisol gets blamed for almost everything online.- Weight gain.- Anxiety.- Poor sleep.- Burnout.- Belly fat.- Stress.But most of the cortisol conversation may be missing the point.In EP 16 of More Good Days, Sean Lunn, Faf du Plessis and Dr Michael Mol unpack the truth about Cortisol and Anxiety.Cortisol is one of the body’s most important hormones. It helps wake you up, supports blood pressure, helps you respond to stress and follows a daily rhythm that matters deeply for sleep, energy and mood.The question may not simply be: “Is my cortisol too high?”The better question may be: “Is my cortisol rhythm out of sync?”In this episode, we cover:0:00 Cortisol is the most blamed hormone in wellness. Almost none of it is true.0:50 Faf: nerves are the entry ticket to the arena4:55 Anxiety is not something you can think yourself out of7:20 Why morning light sets your entire day8:43 Blue light at night is waking your body back up11:05 What cortisol actually is and how it works12:32 Chronic anxiety isn't too much cortisol. It's the wrong rhythm.13:56 Your amygdala vs your prefrontal cortex19:32 Dial 1: morning light within 30 minutes20:05 Why coffee in the first 90 minutes works against you23:58 Dial 2: the physiological sigh, 90 seconds a day30:41 Alcohol, sleep and the vicious cycle32:34 Dial 3: exercise and the double whammy on anxiety36:03 One in six South Africans will struggle with anxiety this year37:19 When to stop self-managing and see a professional38:10 Sean's story: the fire, the SSRIs, and what actually helped42:04 Dial 4: protect your cortisol dip48:01 Is cortisol directly related to how long you live?50:52 Cortisol, stress eating and visceral fat52:08 The one takeaway from each of usWHO estimates that 359 million people had an anxiety disorder in 2021.In South Africa, research has reported roughly 1 in 6 adults experiencing a common mental disorder in a 12-month period, with anxiety disorders the most common broad category in that study.This is not just a wellness conversation.It is a body, brain, sleep, stress and longevity conversation.👍 Like, subscribe and join us for evidence-based conversations on health, longevity and performance.PRODUCTS & RESOURCES WE USE:InBody Scan — Code: MGD5https://inbodyhomecare.com/Bare Aminos10% discount: https://www.bareayr.co.za/discount/MoZenii Hydrogen Water10% discount: https://zenii.co.za/discount/MGD%2525Arctic Ape5% discount code: MGD5https://www.arctic-ape.co.za/contactIglu Therapy7.5% discount code: FAF5https://iglutherapy.com/?linkId=lp_63More Good Days:https://linktr.ee/moregooddaysofficialJoin the Community:Subscribe for more conversations around health, longevity, performance, and living better for longer.Newsletter:https://www.moregooddays.co.za/IMPORTANT:This episode is educational and is not medical advice. If anxiety is affecting your sleep, work, relationships or daily life for weeks or months at a time, please speak to a doctor, psychologist or psychiatrist.Medical Disclaimer:This podcast is for educational purposes only and is not medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making changes to your health, supplements, medication, or lifestyle.#cortisol #stress #longevity #healthscience #podcast