How to Increase Cortisol Levels

Notice if you have symptoms of cortisone deficiency. Many people worry about their cortisp levels being too high , because elevated cortisone levels can lead to weight gain, fatigue, and more severe symptoms. However, too low cortisone levels are equally harmful to health. If your adrenal glands are damaged, or if you have adrenal fatigue syndrome, your body may not produce enough cortisone to regulate blood pressure and help your immune system function properly. The following are common symptoms of cortisone deficiency:

• Weight loss and loss of appetite
• Low blood pressure
• Stunned and fainted
• Tired
• Lack of energy even at rest
• Vomiting, nausea and gastrointestinal pain
• Craving for salt
• Hyperpigmentation (dark spots on the skin)
• Weakness or muscle pain
• Anxiety and depression
• Heart beat fast
• Tired
• Loss of body hair and decreased sex drive in women

Test for cortisone levels. If you suspect your cortisone levels are too low, make an appointment with your doctor to have your cortisone levels tested. This test requires a blood sample to be sent to a lab to check for cortisone levels. Cortisp usually peaks in the morning and lowers in the afternoon and evening. In some cases, your doctor will order the test twice on the same day to compare morning and evening cortisone levels. By comparing it with normal cortisone levels, your doctor will determine if your cortisone levels are low or if you have Addison’s disease (primary adrenal insufficiency).

• There are many types of cortisone level tests, including saliva, blood, and urine tests. In addition, the doctor may also test other hormones such as TSH (test for thyroid-stimulating hormone), free T3 and T4, total thyroxine, DHEA, and 17-HP to determine cortisone levels. ^[1]
• The “normal” range can vary from lab to lab, but in general, morning averages for adults or children are between 5–23 mcg/dL, or 138–635 nmp/L. The afternoon average for adults or children is in the range of 3–16 mcg/dL or 83–441 nmp/L. ^[2]
• You should see your doctor to test your cortisone level instead of testing it yourself at home. Saliva test kits advertised online are not as reliable as lab-analyzed blood samples.
• There are many factors that affect test results, so you may have to try more than once. For example, if you are stressed, pregnant, taking certain medications, or if you exercised right before a blood sample is taken, the level of cortisone in your blood may be affected. ^[3]

Identify the cause of low cotisp levels. Once your doctor has determined you have low cortisone levels, the next step will be to figure out what is affecting the adrenal gland’s production of cortisone. Your doctor will recommend a treatment based largely on the cause of the problem.

• Adrenal fatigue occurs when the body loses its ability to cope with daily stress, poor diet, lack of sleep, or emotional trauma, resulting in the adrenal glands becoming overloaded and ineffective. ^[4]
• Primary adrenal insufficiency , or Addison’s disease, occurs when the adrenal glands are damaged so they don’t work properly to produce cortisone. This condition can be caused by autoimmune diseases, tuberculosis, an infection of the adrenal glands, adrenal cancer, or adrenal bleeding.
• Secondary adrenal insufficiency occurs when the pituitary gland (the gland responsible for producing adrenal-stimulating hormone) becomes diseased. The adrenal glands may be normal but not produce enough cortisone because they are not getting enough stimulation from the pituitary gland. Secondary adrenal insufficiency can also occur when a person taking corticosteroids stops taking them suddenly.