Glossar
Glossary
Medical glossary

Cortisol

Cortisol is a naturally-occurring hormone synthesised by the adrenal glands and involved in numerous metabolic processes. It is released in greater quantities either in stressful situations or in the case of infections or inflammation. Its production steadily increases over the second half of the night, reaching its peak between 7 a.m. and 8 am. This enables the body to provide adequate responses to stimuli deriving from daily activities. During the day, cortisol levels gradually decrease to reach the lowest level in the evening. When stressful stimuli are prolonged, the body tends to trigger an overproduction of cortisol in order to prepare the body for action: sweating increases, digestion slows down to direct more blood to the muscles and blood sugar levels rise to make energy rapidly available. However, when a stressful situation becomes chronic, the adrenal glands are driven to overload and cortisol production progressively decreases to a minimum, with consequences ranging from inflammatory conditions to asthenia and fatigue. Imbalances in cortisol production may cause a number of disorders, the most common of which include muscle mass loss, increased abdominal fat, increased glycaemia and triglyceridemia, increased risk of diabetes, osteoporosis and hypertension, sleep disorders, early ageing and burnout.