I have researched and found that there are conflicting reports. I read that half the sources say High levels of cortisol are to blame for anxiety, insomnia , panic and stress and the other half say low cortisol levels are to blame. So which one is it ? Low or High?
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The answer is not that simple. I have lived and live both. I had Cushing’s disease which is too much cortisol and when pituitary surgery failed, I ended up having to have my adrenals removed. So now I have too little cortisol.
When I had too much, and I can say this was true for many of those I speak to – to give an example, when I was in a car, it felt like all the cars were coming at me. I had terrible insomnia because my cortisol was raised at night.
Having too little, I am not able to react well to stress and get more emotional and stressed out in different ways. I also get insomnia. I have found that the symptoms of being low are pretty similar to being high except for the tossing of cookies.
If I had to pick one, panic, anxiety, insomnia, and stress are more often associated with higher levels.
High cortisol levels are associated with stress.