WILD INDIGO

CORTISOL DOMINANT

Based on your Hormone Type Quiz, cortisol dominance may be to blame for a majority of your symptoms!

Cortisol is known as our “stress hormone” because we pump out more of it when we experience stress. The term stress can mean either a psychological stressor (e.g., passing of a family member, having a miscarriage, demanding job) or a physical stressor (e.g., being sick, intense exercise, prolonged fasting). However, cortisol does more than just help your body deal with stress. It also helps regulate your circadian rhythm, metabolism, immune system, blood pressure, and other essential functions. Your adrenal glands are constantly producing cortisol throughout the day, no matter if you are stressed or not. Cortisol production is at its highest in the morning and lowest at night. This diurnal pattern helps regulate your energy levels and sleep-wake cycle. The body usually produces the right amount of cortisol at the right time, but certain conditions can occur that result in too little or too much cortisol production. Too much cortisol can result in insomnia, blood sugar instability, increased sugar & carb cravings, acne, weight gain around the abdomen, headaches, high blood pressure, heart palpitations, anxiety, and irritability.

As a wild indigo hormone type, you may be under a lot of stress. Typically our body can easily adapt to stress by activating our “fight or flight” response aka the sympathetic nervous system. When the sympathetic nervous system is turned on, we release extra amounts of cortisol. Once the stressor is removed, we return to our “rest and digest” state aka the parasympathetic nervous system. However when we are constantly exposed to stress, we become sympathetic dominant and end up producing cortisol at inappropriate times. This is why chronic stress can be very taxing on the body, especially the nervous system. This is also why a lot of wonky things can happen when you’re under a lot of stress. Wild indigo types may notice feeling more anxious or irritable, especially when more stress is added to their already full plate. Wild indigo types often have difficulty sleeping because their cortisol levels remain elevated or peak at night. Feeling “wired & tired” is also a good sign you’re running on adrenaline and cortisol. Prioritizing rest and stress management is a MUST for wild indigo types.