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Depression And Cortisol: 7 Things You Need To Know About The Stress Hormone

by — 2019-10-22 in Mental Health
What impact does cortisol, the notorious "stress hormone", have on your risk of developing depression — and could cortisol also hold the key to the development of novel antidepressants in future?

Some stress is "good" and healthy — it can warn you that you need to get your skates on and take serious action, ultimately leading to increased safety and a better quality of life. When stress becomes overwhelming, however, it takes an enormous toll on both physical and mental health. Cortisol, the so-called "stress hormone", plays an important role in all this. 

Chronic or extreme stress is known to increase your risk of developing depression, and high cortisol levels — which are associated with past and present stress — serve as a reasonable predictor that you are more likely to become depressed in future. What do you need to know about the role the stress hormone plays in major depressive disorder?

1. What is cortisol?

Secreted by the adrenal glands, cortisol actually plays roles in a surprisingly large number of processes, including:

  • Regulating blood sugar levels
  • Regulating the metabolism
  • Regulating blood pressure
  • Fighting inflammation
  • Supporting fetal development during pregnancy
  • It even plays a role in memory
Cortisol is, however, best known as the "stress hormone", because more is released when you're under acute or chronic threat, or at least feeling like you are. This can be a helpful thing if your body physically needs to prepare to deal with a dangerous situation, but when it's maladaptive, too much cortisol can interfere with the functions described above, as well as potentially contributintg to depression. 

2. Stress can trigger a depressive episode

Depression can strike anyone, anywhere, in any circumstances — having "the perfect life" on "paper" doesn't at all mean that you cannot become depressed, as many people will have found out for themselves. However, depression can also absolutely set in after you experience a particularly stressful or traumatic event or set of circumstances, like losing a loved one, facing severe financial stress, or living with the consequences of past trauma. Research, in fact, suggests that 20 to 50 percent of all cases of depression come about this way. Cortisol may play a role in the mechanism that ultimately leads to depression. 

3. Higher cortisol levels when you wake up predict depression

Cortisol levels actually vary through the day, and different studies have come to different results when examining how cortisol levels impact a person's risk of depression overall. However, research has quite consistently indicated that higher "waking cortisol levels" point to a significantly increased risk of developing depression later on. What's more, people deemed to be vulnerable to depression because of a family history have been shown to often have these higher waking cortisol levels — and perhaps even more interestingly, "poor" (neglectful or abusive) parenting and past stress and trauma are both associated with higher cortisol levels.

4. Personality can indicate your risk of depression — and your cortisol levels

People with a so-called "high negative affect" — naturally more pessimistically-inclined people, if you will — have been shown to have higher cortisol levels during the day time. These people are also more predisposed to developing depression. 

5. Cortisol levels may directly explain some of the symptoms of depression

"Insomnia or hypersomnia" represent an opposing set of possible symptoms seen in many depressed people, and they're both included as possible symptoms in the diagnostic criteria for major depressive disorder. Insomnia can, of course, refer to the inability to fall asleep, but also to frequent night-time awakening and consistently waking up much earlier than you planned to. Hypersomnia means oversleeping. The hormone cortisol contributes to creating our circadian system, which determines when we wake up and feel ready to fall asleep, so increased cortisol levels may directly explain these disturbances in sleep-wake patterns that so many depressed people suffer from. 

6. Can medications reduce cortisol levels?

Maybe. Research already suggests that mifepristone, a medications that blocks the glucocorticoid receptors on which cortisol acts, may be helpful in some cases. There was also an interesting study that suggested a protein called SGK1, which acts on the same receptors, may essentially neutralize the effects of cortisol.

The study went on to recommend that further research be conducted in this area, as the discovery could potentially lead to completely novel antidepressants that may help those people who don't respond well to currently available antidepressant medications — and that's a whole lot of people.

7. But you can also lower your cortisol levels naturally

Lowering your stress levels through lifestyle changes such as meditation, yoga, maintaining good sleep hygiene, and fostering positive relationships with your social circle can all lower cortisol levels. So can removing stressors from your life — like a job you really hate, or a sane but realistic plan to improve your finances. You can also, however, take consider fish oil supplements or incorporate more fatty fish into your diet. Believe it or not, research has also suggested that this reduces stress and lowers cortisol levels.

Reducing your stress levels doesn't guarantee you won't become depressed, and it certainly shouldn't be suggested as a stand-alone "treatment" for people currently going through a depressive episode, but it can certainly play a role in improving your overall mental health. 

Sources & Links

  • Photo courtesy of SteadyHealth

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