You can read Beth’s article on this topic here: TikTok Myth of the Week: All Your Problems Are Due to High Cortisol
Time stamps, sources, and links
What is cortisol? (00:02:52)
‘Normal’ cortisol levels (00:18:44)
- Reference range for normal cortisol
- Variability in cortisol awakening response
- Cortisol awakening response poorly associated with total daily cortisol AUC
- Early childhood stress (with family income as a proxy) associated with either elevated or depressed cortisol awakening response
Cortisol discourse on TikTok (00:33:56)
Representative examples of TikTok cortisol content: 1, 2, 3, 4
Cortisol vs other social media trends (00:47:48)
- The Endocrine Society on adrenal fatigue
- Representative examples of TikTok adrenal fatigue content: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
Cortisol and menstruation (01:07:41)
Cortisol and trauma (01:11:32)
Cortisol and exercise (01:15:55)
- Cortisol and overtraining (most notably, Figure 3)
- Impact of exercise intensity on cortisol response
- Cortisol levels return to normal very soon after exercise ends
- Hackney review on exercise and cortisol
Specific claims about high cortisol (01:38:30)
Cortisol, caffeine and sleep (01:45:39)
- Plenty of things cause you to wake up at night
- Spiritual meaning of waking up at 3AM
- Caffeine and cortisol
- Caffeine’s effects on cortisol are attenuated within 5 days of consumption
- Coffee intake is associated with plenty of positive health outcomes (hard to square with the idea that caffeine spikes cortisol in a manner that’s deleterious to your health)
Real ways to regulate cortisol (01:55:49)
Self-diagnosis (02:03:08)
- Cortisol disorders can cause real disease (story Beth referenced about woman with tumor)
- Other things that can cause Cushing-like symptoms
Takeaways (02:08:13)
Where to find Beth
- Check out Beth’s writing on Lifehacker
- Beth’s 510 Dinnie Deadlift
- Beth’s books: Outbreak! and Genetics 101
- Follow Beth on Twitter
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