Normal cortisol rhythm is essential for better sleep, as the hormone regulates critical body functions and determines how rejuvenating rest will be.
Part of the reason for this linking of eating and sleeping is the body’s cortisol rhythm. Cortisol is a hormone produced by the adrenal glands, which are located above the kidneys. It helps regulate many body functions including activation of thyroid hormone, bone resorption, muscle strength, energy production, resistance to infection and cancer, resistance to auto-immune diseases, and intensity of allergic reactions. Cortisol is a strong determinant of how rejuvenating sleep will be.
Cortisol is produced in a cyclic fashion with the highest levels being released in the morning and the lowest at night. This 24-hour cycle is called the circadian rhythm, and an abnormal circadian rhythm of adrenal hormones can adversely affect multiple critical functions in the body, including energy production and immune surveillance. Any disruption in this rhythm can result in a tendency toward fatigue, easy bruising, infection, osteoporosis, low sex drive, infertility, migraine headaches, adult acne, abdominal bloating, and either low or high blood pressure.
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A disruption in the cortisol level during the night will affect the quality of sleep. If the cortisol level is high during the night, an individual will have disrupted rapid eye movement (REM) sleep and will wake up non-refreshed, no matter how many hours of sleep the individual appeared to have. REM sleep is the stage of sleep during which an individual dreams. It is accompanied by muscle relaxation and an increase in the breathing rate. The intense dreaming that occurs during REM sleep is a result of heightened cerebral activity. The paralysis that occurs simultaneously in the major voluntary muscle groups, including the muscles of the chin and neck, is thought to be a way to keep the body from acting out the dreams that occur during this intensely cerebral stage. REM-disrupted sleep may be one of the reasons that some individuals can have a full eight hours or more of rest and nonetheless wake up exhausted.
Managing Blood Sugar and Insulin
Key to rejuvenating sleep is having a normal level of cortisol at night. Key to a normal cortisol level at night is a normal cortisol rhythm during the day and leading up to sleep. Food glycemic index and cortisol levels are rapidly responsive to our food intake during each day. The glycemic index of a meal affects the cortisol level for approximately the upcoming five hours.
The glycemic index of a food reflects how our blood sugar level is affected by the particular food. Foods containing high sugar and low fiber have a high glycemic index and result in wider fluctuations in insulin levels than foods with a low glycemic index. High insulin levels have been found to be an underlying culprit in many diseases such as coronary artery disease. High glycemic index foods, such as sugar and refined starches, cause cortisol levels to rise. For individuals who start the day with a normal cortisol level, starchy or sugary breakfast food choices can cause the cortisol to overshoot the normal range. The hormone will likely remain raised all day—and all night. Intervention with herbs or supplements that lower cortisol can help.
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Worse than having a high glycemic meal is having no meal at all. Any time during the day that one does not eat within five hours of the previous meal or snack, the cortisol level tends to rise. A rise above the normal range during the day almost guarantees that the nighttime cortisol will be high and thus disrupt REM sleep. A single late meal or skipped meal or high glycemic index meal during the day can result in a high cortisol during the early part of the night. A cortisol level higher than it should be during the night results in a disruption of REM sleep and with it non-refreshing sleep. Low glycemic index foods such as eggs, meats, poultry, fish, and most vegetables tend to lower the cortisol level. If one starts with a normal morning cortisol, eating foods from the low glycemic index category every five hours during the day is needed to keep the cortisol on its normal downward track.
It is difficult for the average person to know exactly how much animal protein to consume with carbohydrates to balance the glycemic index. Note that the high glycemic index of sugar or starch, including whole grains, requires consumption of nearly an equal weight of animal protein to maintain glycemic balance. Vegetables usually balance themselves in terms of glycemic index, but vegetables are not of sufficiently low glycemic index to balance grains—at least not grains as they are routinely prepared by most Americans. Note that many cultures around the world have developed a 3-step process of pan-frying, soaking, and steaming rice that lowers the glycemic index of this non-gluten grain. To prevent the deleterious upward swing of cortisol, one usually does better to balance all sugars and grains, including whole grains, with animal protein. Even given what we know about the various pitfalls of animal protein, it probably remains better to eat animal protein with each meal at which we have sugar, including fruit, and/or grains. If animal protein is not tolerated for medical, religious or social-consciousness reasons, it is probably better to remain vegan than to be carbo-vegan.
Grain Preparation and Hormone Balance
Has it always been this way? Perhaps not. Many factors have changed in the past century. For example, our grains have been hybridized to contain about half the protein that they contained in 1900. In addition, our failure to sprout our grains in the preparation of the flour used for our commercial breadstuffs has added to the disruption in our cortisol rhythm. Non-sprouted grains result in an inflammatory response in the gut, causing the secretion of excess cortisol into the intestinal tract. This hormonal drain of cortisol in the gut deprives other parts of the body of their fair share of cortisol. While allergy and inflammation manifest themselves elsewhere in the body, the gut is a set-up for intestinal dysbiosis (abnormal gut flora), lowered immune protection (due to lowered secretory IgA levels), and metabolic reactivity to foods. Sprouting removes much of the toxic peptides that are found on the hull of grains. Feed children sprouted grains to avoid or delay gluten- and gliadin-intolerance. Individuals with gluten intolerance are advised to avoid gluten grains. Note that the incidence of gluten intolerance is especially high for those with Celtic, Nordic, or German backgrounds. However, travel and intermarriage have led to the dispersion of this gene to virtually every land. In addition, with the introduction of genetically modified grains into our food supply, the incidence of grain intolerance has risen in populations from all backgrounds.
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Correcting Imbalances and Lifestyle
Individuals who have been violating these eating guidelines may have depleted their liver glycogen stores. These individuals may find themselves hypoglycemic in fewer than five hours. It usually requires about three months of consistently eating glycemically balanced meals at regular intervals in order to replenish the glycogen stores. Glycogen from the liver is necessary to provide energy to allow the brain to continue to function during the night and during periods of skipped meals during the day. Brain cells are injured when glycogen is not available. A fallacy that led to serious health problems for many athletes in recent decades was the belief that foods high in sugar and starch helped to promote glycogen storage. Carbohydrate-loading leads many athletes to develop profound fatigue and other conditions related to glycogen depletion. It now appears that a balanced intake of protein with non-gluten grains and non-fructose carbohydrates would have been a wise choice.
Establishing and maintaining a normal circadian rhythm of cortisol is a worthwhile health priority. Normal cortisol rhythms go a long way toward tipping the balance away from chronic infections, cancer, fatigue, and obesity. They will even help with easy bruising and stretch marks. Quite importantly, achieving a normal cortisol rhythm may change dragging out of bed in the morning to bouncing out of bed. A relentlessly positive attitude will do more for your health than any fretting and fuming—even about diet. Smiles to you!
