The human body is amazing. When something is wrong, our bodies know how to fix it.

Broken bones knit back together, cancer cells are attacked, infections are fought and damaged skin is regenerated. But what happens when our brains are running on empty? When you are stressed to high levels, your body activates its ‘flight or fight’ response and secretes the cortisol hormone into your bloodstream.

Cortisol in normal doses is essential to survival as it regulates blood pressure, plays a role in anti-inflammatory processes and immune funciton, however large doses of cortisol into the bloodstream can cause stress-related changes such as;

high blood pressure
blood sugar imbalances
lowered immunity
impaired cognitive function
increased abdominal fat, which can in turn lead to heart attack, stroke, metabolic disease and cholesterol issues
slower wound healing
decrease in bone density and muscle tissue

Yet some people are simply addicted to the high that stress, and cortisol, gives them.

So how can you tell if you are addicted to stress? Here are eight signs that you have high levels of cortisol in your bloodstream and could be at risk.

1. Belly Fat

Despite eating well and exercising, you are gaining weight around your middle. Cortisol causes a ‘thickness’ around the mid-section.

2. Always Exhausted

Even though you crash as soon as your head hits the pillow, you feel exhausted all day. High levels of cortisol deplete the adrenal glands (from which it is secreted) and make you more prone to chronic fatigue. So if you feel like you haven’t slept at all when you wake in the morning, you are probably highly stressed.