Psychologist, Tarek Saidi said that many Tunisians live under psychological pressure, whether due to the demands of life or special factors, pointing out that prolonged exposure to stress leads to a state of exhaustion, a breeding ground for the development of diseases.
Stress, he said, causes cortisol to rise, which can have adverse health effects. Cortisol is a hormone made by the adrenal glands. This plays an essential role in the balance of blood glucose and the release of sugar from the body’s stores in response to an increased demand for energy. It is also involved in the metabolism of fats and proteins.
Cortisol is often referred to as the stress hormone. Its role is to help the body cope with it, by mobilizing the energy needed to nourish the muscles, the brain and also the heart.
The specialist called for learning to manage stress in order to preserve one’s health, recommending, in this regard, to face problems with flexibility, to train oneself to accept a difficult situation and not to undergo it, to limit one’s dependence on social networks, to practice reading and physical activity, to devote more time to the family, to relax and to avoid the consumption of tobacco and alcohol.
A high cortisol level can be a sign of several diseases including hyperglycemia, benign or malignant adrenal gland tumor, acute infection, stroke, myocardial infarction, liver cirrhosis…