Psychology
Childhood trauma and adverse childhood experiences (ACEs)
Abuse, neglect and a chaotic home raise the odds of illness in adulthood — but an ACE score is not a sentence, and safe relationships change the outcome.
27 Sept 20268 min read
Cortisol
Pronounced KOR-tih-zol
Also known as Stress hormone, Hydrocortisone
A steroid hormone made by the adrenal glands that helps the body respond to stress and regulates blood sugar, metabolism and inflammation. Levels peak in the morning and fall at night.
In Psychology
Cortisol is made by the adrenal glands, which sit on top of the kidneys. It is called the stress hormone because it rises under pressure, after the quick adrenaline surge of the , releasing sugar from the liver for energy and keeping you alert. It also helps regulate , , the sleep–wake cycle and .
Levels normally peak around waking and fall by bedtime. Short rises are healthy. Stress that keeps the system switched on for months is linked to raised blood pressure and to brain changes that may contribute to and — see stress and the body.
Where this comes up
Psychology
Exam stress: coping with Matric, FSc, MDCAT and entry tests
Some exam nerves help; panic, sleepless nights and study pills do not. Study methods that work, sleep and food before exams, and how parents can help.
27 Sept 20268 min read
Psychology
Stress and the body: how 'tension' affects your health
Stress hormones raise blood pressure and blood sugar in minutes. Kept switched on for months, 'tension' strains the heart, sleep, gut and immunity.
27 Sept 20268 min read
Related terms
- Fight-or-flight responseFight or flight, Stress responseThe body's automatic alarm reaction to danger: adrenaline makes the heart race, breathing speed up and muscles tense, ready to fight or run. It can also fire when there is no real danger.
- BurnoutBurn-out, Occupational burnoutA state of exhaustion, cynicism and reduced effectiveness caused by long-term workplace stress that has not been managed. WHO calls it an occupational phenomenon, not a medical condition.
- Psychosomatic symptomsSomatisation, Functional symptomsReal physical symptoms — pain, dizziness, stomach upset, weakness — that are driven or worsened by stress and emotion rather than by damage to an organ. They are not imagined.
- HypertensionHigh blood pressure, Blood pressure ka marzHypertension is blood pressure that stays high enough, over repeated proper measurements, to damage the arteries over time. It almost never causes symptoms, which is why it is found by measuring rather than by feeling unwell.