In this episode, Greg and Lyndsey sit down for a discussion about cortisol with Beth Skwarecki, the senior health editor at Lifehacker. The dangers of high cortisol are a persistent topic of content on social media content, so the discussion focuses on the types of claims that are being made, the dubious methods of self-diagnosis and “treatment” being recommended, and the potential risks and dangers associated with letting social media convince you that you’re basically an endocrinologist.
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
What is cortisol? (00:02:52)
'Normal' cortisol levels (00:18:44)
Cortisol discourse on TikTok (00:33:56)
Representative examples of TikTok cortisol content:
Cortisol vs other social media trends (00:47:48)
Cortisol and menstruation (01:07:41)
Cortisol and trauma (01:11:32)
Cortisol and exercise (01:15:55)
Specific claims about high cortisol (01:38:30)
Cortisol, caffeine and sleep (01:45:39)
Real ways to regulate cortisol (01:55:49)
Self-diagnosis (02:03:08)
Takeaways (02:08:13)
Where to find Beth
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