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11. Difficulty Sleeping
Cortisol is absolutely destructive when it comes to sleep. That’s because cortisol is the antithesis of the sleep hormone melatonin.
You might have heard for instance that you should always try to avoid bright lights and computer screens right before bed. That’s because these screens simulate the production of cortisol, and that cortisol immediately reduces the effectiveness of the melatonin.
Therefore, you will find that elevated levels of cortisol mean that your baseline level of brain activity makes it incredibly difficult to sleep and that you lie awake with racing thoughts and possibly even an elevated heart rate.
The unfortunate irony is that the more you try to sleep and the more pressure you place on yourself to go to sleep, the more difficult it can become. There are many other causes of difficulty sleeping, of course, so keep this in mind when trying to identify what might be responsible for your difficulties.