Chronic Stress or Cortisol Addiction? How To Know the Difference

Cortisol is a hot topic these days, and with good reason—experiencing high levels of the stress hormone can result in a range of not-so-fun symptoms, including acne, irritability, fatigue, weight gain, sleep disturbances, high blood pressure, and even diabetes.

Of course, there are plenty of ways to manage cortisol. Practicing stress-reducing activities—like mindfulness, meditation, yoga, and breathwork—can help, as can following a healthy diet, limiting alcohol and caffeine, and prioritizing sleep.

However, if you have been highly stressed for a while, it might be helpful to distinguish between chronic stress and cortisol addiction. According to psychologist Laura Villanueva, “the main difference is that in chronic stress the person suffers and wants to get out of it, while in cortisol addiction there is a constant search for more tension, more emotion.”

That may sound counterintuitive—and potentially even masochistic—but experts say that cortisol addiction, especially in today’s high-stress world, might be more common than we realize. While not an official clinical diagnosis, cortisol or “stress addiction” is described as a subconscious pattern in which a person becomes psychologically and physiologically dependent on the stress hormone cortisol and the feelings it produces.

Worried that might be you? Read on to find out more about the difference between chronic stress and cortisol addiction.

What is chronic stress?

Chronic stress is a physical condition sustained over time in which the body remains in a state of “fight or flight” in the face of perceived external threats. According to Villanueva, this prolonged state is emotionally, cognitively, and physiologically debilitating:

• Emotional symptoms: anxiety, depressive symptoms, irritability, sudden mood swings and decreased libido.
• Cognitive symptoms: memory lapses, recurrent absent-mindedness, loss of mental agility.
• Physical symptoms: sleep disturbances like insomnia or excessive sleep, changes in appetite, digestive issues, high blood pressure, abdominal swelling, frequent headaches, low immune response, and hormonal imbalances.

The key factor? A chronically stressed person wants to stop feeling stressed, but does not know how or is unable to break the cycle.

What is cortisol addiction?

Here’s the thing: Cortisol addiction is often a consequence of experiencing chronic stress. At first, it’s an adaptive response; the surging cortisol allows us to continue functioning at high performance. The problem occurs when this sort of turbo mode becomes prolonged.