TOFter testing the viral cocktail “Sleepy Girl” last year, and not getting more from ZZZ, I decided to see if things could be different with the last health trend of social networks.
Lately, Tiktok has been exploiting about Cortisol, with influential people claiming that no one seems to have the perfect levels. They claim that this causes a swollen face, swelling and constant tiredness.
Enter the “cortisol cocktail”: a homemade drink that, according to users, reduces stress, restores energy and balances hormones. And with occupied work (and even in need of sleeping more), it seemed the perfect to help me relax after a long day.
Cortisol is often known as the “stress hormone”, but also plays an essential role in the regulation of metabolism, inflammation, blood pressure and sleep-life cycle. Health experts point out that cortisol fluctuations are natural and beneficial, unless they are associated with chronic stress or underlying disease.
A wide range of influential people has promoted cortisol cocktails, or adrenal, as they are also known. They claim that high levels of anxiety are the result of high levels of cortisol and this drink helps the body to restore.
A health influencer, Madadelinemary, talked about its benefits for its 300,000 Tiktok followers. “It will replace you, it will hydrate you, it will help you replenish your adrenals, so that you can process those hormones and adrenaline,” he said in a video in May. “His body is so stressed that his adrenal glands are working in Overdrive and his minerals are so exhausted.”
Another influence of health, Valerie Ribbon, also shared his cortisol cocktail recipe with his 239,000 Tiktok followers. “If you have a high cortisol or you are always tired, you must make adrenal cocktails every day,” he said in one of his January videos. “You cannot have a healthy cortisol without having healthy maximum blood cells, and they help to nurture their adrenal glands and create energy at the cellular level.”
Some health companies have risen to the trend and have published powders of adrenal cocktails that can be mixed with water instead of drinking from scratch.
The homemade online recipes vary, but the one I followed consisted of 200 ml of coconut water (for potassium), the juice of half a lemon, 50 ml of orange juice (for vitamin C), a teaspoon of magnesium dust for muscle relaxation, a sewing jump room (for sodium) and bright water to the taste.
Cocktail defenders claim that it replenishes the adrenal glands of the body, which are above the kidneys and produce hormones, including aldosterone, cortisol, adrenaline and norepinephrine. These hormones are essential for body functions such as maintaining blood pressure and heart rate.
Unlike the cocktail “Sleepy Girl”, which will drink at bedtime, Tiktok did not provide a solid response on the cortisol drink. Some social networks users suggested early in the morning, so my levels begin balanced, while others told me to use it to treat an afternoon fall.
I made the executive decision to drink between 6 and 7 pm, when I usually have a hard time finishing after arriving home from the office. The taste can be better described as an approximation of a orange flavor vitamin or a sports or electrolytic drink, without the added sugar content that sometimes comes with it.
The first day, I didn't feel less stressed, but I was well hydrated. I will persevere, drinking the cocktail every night for a week. Seven days later, however, I felt little difference. The drink was tasty, but it seemed to be more than a placebo.
My suspicions were confirmed when talking to Julia Zumpano, a dietitian in preventive cardiology and rehabilitation at the Cleveland Clinic.
“There is no science that supports this,” he said Independent When asked if there was any form of a cortisol cocktail could reduce stress levels.
She added: “There is no damage by adding some orange juice to a little coconut water. Depending on the different recipes, what is giving you are electrolytes.”
Zumpano explained that, according to the ingredients he has seen in the list in the cortisol cocktail, more could be seen to replenish the lost nutrients after having a stomach insect or a similar disease.
While there may not be any negative side effect to have a cortisol or two cocktail throughout the day, he said that people should still take into account how much sugar and salt are consuming.
And instead of resorting to a Tiktok trend to solve any problem that may arise from stress, Zumpano suggested to look at the lifestyle factors and not only try to tame stress once it is already present.
“Things like sleeping properly, exercise regularly, avoid processed foods, limit high sugar intake,” he said. “Those will help much more than this drink.”
If these changes do not seem to be working, Zumpano suggested to meet with a medical care provider, “specifically a dietitian”, to work if additional electrolytes could be useful to add to their daily routine.
Once I am out of my stock of coconut water and OJ, I will end the cortisol cocktail. Although he did not deliver the magic that expected the stress he expected, he reminded me of how basic routines, such as exercise and avoid processed foods, can be powerful. But, it was still much tastier than the “sleepy girl” cocktail.
