This content is for educational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Read more.
Simon Aylwin
London Endocrinology
What is cortisol and what does cortisol do?
Dr Simon Aylwin of London Endocrinology says that cortisol is a very important hormone in several ways. Its levels come down during the day and is almost undetectable at night.
Transcript
Cortisol is a really important hormone in several ways. Firstly, it's part of the diurnal rhythm so it's a...has high levels of cortisol early in the morning. It's the thing that gets you going, and it comes down during the day, and is undetectable by midnight. So, cortisol plays this important role in our day to day circadian rhythm as it's called. It's also important in stress. Not the stress that we're all under, but medical or surgical stress. So with severe illness, cortisol is vital to help combat and fight off a severe infection.