High Levels of Cortisol and Autism
Cortisol is a hormone that every human produces to help with a variety of functions. Often known as the “stress hormone,” it’s released into the bloodstream when you perceive stress, causing your blood pressure and heart rate to increase.
This is commonly known as the “fight or flight” response, and it’s allowed humans to remain alive. While cortisol is often thought of in a negative way nowadays, it’s essential for normal body and mind functioning.
In fact, the body releases cortisol every morning that you wake up or whenever you exercise. The hormone actually helps to regulate levels of blood sugar and blood pressure while also strengthening the heart muscle.
It’s known to lower pain sensitivity, provide a boost to the immune system and even heighten memory. Yet, if we have too much cortisol, it can be extremely damaging.
People who have autism spectrum disorder (ASD) may have higher levels of cortisol than neurotypical individuals, according to some studies, which could help explain why they behave in certain ways in response to what they experience.
Below, we’ll discuss cortisol in more depth and what studies have suggested about high levels of cortisol and autism.
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What Happens if You Have High Levels of Cortisol?
While cortisol is an essential hormone, a lot of potentially dangerous effects can happen if there’s too much present in your body. If you have too much cortisol, after all, your body will essentially be experiencing stress on a chronic basis.
There are many potential effects this could have on your body and mind, depending on the levels of cortisol and chronic stress. It could include fatigue, headaches, irritability, intestinal problems and higher blood pressure1.
Too much cortisol could result in tension or muscle pain in your back, jaw, neck and head2. It could make it difficult to sleep and cause you to gain weight. It could result in a lower libido and make it harder to recover after exercise.
Over the long term, too much cortisol could cause someone to struggle with depression and/or anxiety3 — either directly as a result of the excess cortisol present or indirectly because of some of the other effects listed above.
Do People with Autism Have High Levels of Cortisol?
Research into the link between autism and high levels of cortisol has produced mixed results over the years. However, there are a few studies conducted in the last 16 years that have strongly suggested people with autism have higher levels of cortisol.
The first, conducted in 2009, focused just on people who had Asperger’s syndrome, which at the time was still considered a separate disorder from autism. Four years later, it was wrapped under the ASD umbrella when that term was coined in 2013.
This particular study concluded that children who had Asperger’s syndrome didn’t experience the normal morning “surge” of cortisol that neurotypical individuals did, which was usually followed by levels decreasing gradually as the day went on.
The study said that this could be a reason why children with Asperger’s syndrome struggle with even minor changes in their routines or when their environment changes.
A later study conducted in 2015 actually took this a step further, looking at cortisol levels in children who had lower-functioning ASD (LFASD), high-functioning ASD (HFASD) and neurotypical children.
It found that children with LFASD had cortisol levels that were significantly higher than the others, and that these levels were observed at multiple times throughout the day. Interestingly, the study also found that children with HFASD had cortisol levels that were similar to that of neurotypical children, which contrasts the conclusions from the previous study.
Can ABA Therapy Help with Cortisol Levels?
Both of these studies, and many others, suggest that to some degree, children with autism are more likely to have higher levels of cortisol than their neurotypical peers — and that their cortisol production is also different.
This could help to explain why children with ASD react in different ways to certain sensory stimuli, when their routines are changed and during social interactions, among other things.
Individuals without autism would typically be told to engage in stress-reducing activities to solve high cortisol levels4. Children on the autism spectrum may not understand those strategies or how to engage in them.
Luckily, ABA therapy can help children with ASD reduce their stress levels by building their confidence, their skills and their abilities in a number of facets. By improving communication and social skills, and by exhibiting positive behaviors instead of negative ones, children with autism can learn how to manage their stress better, which can help reduce their cortisol levels.
This can have hugely positive effects for them in both the short and long term, as life becomes much easier for them to manage.
Blue Gems ABA Supports Children with ASD
Studies have shown that children with autism are likely to have higher levels of cortisol than those who don’t have autism. This can have many negative effects on their life, from trouble sleeping to suffering from anxiety and depression.
At Blue Gems ABA, we support children on the autism spectrum by helping them improve their communication and social interaction skills, while also modifying their behaviors — all of which allows them to live a happier, healthier, more fulfilling and independent life.
To learn more, please contact us today.
617-297-7998
617-340-3371
info@bluegemsaba.com
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