What’s the Deal with Cortisol?
Cortisol – our stress hormone – is often misunderstood. There’s no doubt a fine line between healthy and unhealthy levels exists. Although it's referred to as our stress hormone, we need it.
The key is maintaining a healthy balance. Cortisol plays many roles in the body. One of its main functions is to wake you up in the morning. It rises to counter melatonin (the hormone that makes us tired).
It’s the highest in the morning and should fall throughout the day. This allows melatonin to rise so you become tired leading to bedtime. When balanced, the cycle repeats.
Cortisol is also released when your body and brain perceive stress. It triggers our fight or flight response also known as our sympathetic nervous system. This is helpful when in dangerous situations. However, to our bodies – all stress is stress.
You can actually become addicted to cortisol. When our fight or flight response is triggered, dopamine (the “feel good” chemical) is also released. Inviting the repetition of stressful behaviors ensuring more dopamine hits.
Dr. Nicole LePera, The Holistic Psychologist, has an informative post regarding the addiction of cortisol spikes.
Issues occur when cortisol levels rise too often or remain too high for periods of time.
This can lead to increased blood sugar, poor digestion, chronic stress, fatigue, a slow metabolism, anxiety and more.
Can prolonged high levels impact your training? It sure can. According to SWEAT, high cortisol can reduce protein synthesis and suppress growth hormones. Inhibiting muscle repair and development.
How do you know if your cortisol is high? Signs include: morning fatigue, no morning appetite, low energy throughout the day, trouble falling asleep, a jittery feeling, etc. It can be different for everyone.
Even if you don’t think your cortisol is high, it’s a healthy concept to support your levels.
Five ways to lower and support cortisol:
Diet
Eating balanced, nutrient-dense meals help promote healthy blood sugar levels. This means consuming protein, fat and fiber with each meal. It’s also beneficial to incorporate foods that feed good gut bacteria such as sauerkraut, kimchi, garlic, apples and asparagus.
Limit Coffee/Caffeine
Drinking large amounts of coffee or caffeine as well as consuming it too late into the day can cause cortisol spikes. It’s suggested to consume coffee or caffeine after breakfast and before lunch. We have an entire blog post on this topic if you’d like to learn more.
Sleep
Prioritizing and optimizing your sleep means your body is entering rest and digest – engaging the parasympathetic nervous system. Aim for 7-9 hours each night. Achieve this by avoiding blue light before bed, creating a calming bedtime routine, and maintaining consistent sleep and wake times.
Morning Sunlight Exposure
Getting sun on your skin and in your eyes first thing in the morning is wildly beneficial. It helps support your circadian rhythm. Sunlight signals to your brain that it is time to stop producing melatonin and release healthy levels of cortisol.
Stress Relief
Stress can cause major havoc in one’s life and is the top cause of increased cortisol. The body can’t differentiate between real danger or something like a deadline. Managing stress daily can look like meditation/breathwork, yoga, walking, grounding, journaling, therapy, etc.
There are more ways you can lower and support cortisol levels. The list above contains only a few. We challenge you to take the time to be mindful and intentionally explore this list. Pick one that interests you the most and give it a try for a week.