Trying to lower cortisol levels? You have probably found yourself asking these questions:
Should I fast in the morning?
I heard drinking coffee and working out on an empty stomach will raise my cortisol but I don’t know what that means.
Can I get rid of cortisol?
Why do I need it?
These are questions friends and family ask me all of the time. Today’s blog post is all about cortisol. What is it? How do you know if you have high levels of cortisol? How can I lower it?
Related: How to Balance your Hormones with Food.
What is cortisol?
Let’s first take a look at what cortisol is and what purpose it serves. People call cortisol the stress hormone. It is the hormone your body produces in response to stress. In addition, it helps regulate blood sugar, blood pressure, metabolism, and helps your body know when it is time to wake up and go to sleep.
What is the purpose of cortisol?
Cortisol levels naturally rise and fall throughout the day. It rises in the morning, helping your body wake up. Also, cortisol lowers at night, signaling it is time to go to sleep. If you are driving and someone swerves into your lane, your cortisol levels will spike and help you react quickly (and save your life!).
Cortisol is not the bad guy people make it out to be. It serves many important purposes. The trouble with cortisol is when it is spiked all.the.time it negatively impacts your health. Today’s modern life is filled with over scheduling, constant notifications from your phone, the negative news cycle, etc which is making it really hard for many people to regulate their cortisol levels.
How do you know if you have high levels of cortisol?
Now that you have a better understanding of what cortisol is and why it is important. I want to give you a couple of ways to identify if you have high levels of cortisol.
- Weight gain-especially around the belly. This is the one people notice first and the most frustrating sign for many people.
- Not being hungry in the morning is often a sign of high cortisol.
- Feeling more anxious or irritable than normal
- A hard time falling asleep or staying asleep at night
- Muscle weakness or soreness.
- Digestive issues
Serious about lowering your cortisol and improving your hormone health? Check out Glow & Flow-a self paced course and private community designed to help you lower cortisol and inflammation naturally.
5 ways to lower cortisol
- Exercise– This is a place where one size fits all does not work. When building an exercise routine, it is really important to think about your life as a whole. Are you under a lot of stress, not sleeping well, your diet is all over the place? This is not a time to start a high impact, stressful 5 am bootcamp type of routine. If this describes your current stage of life, you would be better suited to add more yoga and long walks into your routine. However, if your stress levels are lower, you are getting enough sleep, and your nutrition is dialed in, you can probably handle taking on more challenging exercise routines. Want more exercise ideas? Check out my post How to Exercise to Support your Hormone Health.
- Social connections– We are social creatures. We thrive on human connection. It is so easy to see friendships and community as things that are nice to do when you have time instead of seeing them as the necessities that they truly are. I understand it may take a little bit of you stepping out of your comfort zone but I promise it is worth the temporary discomfort. Unsure where to meet new friends? Maybe joining a gym or yoga studio feels like a good step for you. Or perhaps volunteering for an organization you have long admired. Ask that fellow mom you always make small talk with at school drop off if she wants to join you for coffee. Be brave, you can do it! As an added bonus, having an accountability buddy will help you stick with your workout routine too!
- Supplements- Ashwaganda, L-theanine, holy basil, and Rhodiola are all known for their stress relieving properties. I do not recommend taking all of them, just pick one and give it some time to see if you notice any changes.
- Maintaining stable blood sugar-Stable blood sugar is important for most aspects of your health. These tips will help keep your blood sugar stable and which will in turn lower your cortisol levels. Be sure to eat protein and healthy fats at every meal. Aim for at least 30 grams of protein at each meal. Walk after your meals whenever you can, even ten minutes will help! Stop the mindless snacking. If you find yourself hungry in between meals, make sure your snack is well balanced.
- Take stress relief seriously– Stress is a part of life and while you can’t make it disappear, there are many things you can do to help yourself better handle the stressors that come your way. Make it a priority to find ways to manage your stress. Some of my favorite stress relievers are:
- Organizing/cleaning (no really, having a clean, organized house or workspace has been proven to lower stress).
- Create more white space in your life-what I mean by this is stop over scheduling and over committing yourself.
- Say no more often and create boundaries. These things take practice but they get easier the more you do them.
- Take digital breaks. If you are wondering how your phone impacts your stress levels, I challenge you to take a break (one hour, a whole day, a weekend, whatever feels doable to you) and see how you feel. It is easy to forget how technology impacts your stress levels until you take a break.
- Be intentional about bringing more joy into your life. Buy yourself the flowers. Stop and admire the beautiful flowers you see on your walk. Read something just for fun.
Alright, now you have some tools to begin to lower your cortisol levels. Which one are you going to try first?
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