what is cortisol and why is everyone talking about it?

Written by Heather Hart | @howtonourish

If you spend any time scrolling through Instagram’s wellness space, you’ve probably seen influencers throwing around the word “cortisol” like it’s the root of all evil. They blame it for weight gain, anxiety, fatigue, a round face – you name it. And, of course, they have the perfect supplement, diet, or magic protocol to “fix” it.

But here’s the thing: cortisol isn’t the enemy. In fact, you need cortisol to function. It’s actually a really important hormone that helps regulate your sleep-wake cycle. The problem isn’t cortisol itself, it’s how your body is managing it.

Let’s break down what cortisol actually is, how it works, and how to support healthy cortisol levels without falling for fear-based marketing.

what is cortisol, really?

Cortisol is a steroid hormone produced by your adrenal glands, which sit on top of your kidneys. Your adrenals are responsible for a host of other things as well, and if you’ve ever heard the term “adrenal fatigue” you know how important they are.

The cortisol hormone plays a critical role in:

• Your sleep-wake cycle – it helps you wake in the morning and have that initial burst of energy for your day
• Regulating your metabolism – it helps your body break down fats, proteins, and carbs for energy
• Supporting immune function – inflammation isn’t always bad, it’s how your body heals!
• Managing blood sugar – it helps prevent crashes that lead to cravings
• Helping you respond to stress – aka, the "fight or flight" hormone

Think of cortisol as your body’s built-in alarm system. When you wake up in the morning, cortisol rises to help you feel alert. If you’re in danger, it spikes to give you the energy and focus to get to safety. Then, as your day goes on and night falls, it should gradually lower so you can wind down and sleep.

So now that you know what it’s supposed to do, it sounds pretty important, right? But still, influencers demonize it.

why influencers love the "cortisol crisis" narrative

The wellness industry thrives on oversimplification and fear-based marketing. Instead of teaching people how cortisol actually works, influencers often label it as the reason for everything from belly fat to mood swings.

Even if you are sure cortisol is your issue, I can guarantee your symptoms are not as simple as high cortisol alone because hormone imbalance isn’t a root case.

Why is it imbalanced in the first place? This is what they’re not telling you.

Here’s where they get it wrong:

1. Cortisol is not inherently bad – it’s a survival hormone. The goal isn’t to eliminate it, but to keep it in balance.
2. Suppressing cortisol completely is not the answer. If you had zero cortisol, you wouldn’t be able to wake up in the morning or handle any stress at all. It’s important that we consider high cortisol to be a good thing in the morning, but it should be waning as the day comes to an end.
3. Cortisol “hacks” often ignore the real root cause. You don’t need an $80 supplement or a $300 course to regulate your cortisol. Most people just need to fix one thing... their circadian rhythm. Yes, it’s that simple. More on this down below.
4. Don’t test your cortisol. Many practitioners don’t tell you (or don’t know) that you need to test cortisol levels at multiple periods throughout one day to get an accurate reading. Why? Cortisol levels can and should fluctuate, with the highest level upon morning wake and the lowest level before you fall asleep at night. It’s so easy to regulate cortisol that I tell clients not to test for it because it’s a waste of money and energy.

Now, let’s expand on how to regulate cortisol so you can save your time, money, and energy.

how to regulate cortisol naturally

Instead of fearing cortisol, we need to work with it, and the easiest way to do that is by aligning with your circadian rhythm (your body's internal clock).

1. start by getting unfiltered sunlight

We were created to be outside, plain and simple. Staying holed up indoors with LED lighting at all hours of the day and night is really messing up our culture’s natural body rhythms. The absolute best way to get cortisol back in balance is to go outside. Plus, it’s free!

Your body needs natural light in the morning to signal that it’s time to wake up. When your eyes take in unfiltered sunlight (without sunglasses or windows), it tells your brain to boost cortisol naturally and suppress melatonin (your sleep hormone). The key here is natural light, and the only way to get that is with the sun.

You also need sunlight in the evening to tell your body it’s time to get ready for sleep. The key here? You need to regulate the lighting in your house after dark. Incandescent bulbs are wonderful (no LEDs!), as are high-quality red bulbs with no blue wavelength or flicker.

How to maximize your sun exposure:

• Avoid scrolling on your phone first thing in the morning
• Get outside for 10-15 minutes as soon as you wake up so the sunlight can hit your bare eyeballs
• If it’s cloudy, still go outside – your body will get the benefits even if you don’t realize it
• Get outside again for 10-15 minutes as the sun goes down
• No LED lighting or screens after dark – if you have to look at a screen (even the tv), use high-quality blue-blocking glasses

2. eat a balanced breakfast

Skipping breakfast or eating something high in sugar (like a donut or muffin) can cause blood sugar crashes, which triggers stress in the body, and then prolonged cortisol release. Cortisol should be present when you wake up, but you don’t want to trigger a prolonged release with stress upon waking.

A protein-rich breakfast helps stabilize energy levels, setting you up for a great day of eating. Make sure you add balance with some healthy fat for sustained energy til your next meal, and plant-based carbs for quick energy and lots of micronutrients.

How to balance breakfast:

• Aim for 30 grams of protein with breakfast – this will keep you energized til lunch and set you up for a healthy eating day
• Add in healthy fats to every meal – eggs, avocado, grass-fed butter or dairy if tolerated, animal fats for cooking
• Slow-digesting carbs add necessary balance – fresh fruit and sweet potatoes are yummy with breakfast

3. move your body, but not too much

Exercise is great for cortisol balance, but too much high-intensity exercise (especially first thing in the morning or on an empty stomach) can spike cortisol in a way that backfires. This is especially true for women, and even more so if you’re in chronic fight-or-flight.

How to know if you’re in chronic fight-or-flight? Some common symptoms you have may be unexplained anxiety, being irritable or easily angered, feeling overwhelmed at any level of noise or stress, disassociating, waking up exhausted and inflamed, poor sleep, digestive issues like bloating or acid reflux, constipation or diarrhea, feeling like your hormones are off balance, being “hangry” if you wait too long to eat, striving for perfection in your everyday, and emotional eating or addictive behaviors.

Slower, intentional movement is key when hormone imbalance is at play. This helps the body avoid stress that could potentially throw it more out of balance.

How to move for your hormones:

• Keep movements slower and intentional – walking, yoga or gentle pilates, stretching, and lifting heavy are all good options
• Early morning walks lower stress and support your circadian rhythm by getting you in the sunlight
• Strength training 3-4 times per week can help your body regulate and detox extra hormones (like cortisol)
• Stretching and yoga help calm the nervous system, which helps the body stay in balance

4. break free from stimulants

Coffee or energy drinks may feel necessary, but having caffeine first thing in the morning can be stressful to the body and spike cortisol higher than necessary. If you’re relying on caffeine to wake up and having it before an adequate breakfast, your cortisol rhythm might be out of sync.

How to improve caffeine intake:

• Start your day with a glass of warm lemon water with sea salt – this primes digestion and wakes the body up gently
• Eat a big breakfast before you have coffee – see point #2 above
• If you feel jittery or anxious with caffeine, it’s taxing your adrenals and you should consider taking a break from it
• Consider a caffeine detox and switch to an alternative – these are my favorites that I use personally and looove:
  • Rasa is an adaptogenic coffee alternative with lots of yummy blends – use code RASARX648136 for 20% off
• • Kamana brews like coffee and tastes like coffee, but is made from mesquite and has no caffeine
  • Rooibos chai offers warmth and comfort without caffeine – drink it hot or pour it over ice and add your favorite milk
  • Use gelatinized maca powder for hormone support and a boost of energy – I love Gaia Herbs in my daily protein shake
  • If you like cold coffee, make a chocolate protein shake and add black strap molasses for a coffee vibe and minerals

5. prioritize sleep

If you’re a mom with babies or little ones, read over this section but know that it’s going to be different for you because you can’t always control when you wake for your littles. Great sleep may not be accessible today but it will come back, I promise.

Along with circadian rhythm, quality sleep is super important for regulating your cortisol, along with your other hormones. Your body cannot function or heal without adequate quality sleep.

What is quality sleep? 7-9 hours per night of uninterrupted sleep with at least 2 hours of deep sleep. (I know, don’t come for me!)

If you aren’t hitting this goal, it’s time to work on your sleep quality. Point blank: you can bet your deep sleep is too short if you’re waking exhausted and inflamed. Women typically need 8-9 hours for restorative (healing) sleep, men should get 7-8.

If you want to track your sleep, I really love my Oura Ring or there are other wearables and apps that do the job.

How to improve sleep quality:

• Make sure you’re outside during sunset for at least 10-15 minutes with naked eyeballs
• Keep lights low (or off) after dark and use incandescent or red bulbs when possible, and avoid screens without blue blockers
• End your evening with lights out an 10-15 minutes of slow, gentle stretching to calm your body
• Keep a regular sleep schedule as much as possible – go to bed at the same time and wake at the same time
• Keep your sleeping room cool, very dark, and quiet – hang true blackout curtains if your neighborhood is lit at night and use a wind machine if there is noise that could keep you from transitioning to deep sleep
• If you’re really wired, try eating a spoonful of peanut butter – the tryptophan and magnesium can help you sleep, and the high fat content will help stabilize your blood sugar
• Read through my blog post “how to get a restful night of sleep“ for even more tips

6. manage stress the right way

No supplement can fix a dysregulated nervous system. Supplements are almost always band-aids on a bigger root cause and should only be used short-term to help support the body through the rebalancing process. In the same manner, stress on the body due to cortisol imbalance can be supported with some key supplements, but the real healing will take place when you learn and practice habits that manage your stress level from the mental and emotional level rather than the physical level.

How to support your body through stress:

• Look into techniques that rebalance your nervous system – somatic movement, nervous system chiropractic, and breathwork are great places to start
• Take a break from social media to allow your brain to slow down and stop comparing your life or experiences to others
• Start a gratitude and forgiveness journal to help change your mindset around life and relationships
• Pray or meditate – these practices can help you connect to a higher power for instant calm
• Use bodywork at home to release stored tension – some favorites are gua sha, scalp massage, and muscle rolling
• Relax in an epsom salt bath 3-4 times per week – transdermal magnesium can be especially calming to the body

it’s okay to stop fearing cortisol

Cortisol is not your enemy – it’s a necessary hormone that wants to live in harmony with the other hormones in your body. Instead of buying into influencer fear-mongering or expensive quick-fix supplements that don’t work, focus on the basics to get back into balance.

• Sit outside in the sunshine
• Eat good, nutritious food
• Move your body every day
• Stop forcing yourself to go faster
• Sleep when you’re tired
• Calm down and let yourself be happy

Wellness shouldn’t be about fear, but about understanding how your body works and giving it what it actually needs. Strive to simplify your life and get back to the basics and you’ll start to feel better than ever.

Finally, remember that healing can take time. It took months or years for your body to get off track, and it can take weeks, months, or even years to get back into balance. Start slow and focus on one change at a time to solidify the new habit, then choose another and keep going. Eventually you’ll notice that you’re not experiencing the same symptoms or frustrations you were dealing with before.

If you’re really struggling with what you think may be high cortisol, let’s chat! My root cause approach includes a detailed symptom analysis, tissue testing for micronutrient imbalances that affect hormone function, and a personalized plan based on your individual needs. If you are ready to take charge of your health, book a free discovery call below. :)

want to learn more about working together?

about heather

Hello friend! I'm Heather, Nutritional Therapist and Perinatal Minerals Expert. As a mother of three littles, I am constantly thinking about how I can support my body and mind with healthy nutrition and lifestyle choices. As a practitioner, I would like to pass that knowledge on to you! I love to cook, eat, and teach others all the things I know. I hope you'll stick around and consider me a part of your village. ♥