Stress is a normal part of life, and everyone feels stressed out at some point. However, if you experience chronic stress and exhaustion that is impacting your daily life, that may be a sign that something deeper is going on. In some cases, that could involve a cortisol imbalance.
Both high and low levels of cortisol — also known as the “stress hormone” — can leave you dealing with symptoms that make you feel unlike yourself. Fortunately, there are things you can do to check in on your body and better manage your cortisol levels. However, if you believe you have a cortisol imbalance or are generally concerned about your health, make sure to consult your doctor before making any changes.
What is cortisol?
Over- or under-functioning adrenal glands lead to symptoms of burnout.
Cortisol is the body’s primary stress hormone, says Melissa Groves Azzaro, a registered dietitian and author of A Balanced Approach to PCOS. The hormone is produced in the adrenal glands in response to internal or external stressors.
Most people know cortisol for its role in the “fight-or-flight” response, which is important, but cortisol actually plays many other roles in the body.
In addition to curbing any body functions that are nonessential in a fight-or-flight scenario, cortisol also:
The majority of your body’s cells contain cortisol receptors, so it’s an important hormone, but like any hormone, too much or too little of it can be detrimental to your body and health.
Signs of a cortisol imbalance
Everyone’s experience with cortisol imbalance will differ, particularly when differentiating between high and low cortisol.
Symptoms of high cortisol include:
- Weight gain, especially in the abdominal area
- Anxiety and irritability
- Trouble falling asleep and staying asleep
- Nervousness
- Shakiness
- High heart rate
- Blood sugar and blood pressure instability
Symptoms of low cortisol include:
- All-day low energy
- Feeling “wired but tired”
- Severe fatigue and lack of focus
- Sugar and salt cravings
- Apathy
- Low libido
- Memory problems
What causes a cortisol imbalance?
Too much exercise can throw off cortisol levels.
Exercise is considered eustress, or good stress, Azzaro says — up to a point. “While there is an immediate rise in cortisol with exercise, the overall impact is to improve mood and lower stress. But if we overexercise, the stress becomes detrimental,” she says.
Azzaro recommends considering your overall life stress when planning an exercise regimen. If you aren’t getting enough sleep and you’re battling high stress at work, it may not be the best time for you to incorporate high-intensity exercise, Azzaro explains.
“If you are finding yourself getting sick more often or feeling depleted after a workout, rather than energized, you are probably working out too hard for your current cortisol levels,” she says.
Nutrition
The foods we eat can help reduce cortisol or spike it, says Lauren Minchen, registered dietitian and nutrition consultant for Freshbit. “Processed foods that are rich in carbs and sugar may immediately help lower cortisol at first, but the blood sugar spike caused by these foods can actually, over time, increase stress, inflammation and cortisol levels in the body,” Minchen says.
“Sugar is known for being one of the biggest cortisol triggers, and white refined flour foods produce a similar blood sugar spike and cortisol effect, so eating foods high in these ingredients regularly can lead to elevated cortisol over time.”
Alcohol and caffeine also impact your cortisol levels, and consuming too much of either or both over time impacts your cortisol levels. Alcohol increases inflammation, which places stress on the body, triggering cortisol production. Withdrawal from intoxication also stimulates more cortisol in the bloodstream, Minchen says.
“Depending on how much coffee one regularly drinks and how high their cortisol levels are day to day, increasing caffeine intake may have little to no effect on raising cortisol even more,” Minchen says. “This effect may lead to actually feeling more tired with more caffeine, due to adrenal gland burnout. The adrenals can only work so hard before they are no longer able to keep increasing cortisol production.”
On the flip side, eating healthy whole-food carbs, such whole grains, fresh fruit, legumes and potatoes, can provide help with cortisol management. Also, consuming a balanced amount of protein, carbs and fats helps your body receive the energy it needs to keep blood sugar available and stable, which ultimately helps keep cortisol under control, Minchen says.
How to fix high or low cortisol levels
