What Is Cortisol? The Hidden Hormone Behind Stress, Sleep, and Energy

Stress is now a daily part of life for many people. Long work hours, constant notifications, and personal responsibilities keep our bodies on high alert. Over time, this can disrupt sleep, increase cravings, and drain energy.

At the center of this process is cortisol, a hormone that affects almost every system in the body. When it is balanced, it helps you handle challenges, stay focused, and recover well. When it is out of balance, it can impair both your health and your quality of life.

Marnie Dachis Marmet and Stephanie May Potter know this firsthand from years of work with clients. As co-hosts of The Art of Living Well Podcast® and certified Integrative Health Practitioners trained under Dr. Stephen Cabral, they share a common approach to wellness.

Their specialties include functional health, stress management, hormone balance, and nutrition. Together, they use practical, proven methods to help clients reduce cortisol, restore balance, and improve overall well-being.

In this article, you will learn what cortisol balance means and why it matters for your health. You will see how it changes with age, how chronic stress affects it, and the signs to watch for. Most importantly, you will discover simple, effective steps you can take each day to keep cortisol working for you, not against you.

What Is Cortisol and Why Does It Matter?

Cortisol is a hormone made in the adrenal glands. People often call it the stress hormone, but it does more than trigger stress. It plays a key role in keeping your body balanced and healthy.

The Role of Cortisol Balance in the Body

Cortisol helps you handle short-term stress. In a crisis, it prepares your body to act fast. This is the fight-or-flight response. It is useful for emergencies or high-pressure tasks like running a race or meeting a deadline. However, staying in this state for too long (i.e. chronic stress) can harm your health.

High cortisol for long periods can cause:

Blood sugar issues – Crashes, cravings, and waking hungry at night.
Sleep problems – Cortisol should peak in the morning, giving you the energy you need to start your day and drop throughout the day, allowing melatonin to rise at night so that you can easily fall asleep.
Weaker immune function – Chronic stress limits your body’s repair and recovery.

How Cortisol Changes Over Time

In midlife, other hormones drop, and this can raise cortisol. This leads to more anxiety, mood swings, belly fat, tiredness, and brain fog.

Blood sugar drops at night can also spike cortisol, making it hard to sleep and leaving you craving sugar and processed foods high in carbohydrates.

Why Chronic Stress Is a Problem

Living in a constant high-alert state wears the body down. Over time, the adrenal glands may struggle to produce cortisol. Many people experience these symptoms in the form of exhaustion, inability to sleep, feeling tired and wired, tension, and constant cravings without knowing the cause.

The Connection Between Worry and Cortisol

Ongoing worry, whether about work, family, or world events, keeps the body in stress mode. Parents and caregivers often feel this most.

Constant worry, emotional stress, makes it hard to relax into the calm state your body needs for rest and repair. Knowing how cortisol works and having an awareness of your cortisol levels is the first step to managing it and feeling more in control.

How to Naturally Balance Cortisol

You can lower cortisol and restore balance with small, steady changes. Many are free or low-cost and can fit easily into daily life.

How to Naturally Correct Cortisol Balance — Photo by Antoni Shkraba Studio on Pexels

Start With Morning Sunlight

Step outside soon after waking to help reset your body’s natural rhythm. Morning light signals your brain to raise cortisol early and let it drop later in the day. This supports better sleep at night. Even ten minutes outdoors can help, whether you walk, stretch, or simply sit in the sun.

You can also take short breaks during the day to expose your eyes to natural light and try to get evening sun as well to help signal to your body that it’s time to get ready for sleep.

Listen to Your Body

Each day, ask yourself: “What do I need today to feel calm, present, or joyful?” Then follow through.

Swap a high-intensity workout for a gentle walk if you feel worn out.
Take ten minutes for meditation or deep breathing.
Spend quiet time alone when you need space or feel your stress levels rising.

Daily check-ins like this help you become more resilient to stress and allow you to manage the curve balls that life will inevitably throw at you with more ease.

Adjust Exercise Choices

High-impact cardio is fine in moderation, but can raise cortisol if your body is already in a chronic state of stress and/or when done too often. Balance intense cardio training with exercise activities like yoga, pilates, stretching, or slow walks or bike rides.The variety of workouts will help support hormone health while keeping you active.

Set Healthy Boundaries

Saying no is an important way to protect your emotional and mental well-being. Many people feel obligated to say yes to social invitations, work projects, or requests from family and friends. Doing too much for others and not prioritizing your own health and wellbeing will only leave you feeling depleted and can lead to a state of burn out.

Have a conversation with friends and family about why you need to say no. You can simply say, “I’m focusing on my health so I can show up better for you later.” This makes it easier to set limits without guilt.

Improve Sleep Habits

Cortisol should peak in the morning and drop at night. Going to bed at the same time each day helps maintain this cycle. To wind down, try:

Reading a few pages of a book.
Taking a slow evening walk.
Practicing calming breathing, such as the 4-7-8 method.

Avoid bright screens or stimulating shows ideally an hour before bed. These small habits work together to help your body return to a healthy rhythm and keep cortisol in check.

Breathing, Eating, and Testing for Better Cortisol Balance

Small daily habits can go a long way in keeping cortisol at healthy levels. Breathing exercises, mindful eating, and knowing your body’s patterns are simple ways to help.

Use Breathwork to Calm Stress

A simple method like the 4-7-8 technique can help you relax quickly. Inhale for four seconds, hold for seven, and exhale for eight. Even one deep belly breath can ease tension and bring a sense of calm.

If following a set pattern feels stressful, just focus on slow, deep breaths. Pairing breathwork with morning sunlight or a short walk makes it even more effective.

Eat in a Relaxed State

How you feel while eating affects how well your body digests food. Eating in a stressed state can slow digestion and cause discomfort. Before meals, pause and take a few slow breaths. Sit quietly or express gratitude to help your body shift into a calmer state before eating.

Avoid Fasting if It Spikes Stress

For some women in midlife, skipping meals or fasting can raise cortisol and cause irritability. Exercising on an empty stomach may also add extra stress. Instead, have a small snack before a workout, such as:

A quarter of a banana with nut butter
A handful of nuts & small piece of fruit
Greek yogurt with berries
Whole-grain toast with avocado

These give you steady energy without feeling too full.

Track Patterns to Learn What Works

Keep a short daily journal to see how your habits affect your mood, energy, and sleep. Over time, you will notice patterns that show which habits help you feel calm and balanced.

A saliva cortisol test measures levels four times during the day. This shows if your cortisol is too high or low at certain points, helping you target the right habits to bring it back into balance.

Tools, Testing, and Lifestyle Changes for Healthy Cortisol Balance

Cortisol levels shift throughout life, so it is important to notice changes and act before stress becomes constant. The goal is not to remove cortisol but to keep it at healthy levels where it supports your body instead of draining it.

Build and Use Your Stress Management Tools

Have a few reliable habits you can turn to when stress rises. Some people also benefit from supplements. However, it is best to choose them with guidance, since you might already be getting some ingredients from other products.

Supplements can support recovery, but they work best with lifestyle changes. You cannot fix chronic stress or poor sleep by taking pills alone.

Test, don’t guess!

A saliva cortisol test taken at four points during the day shows how your levels change. Anyone can take this test, and it often reveals patterns you might not notice.

With this insight, you can make targeted changes and choose habits or supplements that fit your needs. If you wake up tired despite a full night’s sleep or feel “tired but wired” at night, your cortisol rhythm may be off.

Daily Actions to Support Cortisol Balance

Balanced cortisol supports energy, focus, and resilience. To help keep it in check:

Get sunlight in the morning, and if possible, in the evening. Taking a short walk helps you get the sunlight and movement.
Eat a balanced breakfast instead of waiting until you feel starved.
Match workouts to your energy, choosing lighter activity when needed.
Spend time with people who value rest and well-being.

Burnout is not a badge of honor. Choosing rest, balanced routines, and a supportive environment helps your body use cortisol the way it was meant to.

Conclusion

Cortisol balance is key to steady energy, clear focus, and better health. You can support it with small, daily choices. Morning sunlight, balanced meals, and exercise that matches your energy help keep levels steady.

Setting limits, improving sleep habits, and practicing deep breathing can calm your body and mind. These steps work together to prevent the chronic stress state that wears you down.

Cortisol is our friend.Your body needs it to respond to short-term challenges and stay alert. Problems begin when it stays too high or too low for too long.

Testing your levels can show patterns and make it easier to choose the right habits and routines for your needs.

With steady care, you can keep cortisol working for you instead of against you. Focus on rest, daily movement, and moments of calm.

Build a few habits into your life that you can rely on when you are experiencing more stress. Over time, these small actions can help you reduce your cortisol naturally and feel more in control of your mood, sleep, and health.

FAQs

What is the main cause of poor cortisol balance?

Long-term stress is the most common cause. It can come from work, poor sleep, illness, or emotional strain.

Can diet alone restore cortisol balance?

Diet can help, but it works best with sleep, stress control, and balanced activity.

How does dehydration affect cortisol balance?

Lack of water can raise stress in the body, which may increase cortisol levels.

Can caffeine disrupt cortisol balance?

Yes. Too much caffeine, especially in the morning, can spike cortisol and affect your daily rhythm.

Is weight gain always linked to poor cortisol balance?

Not always, but long-term high cortisol can lead to belly fat and fluid retention.

E282: The Cortisol Crisis for Women Over 40: Fix Belly Fat, Sleep Issues and Burnout Without Fasting