Cortisol, Chronic Stress, and Why You're Not Broken
Let's talk about everyone's favorite thing to blame for everything these days: HORMONES. Specifically cortisol.
Stubborn belly fat? Cortisol. Can't sleep? Cortisol. Hair falling out? Cortisol. Bad date? Probably cortisol's fault, too (at least according to the internet and social media).
Here's the truth: cortisol isn't the devil or the evil villain in your story. Seriously. It's more like that friend who's incredibly helpful in certain situations but becomes exhausting when they won't leave your house. The problem isn't cortisol itself – it's what happens when it overstays its welcome.
What the Hell Is Cortisol Anyway?
Cortisol is a steroid hormone produced by your adrenal glands. Your adrenal glands are walnut-sized endocrine glands that sit on top of each kidney in your upper abdomen. Think of it as your body's built-in alarm system and emergency response team rolled into one.
When functioning properly, cortisol follows a natural rhythm throughout the day. It peaks in the morning to get you ready for the day ahead, then gradually decreases as the day goes on, hitting its lowest point at night so you can actually sleep. This daily pattern is called your circadian rhythm, and when cortisol plays by these rules, it's doing exactly what it should.
Here's what cortisol actually does when it's being a productive member of society:
Regulates metabolism and blood sugar. Cortisol ensures you have readily available energy by influencing how your body uses carbohydrates, fats, and proteins. It helps maintain blood sugar levels between meals and during physical activity.
Controls inflammation. Ever wonder why doctors prescribe corticosteroids for inflammatory conditions? Because cortisol is one of your body's most powerful anti-inflammatory agents.
Manages your stress response. This is the big one most people know about, but we'll dig deeper in a minute.
Influences memory formation. Moderate cortisol actually helps you learn and remember things, particularly emotional or significant experiences.
Regulates blood pressure and cardiovascular function. It helps maintain vascular tone and keeps your heart and blood vessels functioning properly.
Supports immune function. In appropriate amounts, cortisol helps regulate immune responses and prevents the immune system from going haywire.
In other words, cortisol is essential for staying alive and functioning like a regular human. It's not optional, and you definitely don't want to eliminate it entirely (but also, spoiler alert: you can't anyway).
The Stress Response: When Cortisol Becomes Your Overreactive Bodyguard
Here's where things get interesting. Cortisol is part of the stress response – that ancient, hardwired system designed to keep you alive when actual threats appeared.
Imagine you're a human a few thousand years ago, and you spot a predator. Your brain's amygdala (the alarm center) immediately sends a distress signal to your hypothalamus, which acts like a command center communicating with the rest of your body through the nervous system. This kicks off the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis – a communication highway between your brain and adrenal glands.
The process goes like this: your hypothalamus releases corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH), which tells your pituitary gland to release adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), which then signals your adrenal glands to pump out cortisol. It's like a game of biological telephone, except instead of the message getting scrambled, it gets amplified.
When cortisol floods your system during acute stress, it's incredibly helpful. It mobilizes glucose for immediate energy, sharpens your focus, suppresses non-essential functions like digestion and reproduction (because who cares about eating a meal or making a baby when you're about to become dinner?), and prepares your body to either fight or run like hell.
Think of cortisol in acute stress like an acquaintance who shows up with a truck when you need to move apartments on short notice. They're extremely helpful in that situation, they help you get shit done, and then they leave. AMAZING.
The problem is when your stress response doesn't turn off. When that helpful acquaintance with the truck just... stays. They're sleeping on your couch, eating your food, reorganizing your kitchen at 3 AM even though you never asked them to, and you're too exhausted to make them leave. NOT AMAZING.
When Cortisol Becomes the Houseguest Who Won't Leave
Chronic stress is where cortisol shifts from helpful to harmful. And here's what most people don't understand: your body doesn’t differentiate between running from a sabertooth tiger and working to meet a deadline. A threat is a threat, whether it's physical or psychological.
Your morning commute in traffic? Threat. That passive-aggressive email from a coworker? Threat. Scrolling social media and comparing yourself to influencers? Threat. Worrying about your kid's grades while meal prepping and also returning work messages? Multiple simultaneous threats.
When stress becomes chronic, your HPA axis stays activated. Cortisol levels remain elevated, and this is where things start breaking down.
It disrupts other hormones. Cortisol doesn't exist in isolation – it's part of an interconnected hormonal network. When stress becomes chronic, it can suppress production of sex hormones (testosterone, estrogen, progesterone) because your body essentially decides that survival takes priority over having babies.
Chronic stress impacts the hypothalamus and pituitary gland (remember that HPA axis?), which can suppress the signals that tell your ovaries or testes to produce sex hormones. This is why chronic stress can lead to irregular or absent periods in women – a condition called hypothalamic amenorrhea. The body can shut down reproductive function when it perceives someone is in a state of chronic threat. It's choosing survival over reproduction, even if the "threat" is actually just your overloaded schedule and inbox.
It messes with thyroid function. Elevated cortisol can decrease the conversion of T4 (inactive thyroid hormone) to T3 (active thyroid hormone), essentially dialing down your metabolism. Your thyroid is trying to do its job, but cortisol is like a manager who keeps piling on extra tasks while cutting resources.
It disrupts insulin sensitivity. Chronically elevated cortisol keeps blood sugar higher than necessary, which means your pancreas keeps pumping out insulin to deal with it. Over time, your cells become less responsive to insulin's signals – think of it like hearing the same alarm every day until you start tuning it out. This insulin resistance makes fat storage more likely, particularly around your midsection.
It impacts body composition. Chronic cortisol elevation promotes fat storage, especially visceral fat (the kind around your organs). It also makes it harder to build and maintain muscle because elevated cortisol is catabolic – it breaks down tissue, including muscle, to make glucose available for what your body perceives as an ongoing emergency.
It tanks your immune system. While acute cortisol helps regulate immunity, chronic elevation suppresses immune function. You know how you always seem to get sick after a particularly stressful period or time? This is partly why.
It screws with sleep. Remember that natural cortisol rhythm, where it should drop at night? Chronic stress flattens this curve. Your cortisol might stay elevated when it’s supposed to drop, making it harder to fall asleep or causing you to wake up in the middle of the night feeling wired.
It impairs digestion. Again, your body diverts resources away from "non-essential" functions during stress, and digestion is one of them. You are not in a rest and digest state when in a stressed state. This can lead to everything from bloating and constipation to increased intestinal permeability and altered gut bacteria composition.
It affects mood and cognition. Chronic cortisol elevation is HIGHLY associated with anxiety, depression, brain fog, and memory problems. That feeling of being mentally fried after a stressful period? You’re not just imagining this.
The Compound Interest of Poor Stress Management (And Why Women Get Hit Harder Later)
Here's where we need to talk about something that doesn't get enough airtime: the way cortisol becomes such a significant problem for many women as they age isn't just about perimenopause or menopause. It's about the compounding effects of how they've operated up until that point.
Think of your stress response system like a credit card. Every time you use it – every stress response you activate – you're charging something to the card. In your younger years, you have a higher credit limit and can bounce back more easily. The bill comes due, but you've got the resources to pay it off without too much damage.
But here's what happens: most people, especially women who are socialized to be everything to everyone, spend decades operating at a stress level that their bodies adapt to but never truly resolve. You push through exhaustion. You pride yourself on functioning on five hours of sleep. You skip meals or survive on coffee. You say yes when you mean no. You carry the mental load for everyone around you. You suppress your needs because other people's seem more urgent.
Your body is remarkably adaptive, so it adjusts. Your HPA axis recalibrates to this new "normal." Your nervous system finds a new baseline. You become someone who operates at a constant simmer of stress, and you might not even recognize it anymore because you've gotten so damn good at functioning this way.
This is called allostatic load – the wear and tear on your body from chronic stress and the constant effort to adapt to it. You're essentially running your system hot all the time, like leaving your car engine running at high RPMs constantly instead of giving it a chance to idle.
Psychologically, you develop coping mechanisms that allow you to function in this state. You might become addicted to the adrenaline rush of constant busyness. Your identity becomes wrapped up in being the person who handles everything. You might feel guilty or anxious when you try to rest because you've trained your nervous system to equate stillness with danger (if I'm not doing something, everything will fall apart). This becomes a feedback loop where your behavior perpetuates the stress response, which reinforces the behavior.
Then perimenopause and menopause hit.
Your ovaries, which have been producing estrogen and progesterone (hormones that help buffer stress and support resilience), start winding down production. The stress-induced suppression of sex hormone production that might have been manageable when your ovaries were at full capacity becomes much more noticeable when ovarian function declines.
Estrogen also helps regulate the HPA axis and keeps cortisol responses in check. When estrogen drops, that regulatory brake gets weaker. It's like you've been driving a car with worn brake pads for years, and now the brakes are failing entirely.
But here's the crucial part: it's not just about the hormone changes of menopause. It's about the fact that you've spent decades accumulating allostatic load with a stress response system that's been on overdrive. The credit card bill is now massive, your credit limit is shrinking, and your ability to bounce back is compromised.
Women who've spent years in chronic stress – people-pleasing, perfectionist-ing, taking care of everyone else, pushing through exhaustion, not setting boundaries, not sleeping enough, not fueling their bodies properly – hit this transition with a depleted stress response system. The symptoms blamed entirely on menopause (weight gain, fatigue, mood changes, brain fog, muscle loss) are often the cumulative result of years of unmanaged stress finally catching up when hormonal buffers decrease.
This isn't to minimize the real hormonal changes of menopause. But it's to say that two women going through menopause can have vastly different experiences based on how they've managed stress and built resilience in the decades leading up to it.
Using Cortisol to Your Advantage (Yes, Really)
Great news: cortisol can actually work for you when you understand how to work with it instead of against it.
Morning cortisol is your friend. That natural spike when you wake up? Use it. This is when you have the most energy and focus. Schedule your most demanding tasks for morning hours when your cortisol-driven alertness is highest. Stop fighting your biology by trying to be productive late at night, watching scary shows, or playing high-stakes video games when your cortisol should be low.
Strategic stress can make you stronger. Exercise is a stressor that raises cortisol temporarily, but this acute elevation is actually beneficial. It triggers adaptations that make you more resilient. This is hormesis – a beneficial stress response that makes you stronger. The key word is "acute." You want the cortisol spike, the recovery, and the adaptation. Not just the spike.
Cortisol helps you focus and perform. That feeling of being "on" during a presentation or important event? That's cortisol and adrenaline working together. Instead of trying to eliminate pre-performance nerves, reframe them as your body mobilizing resources to help you succeed.
It aids memory consolidation. Moderate cortisol elevation during learning helps you remember information better. This is why you might remember emotionally significant events more clearly – cortisol was part of stamping that memory into your brain.
The goal isn't zero stress or zero cortisol. The goal is appropriate cortisol responses followed by recovery periods. It's about rhythm and resilience, not elimination.
Practical Ways to Manage Cortisol (Without the Bullshit Supplement Pitches)
Let's talk about what actually works, starting with the basics that don't require you to buy a single thing.
Sleep (a non-negotiable foundation)
Quality sleep is the largest lever you can pull in cortisol regulation. During deep sleep, your cortisol levels drop to their lowest point, allowing your HPA axis to reset. When you skimp on sleep, you're essentially not allowing your stress response system to fully power down.
Make your bedroom dark, cool, and quiet. Establish a consistent sleep schedule – yes, even on weekends. Create a wind-down routine that signals to your body it's time to shift gears. This might include dimming lights, reducing screen time, reading, gentle stretching, breathwork, or anything that helps your nervous system downregulate.
Movement (But Not More Stress)
Exercise is beneficial stress, but too much becomes another chronic stressor. If you're already dealing with high life stress and you're piling on intense workouts six days a week with inadequate recovery, you're just adding fuel to the fire.
Strength training, particularly when programmed with appropriate volume and recovery, can actually improve cortisol regulation over time. Walking is phenomenally effective for stress management without being another stressor. Activities like yoga or even dancing can activate your parasympathetic nervous system (rest and digest mode).
The key is matching your training intensity to your overall stress levels and recovery capacity. If life is intensely stressful, this isn't the time to prove how hard you can push in the gym.
Nutrition (Food as Information)
Nutrition and eating behaviors impact cortisol regulation more than most people realize-
Eat enough. Undereating is a stressor. When you're not providing adequate energy, your body increases cortisol to mobilize stored fuel. This is especially problematic for women who've spent years chronically dieting while also dealing with life stress. Your system is already on high alert, and then there’s almost an additional signal of famine when chronic underfueling is present, OR even dieting while stress isn’t managed.
Eat regularly. Massive gaps between meals cause blood sugar drops, which trigger cortisol release to bring blood sugar back up. You don't need to eat every two hours, but going eight hours between lunch and dinner while running around stressed isn't doing you favors. Eat a meal at some point in the morning, within the first few hours of waking up. Aim to eat a balanced meal (protein + carb + fat) or mini meal (protein + fat or carb) every 3-5 hours.
Prioritize protein. Adequate protein supports stable blood sugar and provides the amino acids necessary for neurotransmitter production. Body composition aside, this very simply gives your body the building blocks it needs to function well. Think things like chicken, lean beef, lean pork, turkey, greek yogurt, tofu, beans and legumes, protein powder.
Don't demonize carbohydrates. Carbs help manage cortisol by supporting serotonin production and signaling that resources are available. Chronic low-carb eating in the context of high stress can backfire, particularly for women. Strategic carb intake, especially around training, can be a powerful tool for managing your stress response. Think things like fruit, potatoes, rice, beans, oats, vegetables, whole grain bread, and pastas.
Include adequate healthy fats. Fats are essential for hormone production – including your sex hormones and the proper functioning of your HPA axis. When you chronically undereat fat, you're limiting the raw materials your body needs to make hormones. Plus, fats help with the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E, K) that play roles in everything from immune function to bone health to hormonal balance. Think avocados, nuts, nut butters, seeds, olive oil, olives, fatty fish,and whole eggs.
Include magnesium-rich foods. Magnesium supports healthy cortisol regulation (and most people don't get enough). Think dark leafy greens, nuts, seeds, legumes, whole grains, dark chocolate (you're welcome).
Omega-3 fatty acids. These support HPA axis regulation and help reduce inflammation. Get them from fatty fish (salmon, sardines, mackerel), walnuts, flaxseeds, or chia seeds.
Supplements That Actually Have Evidence (Not Magic Pills)
Let's be clear: you cannot supplement your way out of a chronically stressful lifestyle. But a few supplements have legitimate research supporting their role in stress management when used alongside other strategies.
Magnesium. Many people are deficient, and supplementation can support better sleep and stress response. Magnesium glycinate or magnesium threonate are well-absorbed forms. Typical doses range from 200-400mg daily.
Ashwagandha. This adaptogenic herb has solid research showing it can help reduce cortisol levels in people experiencing chronic stress. Typical doses are 300-600mg of a standardized extract daily. Not recommended if you're pregnant or have thyroid issues.
L-theanine. An amino acid found in green tea that promotes relaxation without sedation. Doses of 200-400mg can help take the edge off stress without making you drowsy.
* I highly recommend the Titan Nutrition Sleep supplement, which includes magnesium glycinate, ashwaganda, and l-theanine in one.
Omega-3s. If you're not regularly eating fatty fish, a quality fish oil supplement providing 1-2g of combined EPA and DHA can support cortisol regulation and reduce inflammation. I like THIS one (no fish burps included).
Vitamin D. While not directly a cortisol manager, adequate vitamin D supports overall hormonal health and immune function, both of which are impacted by chronic stress. Most people benefit from supplementing, especially in winter months.
What doesn't work? Most of the "cortisol blocker" or “cortisol cocktail” supplements that influencers market on Instagram. Cortisol-blocking medications exist, but they're serious drugs used for specific medical conditions, not something you should be casually trying to achieve with supplements
Nervous System Work (The Missing Piece)
This is where most approaches fall short. You can dial in your nutrition and training, but if you're still operating from a constantly activated sympathetic nervous system (fight, flight, freeze, or fawn), you're not addressing the root issue.
Practice actual downtime. Not scrolling your phone, not "relaxing" while mentally running through your to-do list. Actual rest where you're not producing, not consuming, not optimizing. Just being. Start with a walk without headphones or screentime, or get brave and set a timer for 5 minutes of “raw dogging it” and just being with yourself, by yourself, without distraction.
Engage your vagus nerve. This is the main component of your parasympathetic nervous system. Things that activate it include deep, slow breathing (especially extending your exhale), cold water exposure, humming or singing, and gentle self-massage.
Boundaries are a stress management tool. Every time you say yes when you mean no, every time you take on more than you can reasonably handle, every time you let someone else's urgency become your emergency, you're activating your stress response. Boundaries aren't selfish – they're essential for managing your allostatic load.
Address the psychological patterns. If you'd label yourself a perfectionist, people-pleaser, or overachiever/high achiever, your stress isn't just coming from external circumstances – it's coming from how you relate to those circumstances. This is where working with a coach or therapist who understands these patterns becomes invaluable.
Social Connection and Play
Humans are social creatures, and meaningful connection activates the relaxation response. Time with people who make you feel safe and understood literally changes your physiology. So does play (activities you do purely for enjoyment with no productivity outcome).
If your life is all work and no play, all responsibility and no joy, all giving and no receiving, that's going to show up in your cortisol levels and your overall wellbeing.
The Bottom Line
Cortisol isn't the enemy. It's a hormone doing its job, and when it functions properly, it's essential for your health, performance, and survival.
The problem is chronic activation of a system designed for acute challenges. The problem is operating at a stress level your body adapts to but never resolves. The problem is decades of pushing through, pleasing everyone else, and treating your body like a machine that should just keep going regardless of what you're asking of it.
For women, particularly, the cortisol issues that emerge in perimenopause and menopause aren't just about hormones declining – they're about the accumulated impact of how you've operated for years, finally demanding to be addressed when your hormonal buffers decrease.
The solution isn't about eliminating cortisol or stress. It's about rhythm: appropriate stress followed by genuine recovery. It's about building a strong foundation through the basics – sleep, nutrition, movement, connection, rest, and boundaries. It’s about building resilience and returning to yourself in threatening times. It's about downregulating and recognizing that managing your stress response is just as important as your workout program or nutrition plan.
It's about understanding that taking care of yourself isn't selfish – it's strategic. Because you can't do cool shit when you're running on fumes with a dysregulated stress response system.
Your body isn't broken. Cortisol isn't the devil. The problem is treating an alarm system like it should be ringing constantly without ever addressing what's setting it off.
Start there. The rest gets easier when you do.
Check out the free resources and the Do Cool Shit Podcast to get even more support and guidance in managing your stress and taking care of yourself.
If you can resonate with this, coaching could be THE game changer for you. If you’re interested, email Meryl or simply apply for coaching to start the inquiry process.