How to Lower Cortisol Levels Naturally

You can greatly help manage cortisol levels and regain your health by changing your diet, exercise routine, sleep and stress levels. Assuming you haven’t been diagnosed with Cushing’s disease by your doctor, here are steps you can take to help lower high cortisol levels naturally:

1. Switch to a Whole Foods, Anti-inflammatory Diet

Poorly managed blood sugar levels (especially hypoglycemia, having low blood sugar) and high levels of inflammation can contribute to high cortisol levels and other hormonal imbalances. Following an anti-inflammatory diet low in processed foods and high in antioxidants, fiber and essential nutrients is key to balancing hormones, controlling your cravings and getting you on the right track. These same strategies can also help with adrenal support, allowing you to reach and maintain a healthy weight, boosting energy during the day and helping you sleep better at night.

Some of the most significant dietary contributors to inflammation and high cortisol levels include:

• high-sugar, high-glycemic diet (with many packaged foods, refined grain products, sugary drinks and snacks)
  

• consuming high amounts of refined and trans fats
  

• drinking too much caffeine and alcohol
  

• experiencing insufficient intake of micronutrients and antioxidants
  

• not consuming enough fiber (which makes it hard to balance blood sugar)
  

• not consuming enough healthy fats or protein (which can lead to hunger, weight gain and high blood sugar)
  

Instead, switch to a low-glycemic diet, include healthy fats and proteins with every meal, and make sure to get enough fiber and phytonutrients by eating plenty fresh fruits and veggies. Some of the most useful foods for lowering cortisol and stabilizing blood sugar include vegetables; fruits; coconut or olive oil; nuts; seeds; lean proteins like eggs, fish and grass-fed beef; and probiotic foods (like yogurt, kefir or cultured veggies).

2. Reduce and Manage Stress

Chronic stress is now linked with just about every health problem out there. Stress affects most people at least to some degree and impacts health by sending chemical signals around the body, including to the heart and blood vessels, immune system, lungs, digestive system, sensory organs, and brain. Stress has the power to increase breathing, heart rate, pain and muscle tension, your appetite (including overeating), and sleep-related problems.

Luckily, the natural stress relievers listed below are proven to help lower cortisol and decrease the negative impact stress has on your health:

Meditation or “mindfulness”
Acupuncture
Deep breathing exercises
Spending time in nature/outdoors

3. Exercise Regularly

According to research published by Harvard Medical School, regular exercise (about 30 to 60 minutes most days of the week, depending on the intensity) is one of the best ways to manage stress, balance hormones, sleep better and aid normal metabolic functions (like balancing blood sugar levels). (6) The key is to avoid overtraining and overexerting yourself, which can actually cause even more cortisol to be released.

Exercise benefits hormone levels because although it temporarily increases adrenaline and cortisol production, it generally helps bring cortisol back down to normal levels afterward. This cycle helps your body better handle stress and gives your autonomic nervous system (the one that controls your stress and relaxation responses) its own workout. This means the next time your stress hormones rise due to a perceived threat, you should be able to lower cortisol levels more easily, since your body becomes primed to this during physical activity.

4. Use Adaptogen Herbs and Superfoods

Adaptogen herbs help naturally lower high cortisol levels in several key ways. They help balance hormones; reduce inflammation due to their strong antioxidant, antiviral and antibacterial effects; have natural antidepressant effects; lower fatigue; and help balance blood pressure and blood sugar levels. Many adaptogens, such as reishi mushrooms and cocoa, have been safely used for thousands of years to promote better overall health with little to no side effects.

There are at least 16 different proven adaptogenic herbs that can help lower cortisol, including:

ashwaganda
astragalus
ginseng
licorice root
holy basil
medicinal mushrooms, including resishi and cordyceps
rhodiola

5. Try Essential Oils to Promote Relaxation

Similarly to adaptogen herbs, essential oils are also helpful for fighting stress and balancing hormones. Essential oils, including lavender, myrrh, frankincense and bergamot, contain potent, active ingredients that have been shown to naturally lower cortisol, reduce inflammation, improve immunity, and help with sleep and digestive functions.

Try inhaling some of the best essential oils for hormones, diffusing them in your home, making bath soaks or body washes using your favorite kinds, or rubbing them directly into your skin when mixed properly with a carrier oil (like coconut or jojoba oil). If you’re dealing with side effects of high cortisol, including acne, indigestion or bloated stomach, certain essential oils like lemon or peppermint can help with that, too.

6. Get Enough Sleep

Getting enough sleep helps us control cortisol production, but having high cortisol levels can make it hard to rest. In people with normal circadian rhythms, cortisol levels rise during the early morning hours and then drop very low at night prior to sleep and during sleep. People who develop high cortisol levels can wind up feeling the opposite: wired and anxious at night, but then fatigued during the day — thus, they can’t sleep well at the times they’re supposed to.

This overactivity of the adrenal glands is one of the biggest signs of Cushing’s disease or adrenal fatigue and is usually tied to stress and hormonal imbalances. By taking the steps listed above, you should be able to rest more easily. Ideally, you should aim for seven to nine hours of sleep per night to reset your circadian rhythms and bring hormones back to balance.

What Is Cortisol?

The adrenal gland, following signals from the hypothalamus and pituitary gland, is responsible for the secretion of cortisol, a type of essential glucocorticoid steroid hormone. Cortisol levels are highest in the morning around 7 a.m. and lowest at night (called a diurnal rhythm). Cortisol is also present in both chronically stressed individuals and those who are perfectly healthy. (7) This vital hormone possesses dozens of different purposes within the body and makes numerous chemical interactions every single day.

What does cortisol do exactly? Cortisol receptors are scattered throughout the entire body, found in nearly every cell, and serve different essential functions, including:

helping to keep us awake and alert
preventing fatigue or brain fog
keeping our metabolisms running (it helps us burn fat for energy)
balancing blood sugar levels (since it allows cells to take up and use glucose for energy)
reducing inflammation and helping with healing
balancing fluid levels based on salt and water intake
contributing to control over blood pressure
helping with many cognitive processes like learning and memory formulation
allowing us to respond to and escape perceived dangers
helping to develop the fetus during pregnancy



Symptoms of High Cortisol Levels

According to research done by the Genetics Learning Science Center, the long-term danger of having high cortisol is that it activates the fight or flight response, which temporarily shuts down normal reproductive, digestive and immune functions. The body targets these systems for shutdown because it doesn’t need them for immediate survival.

Sensory nerve cells pass the perception of a threat, or stress, from the environment to the hypothalamus in the brain. This signals the pituitary and adrenal glands to produce more cortisol. If this cycle goes on for too long, someone becomes more susceptible to all sorts of illnesses, infections and hormonal problems.

Some clues that may signal you’re living with high cortisol levels include:

weight gain, especially around the abdomen/stomach (this can happen despite not changing your diet or exercise routine)
a puffy, flushed face
mood swings and increased anxiety
fatigue (including feeling “tired but wired”)
trouble sleeping normally
irregular periods and fertility problems (chronic stress drives pregnenolone/progesterone into conversion to cortisol, which competes for precursors available for synthesizing of other important hormones, like DHEA, estrogen and estradiol. This is known as “The Progesterone/Pregnenolone Steal Effect”)
high blood pressure levels (cortisol narrows the arteries while the epinephrine increases heart rate)
acne or other changes in the skin
higher rates for bone fractures and osteoporosis (cortisol can lower hormones like estrogen, which are important for bone health)
muscle aches and pains
changes in libido due to changes in estrogen or decreased testosterone
excessive thirst
increased urination
higher susceptibility to infections (the stress response can lower immune system functions)

Causes of High Cortisol Levels

Wondering what underlying conditions could be contributing to your high cortisol levels? Cortisol tends to go up as perceived stress goes up, so anything that triggers a negative mind states — things like anxiety, worry, anger or frustration — contributes to high cortisol levels. Medication use, inflammation, poor sleep and a poor diet can also trigger high cortisol levels by altering hormonal balances and negatively affecting the immune system.

Corticosteroid medications like hydrocortisone, prednisone pills or other medications used to treat inflammatory-related diseases or symptoms are common causes of high cortisol levels. Aside from corticosteroids, other major factors contributing to higher than usual cortisol production include:

depression
over-exercising or overtraining
nutrient deficiencies
addiction (alcohol or drug abuse)
higher than normal estrogen levels
malnourishment and eating disorders
severe kidney or liver disease
hyperthyroidism
obesity
pregnancy or birth control pills
recent surgery, illness, injury or whole-body infections (which all trigger inflammation)