Cortisol is often called the "stress hormone." But it does way more than just respond to stress.
Cortisol is a steroid hormone made by your adrenal glands (tiny glands on top of your kidneys).
It’s a glucocorticoid, which is just a fancy word for a hormone that helps your body use sugar (glucose), manage stress, and keep inflammation under control.
Cortisol plays a role in nearly every system in your body. It helps with:
• Regulating how your body uses glucose for energy
• Decreasing inflammation
• Managing blood pressure
• Controlling your sleep-wake cycle
• Supporting memory and mood
•Helping your body respond to danger (fight or flight)
Your body watches your cortisol levels 24/7. It tries to keep them stable, not too high, not too low.
That balance is called homeostasis. When your cortisol levels are out of whack, your body lets you know.
And it’s trying to get your attention.
Cortisol it's not an enemy to eliminate, you actually need it.
The goal is to keep it in a healthy range. But what happens when your cortisol gets too high?
Signs of high cortisol:
• Always tired, even after sleeping
• Trouble focusing
• Mood swings
• Low motivation
• Muscle weakness or soreness
• Insomnia or poor sleep quality
• Water retentionFeeling bloated
• Losing appetite or emotional eating
• These aren’t just annoying symptoms.
They’re your body’s way of saying, “Hey, slow down I am not keeping up.”
You can get your cortisol levels tested through a blood test, or sometimes with a saliva or urine test. But if you're constantly tired, moody, or wired but tired, it might be worth slowing down and trying to sort it (logic right?).
There are a bunch of reasons why your cortisol might be climbing higher than it should.
Here are some common ones:
• Lack of sleep, the major.
• Poor sleep quality, waking up and being lightly asleep.
• Excess caffeine or energy drinks. Which ironically cause people to increase them to cope. Making it worse.
• Too much stress. Work, money, life, it all adds up
• Too much intense exercise
• Poor nutrition, especially low-carb or low-calorie diets
• Skipping meals
• Alcohol and smoking
• Certain medications (talk to your doctor about if you take any and you don't know)
Basically, when your body doesn’t get enough time to relax, recharge, and refuel, cortisol raises.
Think of it like a car alarm that won’t stop going off.
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High cortisol is your body asking for help. So instead of pushing through, the best move is to slow down and reset.
Cortisol Detox Starter Pack
Let’s break it down by what gives the most impact:
1. Sleep and Recovery
Sleep is the #1 way your body resets your cortisol levels. You want quality sleep. Deep, consistent, and enough of it. Think of it like plugging your phone in overnight. No charge, no power.
2. Mental Relaxation
Stress is the fastest way to spike cortisol. Meditate. Take a walk. Listen to music. Laugh.
Whatever helps you unplug and just breathe , do that more.
3. Nutrition That Supports You
Carbs can help lower cortisol (yep, really). But it has to be smart carbs, fruits, whole grains, sweet potatoes. Still accordingly to what you do, as you also might need high glycemic carbs if you are a really high physical performer.
Eating too little or skipping meals tells your body you're in a crisis. And that spikes cortisol. Defensive mechanisms.
4. Cut Down Stimulants
Too much caffeine or energy drinks will push your adrenal system over the edge. Switch to herbal tea or cut your caffeine after noon.
5. Limit Alcohol and Smoking
These mess with your sleep and recovery, making everything worse.
Try reducing slowly if quitting feels like too much.
6. Rethink Your Workouts
Hard training is great, until your body can't keep up. If you're already stressed or tired, swap intense sessions for stretching, yoga, or walking. Give your nervous system a break.
It's pretty pointless solving an problem, waiting for it to represent itself.
Try to address the route cause and enjoy the benefit non-stop:
Fuel Your Body Properly
Your body needs specific nutrients. Would you put any 3L of fluid into your car?
Consider the car can be purchased again. You time not being at your best, is lost forever.
Stick To a Sleep Routine
Go to bed and wake up at the same time(average). Every day. Yes, even weekends. Your body LOVES rhythm.
Train yourself - don't smash yourself
Exercise lowers cortisol, only when your body can recover.
Overtraining does the opposite(under recovering.)If you’re constantly tired, scale it back.
Train Your Brain to Stay Positive
Positive thinking literally changes your brain and helps reduce stress.
It’s not about ignoring problems, It's about acknowledging and reorganising in function of it.
Back in 2018, I worked with one of the top 5 circus acrobats in the world. A Cirque du Soleil performer.
Her schedule? Insane. She was pushing non-stop. Saudi Arabia, Russia, the US, Europe, mostly spending less than 6 days in each country.
She was trained by the best ones and was a coach herself at an aerial academy in Saint Petersburg. She came to me because she was feeling fatigued, weak, and couldn’t keep her energy up between shows.
Her goal? More performance control, more power, less exhaustion. Our first session? Not a workout.
It was sushi. I took one look at her and saw it: sky-high high cortisol symptoms, muscle loss, dark circles, shaky hands.I told her to stop everything. One proper meal later, she was already feeling better.
The next day, we did isometric core work, mid back work and added glucose before her performances.
The change was instant. She started to recover, perform better, and feel unstoppable again.
What changed? Not just training. It was rest, food, recovery, and the right timing.
We reprogrammed her body and brain to feel safe, fueled, and focused.
You don’t have to be a Top World Altthete. They usually are more looked after in fact.
You can be:
• A busy executive
• A parent running around
• A gym rat who never rests (hyper common, most of I would say)
•A person grinding through 60-hour work weeks
Fatigue, burnout, high stress, anxiety, bloating, poor sleep, short temper, low motivation — all of these can be signs of high cortisol.
Even if you “push through” it now, it’ll catch up. Trust me, I’ve spent over 17 years working with high-level athletes, business people, performers, and regular folks. The problem isn’t always effort, it’s always the recovery.
Here’s your cheat sheet. Try even just 3 of these this week:
✅ Sleep 7–8 hours, same bedtime
✅ Cut caffeine after 12pm
✅ Take a 30-minute walk outside
✅ Eat a proper breakfast (with carbs and protein)
✅ Drink more water
✅ Take 5 minutes to deep breathe or meditate
✅ Skip one workout if you feel drained
✅ Swap one coffee for herbal tea
✅ Reduce alcohol to 1–2x a week
✅ Say no to something stressful that’s not urgent
I bet in 7 days you won't believe the difference.
✅ Take our 3-Minute Test to get a free personalised plan.
