Beat Stress: 7 Proven Ways To Lower Cortisol Naturally

In the daily hustle-bustle of life, stress is a constant. However excess stress can lead to higher cortisol levels, resulting in health problems.

What you need to know:

Understanding cortisol: The body’s response to stress
The impact of high cortisol levels
7 proven methods to lower cortisol

Understanding cortisol: The body’s response to stress

Cortisol is a stress hormone released by the adrenal glands. It helps your body deal with stressful situations. Your brain triggers its release through the sympathetic nervous system — the “fight or flight” system — in response to many different kinds of stress. While the short-term release of cortisol can help you in dealing with stress, high cortisol levels lasting for a long duration can lead to health issues like weight gain and some chronic diseases. This drives home the importance of knowing how to lower cortisol levels.

The impact of high cortisol levels

Moderate to high cortisol levels may lead to health issues, such as:

Chronic disease: Long-term increased cortisol may increase your risk of high blood pressure, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, osteoporosis, and other chronic diseases.
Weight gain: Cortisol may increase appetite and signal the body to shift metabolism to store fat.
Difficulty sleeping: It can interfere with sleep hormones, impacting sleep quality and duration.
Difficulty concentrating: High levels may cause trouble focusing and lack of mental clarity.
Impaired immune system: Increased cortisol can make it more difficult for the immune system to fight infections.
Lack of energy: High cortisol levels can increase fatigue.

7 proven methods to lower cortisol

So, how to lower cortisol levels? Given below are 7 methods:

Deep breathing and meditation

Deep breathing and belly breathing help stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system, known as the “rest and digest” system, which helps lower cortisol levels and decrease stress. Controlled breathing is popular in mindfulness-based practises such as meditation, yoga, tai chi and qi gong, which strongly emphasize breathing and mind-body connection.

Quality sleep

Optimize sleep to reduce your cortisol levels:

Establish a consistent bedtime routine (e.g., shower, read a book, etc.).
Go to bed and wake up at the same time each day.
Exercise earlier in the day.
Limit caffeine intake.
Avoid nicotine and alcohol.
Limit exposure to bright light at night. Avoid using mobile phones, laptops and tablets.
Darken the room before hitting the hay.

Regular exercise

Intense exercise increases cortisol shortly after but decreases it a few hours later. This short-term increase helps coordinate the body’s growth to meet the challenge. Additionally, the size of the cortisol response lessens with routine training. Regular exercise can help reduce your risk of chronic disease, reduce stress, and improve your overall health.

Analyze thoughts which stress you

A mindfulness-based practise involves becoming more self-aware of stress-provoking thoughts, accepting them without judgment or resistance, and allowing yourself to process them. Training yourself to be aware of your thoughts, breathing, heart rate, and other signs of tension helps you recognize stress when it begins and helps you become an objective observer of your stressful thoughts.

Laughter is the best stress buster

Laughing promotes the release of endorphins and suppresses stress hormones such as cortisol. It is also linked with:

Better mood,
Increased energy levels,
Reduced stress and perceived pain,
Lower blood pressure, and
A stronger immune system.
Both authentic and forced laughter can lead to lower stress levels.

Mindful Eating

While all foods can be enjoyed in moderation, being mindful and eating foods that lower cortisol may relieve symptoms of stress. Regular, high-added sugar intake may result in elevated cortisol levels. Interestingly, a diet high in sugar may also suppress cortisol release during stressful events, making it more difficult for your body to handle stressful situations.

Practise forgiveness

Feelings of shame, guilt, or inadequacy can lead to negative thinking and dysregulated cortisol levels. For some causes of guilt, fixing the source will mean changing your life. For other causes, learning to forgive and accept yourself and others can help you move on and improve your sense of well-being.

Stress is an unavoidable part of everyday life. While a little stress is actually good to keep you going, too much of it can take a toll on your health. Learn how to lower cortisol levels by following the mentioned strategies to deal with stress in a better way. Keep stress at bay and enjoy a healthy and productive life.

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