

It’s important to note that the remedies mentioned here are commonly recommended to those who experience symptoms from excess cortisol due to lifestyle stress rather than a medical condition. The good news is that a combination of diet, lifestyle changes, and medication (when needed) can often help get your hormones back on track. In the most severe cases, elevated cortisol can contribute to obesity, infertility, bone loss, and insulin resistance leading to type 2 diabetes.


This can cause a variety of symptoms that can be quite uncomfortable and compromise your quality of life. The trouble comes when constant stress causes our cortisol levels to remain elevated above a natural baseline. After the threat passes, your cortisol levels go back to normal and homeostasis returns. Your blood sugar also increases to provide immediately available fuel for your muscles. Your blood pressure rises, enabling your “fight or flight” response and prepping your body for immediate action. When you encounter a dangerous situation, your adrenal glands release cortisol into the bloodstream. That’s because cortisol’s main job is to help fuel your body’s “fight or flight” response. While many people are concerned with lowering the amount of cortisol in their body, the truth is that a healthy balance of this hormone is necessary for optimal health-and can actually be lifesaving in the right circumstances. But by learning how to balance cortisol levels naturally and seeking the right care when needed, you can enjoy a calmer and healthier life. It can also lead to a suppressed HPA (hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal) axis, formerly known as adrenal fatigue, where one can produce too little cortisol, which brings its own set of challenges and may require a variety of therapies to resolve. After months or years, elevated cortisol can cause serious problems across the body’s many systems. When we’re chronically stressed, our bodies maintain excessive levels of cortisol throughout the day. But when cortisol levels become higher or lower than normal for prolonged periods, that wellbeing can be severely compromised. Our bodies normally produce cortisol throughout the day in a cycle-more in the morning as we wake, less in the evening to prepare us for sleep-to support our daily physical and emotional well-being.
