I’ve decided to write an article about this subject as it is quite a difficult one for me.
I suffer with high cortisol. It is something that has tormented my life.
In the beginning I tried to find a way to cope with stress and the effects that it has on my body and mind. Much later I researched more on the subject and realised that it can be genetic as well as externally influenced, by different factors.
High cortisol levels can be influenced by both genetics and environmental factors, but it’s more often the result of lifestyle, stress, or underlying health conditions than direct inheritance.
Genetic Influence
- Genetic predisposition: Some people may be genetically predisposed to higher cortisol levels or a heightened stress response. For example, certain genetic variants can affect how your body responds to stress or how cortisol is processed.
- Family history: If your parents or close relatives had issues with stress, anxiety, or hormone imbalances, you might be more susceptible to similar problems. But this doesn’t mean you’re guaranteed to have high cortisol; lifestyle factors play a significant role too.
Environmental & Lifestyle Factors
- Chronic stress: Life events (e.g., trauma, ongoing work pressure) can lead to sustained high cortisol. If you’re exposed to chronic stress, regardless of genetic factors, your cortisol levels may remain elevated.
- Sleep, diet, and exercise: Your habits play a huge role. Lack of sleep, poor diet, and overtraining can push cortisol up, even in people who don’t have a genetic predisposition to high cortisol.
In Summary:
- Yes, there can be a genetic component that makes someone more susceptible to higher cortisol.
- However, it’s typically a combination of genetics and environmental factors (stress, sleep, etc.) that leads to consistently high cortisol levels.
Managing high cortisol (the body’s primary stress hormone) involves a mix of lifestyle changes, nutritional tweaks, and sometimes medical help if the levels are very elevated.
🧠 1. Reduce Stress (Mentally & Emotionally)
- Mindfulness/Meditation: Even 10 minutes daily can lower cortisol.
- Deep breathing: Activates the parasympathetic nervous system.
- Therapy or journaling: Helps process unresolved stress.
🛌 2. Improve Sleep Quality
- Sleep 7–9 hours per night: Cortisol spikes when you’re sleep-deprived. I have experienced this a lot of times.
- No screens before bed: Blue light elevates cortisol.
- Magnesium, chamomile tea, or glycine can support better sleep.
🍽️ 3. Balance Your Diet
- Avoid high sugar and processed foods: These spike cortisol and insulin.
- Eat enough: Under eating (especially carbs) can raise cortisol. You might raise a brow here, but it is true because your body doesn’t have enough energy for your daily tasks, let alone training.
🏃 4. Exercise – But Don’t Overdo It
There is a whole debate about how much, how often and how high the intensity of your workouts should be. My opinion is to do the below:
- Moderate exercise: Walking, yoga, swimming, Pilates helps lower cortisol.
- Avoid excessive HIIT or overtraining: That can spike it more. You can do strength training, or short HIIT workouts (15 – 20min max).
☕ 5. Watch Stimulants
- Cut down caffeine if you’re sensitive.
- Avoid coffee on an empty stomach—it can spike cortisol hard in the morning.
🌱 Bonus Tips
- Laughter, being in nature, good company and be more social. Put your phone away and live a little.
- Cold exposure (like a cold shower) can sometimes blunt cortisol spikes if done strategically. I am not the biggest fan of this because I am always cold, even in the summer, so I will skip this one :)
I hope you enjoyed reading this article and that you have more knowledge now on how high cortisol can affect your life.
Have an amazing week and remember:
Never give up on your dreams!
MB
