Cortisol is your body’s main stress hormone. Maintaining a healthy balance of cortisol is necessary for good immunity, metabolism, and stress response. But when cortisol becomes chronically elevated, it can be harmful and lead to health conditions such as Cushing’s syndrome.
Chronic stress and sleep deprivation can raise your cortisol levels, but there are other unexpected causes of elevated cortisol you may not even be aware of.
Read more below to learn about the daily habits that may be secretly sabotaging your cortisol levels.
Skipping breakfast has been found to put stress on the body and trigger the release of cortisol. This causes the body to stay on high alert to perceived stressors (often referred to as the “fight-or-flight” response). Over time, chronically elevated cortisol increases the risk of high blood pressure (hypertension) and heart disease.
Research has also found that fasting for long periods of time, including intermittent fasting, puts stress on the body and increases the level and frequency of cortisol secretion.
“Your adrenals like routine, so regular mealtimes, bedtimes, and wake-up times are important,” Melissa Groves Azzaro, RDN, LD, told Health.
“One of the most overlooked cortisol triggers is when people become overly rigid about their eating patterns in pursuit of ‘perfect’ health,” Dina Aronson, MS, RDN, senior director of nutrition at Tangelo and Diet ID, told Health.
Multiple studies have found that restricting calories increases cortisol levels. However, it is important to note that prolonged periods of fasting increase cortisol more significantly than less-intense, low-calorie diets.
Exercise is one of the healthiest lifestyle habits for overall health, but overdoing it contributes to elevated cortisol.
It’s best to avoid excessive cardio and overtraining. However, you can still continue with high-intensity exercise as long as you are properly fueled and take the time to rest and recover afterwards.
“People often avoid high-intensity workouts because they’re afraid of spiking cortisol, but that fear is overblown,” said Aronson. Research shows that excess cortisol is only released during or after intense exercise if you’re pushing past a certain threshold. Even then, she notes it’s a short-term response that actually helps with energy and recovery.
Inflammation is a sneaky trigger of high cortisol. Some common causes of inflammation that may lead to elevated cortisol include emotional stress and eating too much sugar.
Additionally, foods high in sugar contribute to inflammation in cells that metabolize sugar quickly. As your body attempts to ward off the resulting inflammation, this causes an increase in cortisol, which leads to more fat storage.
Dysfunctions in the prefrontal cortex, which regulates stress responses, can elevate cortisol, which may increase the risk of developing mental health conditions such as anxiety.
Anxiety causes excessive worry, negative thoughts, and concerns about potential threats.
If anxiety is causing disruption or distress in your daily life, it is important to seek the help of a healthcare provider, such as a mental health professional.
“Avoidable stressors” like not giving yourself enough time to get ready in the morning and always running late for work can result in a constant fight-or-flight mode.
The hypothalamus (the area of the brain that releases hormones such as cortisol) cannot tell the difference between running late and a truly life-threatening situation.
To combat avoidable stress, it’s important to slow down, give yourself some extra time, and prepare for your day or appointments in advance.
Cortisol is the body’s primary stress hormone. While it is beneficial for regulating your body’s response to stress, certain internal and external factors can sometimes cause cortisol to go into overdrive.
To combat sneaky causes of cortisol spikes, it’s important to take care of your body and mind by eating a low-sugar, balanced diet, getting adequate amounts of exercise (without overdoing it), and taking steps to manage emotional stress.
If you are experiencing prolonged periods of stress or if you suspect you may have symptoms of high cortisol, visit a healthcare provider.
