I think we can all agree that the holiday season is one of the most stressful times of year. Maybe you have a *sense* that it affects your health, but do you actually know why or how? If you want to train your body to be more resilient to stress (so it doesn’t have so much control over your life), it helps to understand stress hormones.

So let’s start there. There are 2 hormones to know: Cortisol & Adrenaline (also called Epinephrine). Here are the differences:

• Adrenaline is released rapidly as an immediate response to stress, whereas cortisol is released in a daily rhythm regulated by the brain & the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis.
• Adrenaline has fast effects to activate the body when in danger (think “fight or flight!”) Cortisol has slower effects that are not as obvious to track.
• Whereas adrenaline increases the heart rate and can make you feel anxious during intense moments, cortisol has longer-term health effects related to metabolism, sleep, brain, and mood.

Cortisol is central to the stress cycle.

Cortisol patterns

Did you know the stress hormone cortisol follows a 24-hour rhythm? The pattern helps you feel alert in the morning and calm at night, like this:

• Cortisol peaks within 30 minutes of waking to kickstart the body for the day.
• Levels decline throughout the afternoon and into the evening.
• Cortisol is lowest at midnight to allow for restful sleep.

But if stress or lifestyle disrupt this natural rhythm:

• Cortisol can be persistently high, making you anxious or sleepless.
• Cortisol can be persistently low, making you fatigued and moody.
• Cortisol can be flipped, making you feel tired in the morning and wired at night.

Cortisol is a “stress hormone,” but it also influences metabolism, weight, inflammation, blood pressure, brain function, mood, and so much more.

It is worth paying attention to cortisol and doing everything we can to get it back to balance.

Why cortisol is the problem

Stress is no joke. That’s because the stress hormone *cortisol* has a ripple effect on just about every aspect of physical and mental health, like:

• Immune Function: Cortisol keeps inflammation in check, but too much can lower the body’s ability to fight off infections and illness.
• Blood Sugar: Cortisol increases blood sugar (to help us respond to stress), but this can lead to insulin resistance and blood sugar issues over time.
• Belly Fat: Chronically elevated cortisol leads to weight gain - particularly around the middle.
• Bloating & Digestion: The gut is our second brain and responds to stress hormones too!
• Emotional Health: Cortisol can contribute to anxiety, restlessness, apathy, and other mood changes.

So, what can we do?

This is one of the most significant root causes of health issues. Levels can be tested to look at what is actually happening with cortisol and come up with a plan to bring it back to a healthy and natural rhythm.

Surprising things that spike cortisol

Have you ever thought about what’s actually creating stress in your body? Because it might not be what you think.

YES, there are the usual suspects:

• Running late for work
• Toddlers throwing tantrums in public
• Getting stuck in a traffic jam
• The list of to-do’s that never seems to get done

But here are some others:

• Undereating
• Over-exercising
• Staying up late
• Scrolling screens before bed
• Chugging coffee instead of food

Any of these things trigger the cascade of stress hormones. That means any of them (if repeated over time) can disrupt cortisol and contribute to chronic health issues.

Instead of normalizing habits and lifestyles that stress the body, don’t you think it’s time we start normalizing habits and lifestyles that put the body in a state of feeling safe and calm?

How food can combat stress

Want a stress hack most people never think about? Food.

Here’s why:

• If we skip meals, the body perceives this as a stress and releases cortisol.
• Other stressors (like the pressures of work and life) also increase cortisol.
• Regardless of the trigger, cortisol prompts the liver to release sugar into the bloodstream for a quick source of energy. It doesn’t matter if we need that energy or not. It’s just one of the effects of cortisol.
• Elevated cortisol over time can lead to persistently elevated blood sugar and all the problems that follow (like insulin resistance and weight gain)

What all this means is that eating in a way that supports balanced blood sugar levels sends the body a signal of safety (not stress) and helps to support healthy cortisol levels. It reduces the stress load on your body and makes you more resilient.

Here’s how to eat to combat stress:

• Eat balanced meals on a regular schedule (skipping meals = stress)
• Limit refined sugars (they cause the blood sugar to spike and crash, triggering cortisol)
• Load up on fiber-rich foods (they slow the release of sugar into the bloodstream)
• Stay hydrated (dehydration can spike blood sugar)

Exercise and stress

Should I exercise when I’m stressed? There are a lot of mixed messages out there, so let’s look at some facts.

Intense exercise causes a temporary increase in stress hormones BUT:

• The cortisol spike during intense exercise reduces the cortisol response to subsequent stressors in life AND
• Exercise releases endorphins, which naturally combat stress AND
• Regular exercise over time supports a healthy cortisol rhythm.

Some exercises, like yoga and tai chi, combat stress by putting the nervous system into a more parasympathetic state. So, for most people, exercise helps to combat stress. Exercise only becomes a problem when it’s extreme and intense - particularly in people who are already stressed by other things in life.

It’s all about looking at the big picture!

Left nostril breathing

Have you heard of left nostril breathing?

• Yogic traditions teach that the left relates to moon energy: cooling, calming, and reflective. The right relates to sun energy: fiery, energizing, and awakening. So, the yogic practice of left nostril breathing is thought to have a calming effect on the body.
• A more science-y way of explaining this is that left nostril breathing puts the body into a parasympathetic state (instead of the “fight or flight” mode of the sympathetic state). Studies have even shown that left nostril breathing changes brainwave activity on EEG. Pretty cool!

Left nostril breathing is simple: Just press your right thumb against your right nostril, and breathe slowly and deeply through the left nostril.

That’s it!

You can combine it with other breathing practices, like box breathing (inhaling for a count of 4, holding for 4, exhaling for 4, and holding for 4), or just breathe deeply.

Stress stoppers

You know that moment when your heart races, your muscles tense, your mind checks out, and everything in your body just wants to escape wherever you are?

It’s our acute stress response, and we call it “fight or flight.”

When you notice this happening (the first step is awareness!), here are some things I do:

• Notice your thoughts or emotions.
• Reframe negative thoughts to the positive.
• Put your feet to the earth to feel grounded.
• Take some deep breaths.
• Change your location.
• Move your body (dance, shake, jump, walk).

None of this is easy. It takes practice. But learning to stop stress in its tracks is one of the best things you can do for your current health and your future self.