In our daily lives, we encounter so many situations that cause us stress. Small things like traveling to the office, work pressure, arguments with other people, financial problems, and personal relationships can cause us stress which is not good for our health. One of the main reasons for stress is a hormone called cortisol which our body produces in response to stressful situations. While short bursts of cortisol help you manage your stress levels, high levels of cortisol levels for longer periods can cause harmful effects like weight gain and some chronic diseases.
In this blog we will understand how to reduce cortisol to help ensure that the body manages stress appropriately.
11 Ways to Reduce Your Cortisol Level:
1. Proper Diet
Your diet plays a huge role in lowering your cortisol levels. Limit or avoid eating processed foods and focus on eating nutrient dense foods like fruits, vegetables and healthy fats (1). Foods such as caffeine, alcohol and artificial sweeteners can increase anxiety, which correlates to cortisol levels.
Ons study found that foods rich in omega 3 fatty acids like fish, foods rich in dietary fibre like fruits, vegetables, beans, nuts, whole grains and fermented foods like yogurt are the foods that lowers cortisol and reduce anxiety.
2. Regular Exercise
Regular exercise plays a role in increasing and decreasing levels of cortisol in the body. During intense physical activity cortisol levels increase shortly and then decrease after a few hours. One study found that cortisol levels of people who participated in restorative (relaxing) yoga compared to stretching yoga hypothesised that the restorative yoga group would have lower cortisol levels after one year of participating in restorative yoga (2).
Regular exercise can build a greater resilience to acute stress and may lower adverse health effects associated with stress, such as high cortisol.
3. Adequate Sleep
Chronic sleep conditions like insomnia, obstructive sleep apnea or late night shift work is associated with higher cortisol. Insomnia can increase circulating cortisol, which affects your daily hormone patterns, energy levels, and other facets of your health (3).
Sleep deprivation also increases cortisol levels in the blood. Getting enough sleep and maintaining a regular sleep cycle is important to manage cortisol imbalance. Few simple tips you can follow to improve your sleep
- Have a set time to go to bed
- Don’t drink coffee before going to the bed
- Stop exposure to ant devices 30 min before bedtime
- Relax your mind before going to sleep
4. Meditation
Mediation is an excellent way to reduce your stress and cortisol levels. It helps you clear out any stressful thoughts in your head. Meditation also improves your breathing. It helps in slowing the heart rate and decreasing blood pressure (4). Taking deep breaths while meditating helps you enhance oxygen exchange, promoting calmness and reducing the body’s stress signals.
5. Focus on Building Good Relations
Humans are social animals; we crave social interaction that makes us feel happy and positive. These types of social interaction releases oxytocin hormone in our body that help to counteract the effects of cortisol and reduces our stress levels.
One study in 88 couples found that nonjudgmental mindfulness led to a more rapid return of cortisol to normal levels following an argument. Hence it is important to nurture these bons with your loved ones (5).
6. Identify the Stress Triggers
Learn to identify the things that cause you stress to avoid these triggers. Training your mind to recognise thoughts, people or situations that can cause you stress is crucial to reduce your cortisol levels. Identifying these triggers allows you to be prepared and conscious about the reaction to them.
One study with 50 participants found that mindfulness training improved anxiety, stress, depression, and cortisol levels after the intervention. The technique known as mindfulness-based stress reduction is raising your level of self-awareness regarding stressful ideas, accepting them without resistance or judgment, and giving yourself space to deal with them.
7. Take Adaptogen
Adaptogens are plants, roots, or other materials used in Ayurvedic medicine for their therapeutic properties. Adaptogens are known for their potential to influence the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and, consequently, the body’s reaction to stress. Many health experts recommend ashwagandha supplement to reduce stress (6).
8. Take a Hobby
Hobbies increase your focus and immersion creates a calming effect, lowering stress hormones.
One study found that relaxing hobbies led to decreased levels of cortisol among participants and also improved quality of life more than conventional occupational therapy.
9. Learn to Laugh
Laughing isn’t just about reducing your cortisol levels, but it can help you improve your overall emotional health. Laughing signals your brain to produce a hormone called endorphin which is responsible for better mood, reduced stress and perceived pain, lower blood pressure, and a stronger immune system (7).
10. Get a Pet
Have you seen people playing with their pets and how happy they are? Have you seen the emotional connection they have with their pet? Spending time with your pets can help to reduce your stress by helping you relax and clearing your head with stressful thoughts.
One study found that interaction with a therapy dog reduced distress and cortisol during a minor medical procedure in children (8).
11. Take Magnesium Supplement
Magnesium supplements are one of the best supplements to reduce cortisol levels. Magnesium helps the body to manage its response to stress.
Magnesium helps to regulate Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal (HPA) Axis. HPA axis is responsible for controlling stress response. Magnesium helps to modulate this system by affecting neurotransmitters and hormones responsible for stress.
Magnesium also has anti-inflammatory properties which help to reduce neuroinflammation, thereby lowering excessive cortisol production (9).
Conclusion
Managing our stress is very important, especially during these times where there are so many factors that can cause us stress from our work to our relationships. Cortisol is the hormone responsible for stress and in this blog, we have explained 11 best ways to reduce your cortisol levels. Do try these if you are having stress and let us know in the comments which technique worked for you the best.
FAQs
1. How to lower cortisol levels immediately?
To lower cortisol levels immediately try taking deep breaths, laughing, go for a walk or enjoy some music.
2. What foods reduce cortisol?
Foods that can reduce cortisol are dark chocolate, whole grain, vegetables, nuts and seeds.
3. What mineral reduces cortisol?
Magnesium helps to reduce cortisol levels.
