After we covered the relationship between high cortisol and high blood sugar in the previous article, in this one we want to talk about the most common things that cause cortisol levels to rise, many of which people do without realizing it. We will also cover the things that lower cortisol and put a person in a relaxed state, which in turn has a positive effect even on blood sugar levels.
First: What Raises Cortisol
1. Delaying meals and pushing through hunger for long periods
The more you starve your body, the more it enters "survival mode", sensing danger and assuming food is scarce, so it starts to fear and store. This is exactly why cortisol rises.
2. Obsessing over nutrition
This includes everything: chasing perfection in following a specific, rigid plan around what you eat, how much, how, and when. Obsession breeds obsession, the more fixated a person becomes on one thing, the more likely they are to become fixated on other things too. In other words, the person pressures themselves trying to be perfect and match the image they built for themselves, which is most of the time very hard, if not impossible, to achieve. And when it is not achieved, stress increases because the person feels like a failure who cannot manage.
3. Excessive exercise
Exercise is one of the best tools for relieving stress, but when a person does it excessively, at very high intensity, too often, or the wrong type, the situation flips and exercise itself becomes a source of stress on the body, which in turn raises cortisol significantly.
4. Inflammation
This can be caused by eating too much refined sugar, the wrong type of exercise, or even excess weight or obesity.
5. The morning alarm
An alarm clock, which nobody likes, can raise cortisol and blood pressure in the morning above the normal rate. Of course, a person can wake up without an alarm if they go to sleep early enough.
6. Feeling rushed or short on time
When a person is always in a hurry and feels like they never have enough time, and everything has to be "quick, quick", this state puts the body in "fight or flight" mode, meaning cortisol levels rise sharply. So taking things slower and managing time well matters for avoiding this problem.
Second: What Helps Us Get Rid of Stress or Reduce It Significantly
1. Growing closer to God and strengthening your relationship with your faith
Regardless of a person's religion or denomination, getting to know your creator helps a lot with letting go of the anxiety, stress, and fear that cause some of the biggest sources of pressure for people.
2. Breathing
Either through dedicated breathing exercises, or more importantly, by paying attention to how you breathe during the day and staying mindful of it, so that most of the time you are breathing in a better way.
3. Exercise
In the right amount (not too much) and the right type, one that is genuinely de-stressing. The more you enjoy your workout, the more it relieves stress.
4. Having a hobby
Something purely for your own enjoyment, not for work, not for approval, not for anything else besides your own enjoyment.
5. Sleeping well
Sleep timing plays a huge role here. The more a person quits staying up late and sleeps early, the calmer and more relaxed they stay throughout their days. Enough early sleep keeps us from getting irritated or on edge quickly.
6. Following a balanced diet
A diet that is too small in quantity or poor in quality can cause imbalances or deficiencies in the body, which in turn puts the body under stress. So it matters a lot to make sure the amount of food you eat is adequate and your diet is varied.
7. Cutting back on your phone and social media
Consuming too much information and spending too much time on screens leads to a worse mental state and worsens anxiety, stress, depression, and feelings of dissatisfaction, fear, boredom, and never feeling like enough. All of this raises cortisol significantly, and simply cutting back screen time makes this problem disappear.
8. Cutting back on caffeine
Drink coffee just once a day and at the right times, because caffeine interferes with the body's natural cortisol production and release cycle, especially when consumed at the wrong times, and the body starts relying on it as an external source.
9. Spending time in nature
20 to 30 minutes in nature a day, or even 3-4 times a week, is enough to calm the nervous system, reduce sensory overstimulation, and send signals of safety and reassurance to the brain, lowering cortisol levels.
10. Journaling
Journaling helps organize your thoughts, which in turn organizes your emotions and calms them, and also calms the nervous system.
The Bottom Line
In short, these are the things that cause cortisol to rise, and the things that work to lower cortisol levels and reduce stress.