Today, I want to talk to you about a tiny little hormone that is likely causing big issues for you when it comes to your sleep:
Cortisol.
So, what exactly is cortisol and how does it affect sleep?
Now, I’m sure you’re well aware of what cortisol is — it’s “the stress hormone”. It does get a bad rap and I don't want to perpetuate that, because cortisol is actually essential for life and it is very helpful.
Cortisol is meant to help us regulate our blood pressure, metabolize glucose, and keep us alert. Also, it’s very helpful in stressful situations — because when we experience stress, our cortisol levels spike and we are able to respond quickly.
The problem is that, in today's modern society, we are constantly stressing our bodies so our cortisol levels are through the roof for a prolonged period of time. And because cortisol is a key component to our circadian rhythm, it affects our sleep.
Let’s talk about circadian rhythm and how that affects our sleep...
Before I go any further, I’m going to take you back to high school biology class to explain how our circadian rhythm works.
There are two main hormones that regulate our circadian rhythm: 1) our friend cortisol, and 2) melatonin, “the sleepy hormone”.
In the morning, our cortisol levels are at their highest. As the day goes on, our cortisol levels begin to dip and we become more tired — and then our melatonin levels begin to increase to induce sleep. Around midnight, melatonin begins to drop and cortisol begins to rise so we can wake up and be alert.
What happens to your sleep if cortisol levels are high?
The problem is if you're stressed all day and your cortisol levels are high, then when you go to bed, you will still have higher than normal levels of cortisol in your system. Then, after midnight, when the cortisol levels rise again, your levels will be extremely high and you’ll feel wired (but tired) and have difficulties staying asleep. Hello, 3:00 AM wake-up!
Now, let’s go over 5 simple strategies you can try to get better sleep and decrease cortisol levels in your body.
Unfortunately, in today’s society, it is hard to circumvent stressful situations altogether. The good news is that there is plenty you can do to actively lower your cortisol levels so that you can still get the sleep you need to be your best.
Here are 5 simple strategies you can try today:
1) When you find yourself in a stressful situation, do some deep breathing exercises afterward.
Now, as I mentioned, stressful situations are unavoidable. But what we CAN do when they occur is to take a moment to relax after a stressful situation so that our cortisol levels will lower — and deep breathing is a very simple way to do that.
What I want you to do the next time you find yourself in a very intense meeting, for example, and you're feeling stressed: go back to your desk and just take 5 minutes to engage in some deep breathing.
It doesn’t have to be anything fancy, just focusing on your breath and breathing in and out.
Note: It's important when you breathe in that you breathe from your abdomen. So when you breathe in, your abdomen should expand, and when you breathe out, it should contract. This tells your system that you're no longer in fight-or-flight and your body will switch to the rest-and-digest state, and your cortisol levels will drop.
Let’s look at the research for deep-breathing and cortisol levels...
There is research that demonstrates that it works. For example, in China, a study of 28 middle-aged women found that women who participated in deep breathing exercises lowered their cortisol levels by 50%.
2) Limit your sugar intake.
Now I know this is challenging because sugar is everywhere, but it's really not natural for us to consume so much sugar. I recommend avoiding desserts and foods that have added sugar — check those labels. Whenever we consume sugar, it spikes our insulin and then our cortisol levels increase.
3) Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate!
When we are dehydrated, it sends a signal to our bodies that there's danger. It's really not natural for us to be dehydrated. When we are, that means that resources are scarce — and that is going to kick in that fight-or-flight response and increase our cortisol. A rule of thumb is that you should take your body weight, divide it in half, and drink that number in ounces on a daily basis.
4) Exercise in the morning.
Exercise does cause an increase in cortisol, and that's actually a good thing in the morning, because that's when we want our cortisol levels to be the highest. Then what's going to happen the rest of the day is that the levels are going to naturally lower. And I know what you're thinking: “Kelly, I work full-time. How am I going to exercise in the morning??” Well, it doesn't have to be a full-blown hour workout. You can simply walk around the block a couple times for 15 minutes and that's all you need to get that cortisol increase. Keep it simple!
5) Conduct a relaxing bedtime routine on a nightly basis.
Bedtime routines aren't just for babies. They can really help us prepare our bodies for sleep and allow us to relax and for those cortisol levels to lower.
I love starting a bedtime routine with a bath for both children and adults alike. The reason why is that it's relaxing, but also it helps to lower your body temperature. (Our body temperature has to lower by 2 degrees in order to fall asleep!). Learn more about how your body temperature affects sleep from Tuck→
While we’re on the subject, how does screen-time before bed affect sleep?
After your bath, make sure you're avoiding screens for at least an hour. The reason? Blue and green light from the screens send the signal to our brains that it's morning and then our bodies produce cortisol instead of melatonin.
I know that there’s technology today that has the blue and green light blocker, but that still doesn't give you an excuse to use technology because technology engages our brain and makes us wire. I would avoid it altogether at least for an hour.
Instead, what you can do is: read, do some meditation, do some stretching, have a little hanky-panky ;). Whatever it’s going to take in order for you to relax. It's worth it and you deserve that hour to unwind.
So, how do you know if your cortisol levels are high?
Underlying physical issues can also result in high cortisol levels, such as: hormonal imbalances, gut bacterial dysbiosis (meaning that you have more pathogenic gut bacteria than beneficial gut bacteria), thyroid dysfunction, vitamin and mineral deficiencies, food sensitivities.
The nice thing is that with modern science, there are tests that you can take to determine if this is the root cause. You can simply go to a naturopathic or functional medical doctor and ask for a health panel, or if you want to work with me, the same lab test is included in my Sleep Like a Boss program.
Let’s Get You Sleeping!
If you're interested in learning more, you can book a free 30 minute discovery call. I personally recommend practicing these five tips on a daily basis. It's going to help to reduce your cortisol and get you the sleep that you need.
Sweet dreams.
Kelly Murray is a certified sleep coach and an award-winning pediatric sleep consultant based in Chicago offering sleep coaching services nationwide.