High Cortisol? 7 Natural Ways to Reduce Stress Hormones
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Managing cortisol effectively involves supporting your body and nervous system to deal with on-going stress or as they recover from chronic stress. Key areas include regulating blood sugar, restoring your circadian rhythm, and practices that calm the stress response. Here's a practical guide to help you lower cortisol naturally.
Signs of High Cortisol
Poor sleep
Waking at 3–4am
Belly fat gain
Anxiety
Fatigue but wired feeling
Sugar cravings
1. Regulate Your Nervous System Daily
Your nervous system plays a central role in your body’s stress response. By activating the parasympathetic system (the "rest and digest" state), you can help bring cortisol levels down in a sustainable way.
Breathwork: Techniques like box breathing or 4-7-8 breathing calm the vagus nerve, which helps reduce cortisol levels within minutes.
Nature Exposure: Spending time in green spaces (parks, forests, near water) has been shown to significantly lower cortisol levels and reduce psychological stress.
Meditation & Mindfulness: Regular practice decreases your cortisol reactivity to stressors and improves overall emotional regulation.
Journaling: Both gratitude and expressive journaling support emotional processing, which can stimulate parasympathetic activity and reduce stress hormones.
2. Improve Sleep and Restore Circadian Rhythm
Poor sleep disrupts the body’s natural cortisol rhythm, which should peak in the morning and drop in the evening. Restoring this rhythm is essential for healthy cortisol levels. If you’re unsure whether cortisol imbalance is driving your symptoms, the DUTCH Adrenal Stress Test measures your cortisol rhythm throughout the day and provides detailed insight into HPA axis function.
Key strategies:
Go to bed and wake up at consistent times every day.
Avoid screens at least 1 hour before bed, as blue light suppresses melatonin and can increase cortisol.
Keep your bedroom cool and dark.
Get 10–15 minutes of morning sunlight within 30 minutes of waking to help reset your body’s internal clock.
Consider sleep-supportive nutrients such as magnesium glycinate, glycine, or L-theanine to enhance relaxation and sleep depth.
3. Balance Blood Sugar
Blood sugar fluctuations are a major trigger for cortisol production, especially during crashes. Stabilising your blood sugar can dramatically reduce unnecessary cortisol spikes.
Practical tips:
Eat within 90 minutes of waking, focusing on protein, healthy fats, and complex carbohydrates.
Avoid extended fasting, especially if you're feeling stressed or burnt out.
Don’t skip meals or rely on caffeine alone in the morning.
Reduce intake of sugar and ultra-processed snacks that cause energy crashes and cortisol surges.
Blood sugar dysregulation can be assessed through comprehensive testing Full Blood Test
4. Consider Targeted Supplements
Specific nutrients and adaptogenic herbs can also be a helpful tool to regulate the stress response and support healthy cortisol levels.
Magnesium Glycinate
Magnesium supports the parasympathetic nervous system, reducing excitatory neurotransmitters like glutamate while enhancing calming ones like GABA. Magnesium glycinate is especially effective for those who feel "tired but wired" and can improve sleep quality without causing sleepiness or having a sedative effects.
L-Theanine
Found in green tea, L-theanine increases alpha brain waves, which are linked to calm focus and mental clarity. It helps reduce anxiety, racing thoughts, and midday stress without causing drowsiness.
Omega-3 Fatty Acids (EPA & DHA)
EPA and DHA, found in fish oil and algae, have been shown to reduce cortisol in people with chronic stress, inflammation, or anxiety. EPA in particular supports neurotransmitter balance and helps stabilise the HPA axis.
Shop Omega-3 from algae
Phosphatidylserine
Phosphatidylserine is a phospholipid that helps blunt the cortisol response to physical and psychological stress and can support improved sleep and recovery when cortisol is high at night.
Glycine
Glycine is an amino acid which has a calming effect on the nervous system and supports sleep quality, and cortisol regulation, especially when used in the evening or before bed. It also helps lower core body temperature, which is a natural trigger for sleep onset and melatonin release.
Ashwagandha
One of the most studied adaptogens, ashwagandha has been shown to reduce cortisol levels, particularly in people with chronic stress or burnout. It also supports mood, resilience, and sleep quality.
Rhodiola Rosea
A stimulating adaptogen, Rhodiola is especially helpful for those experiencing low energy, burnout, or low motivation. It supports mental clarity, endurance, and helps normalise cortisol - reducing it when too high, and supporting healthy levels when too low.
It's important to note that cortisol regulation isn’t about quick fixes, it's about daily habits that support long-term nervous system balance, hormone regulation, and metabolic health. Integrating even a few of these strategies consistently can lead to noticeable improvements in energy, mood, sleep, and overall resilience to stress.
Further support at Body Fabulous
DUTCH Adrenal Stress Test - This test evaluates how your body responds to stress throughout the day by measuring cortisol production. It can provide valuable insight into issues such as low energy, fatigue, poor sleep, anxiety, and hormonal imbalances
Book a Health Consultation - Our clinical team is here to support you in achieving better health and making positive, sustainable changes to your diet. Whether you're looking to improve energy, manage a condition, or simply feel better day-to-day, we’re here to support you.
Book a General Advice Call - Speak with our clinical team who can advise on the right testing or supplements based on your symptoms and needs.
