top of page
Search

Cortisol: The Misunderstood Hormone That’s Running the Show

Updated: Apr 17




Let me introduce you to someone who's been running the show behind the scenes of your health: Cortisol. This mighty hormone often gets a bad rap—usually lumped into phrases like "too much stress," "adrenal fatigue," or "burnout." But here’s the truth most people don’t know: Cortisol isn’t your enemy.


In fact, without it—you literally couldn’t survive. Like any good thing, though, it’s all about balance. Too high, and you feel like you’re on edge 24/7. Too low, and you can’t get out of bed or think straight. Cortisol is like a thermostat for your stress response—and when it’s out of whack, everything feels off.


🎭 Meet Cortisol: Your Personal Energizer (and Calmer)

Cortisol is produced by your adrenal glands and follows a daily rhythm. It peaks in the morning to wake you up, helps manage inflammation, supports your immune system, and gives you energy to power through the day. When working properly, cortisol:


  • Helps you focus and think clearly

  • Keeps inflammation in check

  • Manages your blood sugar and metabolism

  • Responds to physical and emotional stress

  • Keeps your sleep-wake cycle running smoothly


It’s a total rockstar... until the system gets thrown off.


🚨 When Cortisol Goes Rogue: Too High or Too Low

Let me tell you about Sarah (name changed for privacy), a client who came in with the classic high-cortisol storm: "I was wired but exhausted. My heart would race even when I was still. I couldn’t sleep—my mind just wouldn’t shut off." Sarah’s cortisol was too high for too long. This often happens when someone is constantly under stress—hello work deadlines, poor sleep, intense workouts, caffeine overload, and emotional strain. Symptoms of high cortisol include:


  • Insomnia or waking up at 2-3 AM

  • Anxiety or panic attacks

  • Belly weight gain (especially around the waist)

  • Brain fog or irritability

  • Hormonal imbalance

  • Sugar cravings and energy crashes


Now let’s meet Tom, who came in a few months later: "I felt like I was moving through molasses. No energy. I slept 9 hours and still couldn’t function." Tom had been burning the candle at both ends for years. His cortisol was bottomed out—too low—and his body was no longer responding to stress in a healthy way. Symptoms of low cortisol include:


  • Crushing fatigue, especially in the morning

  • Depression or emotional numbness

  • Low blood pressure or dizziness

  • Frequent illnesses or slow healing

  • Lack of motivation or drive


In both cases, the solution wasn’t to just "chill out" or drink more coffee. We had to dig deeper. That’s where Functional Medicine and myofascial release came in.


🌱 Restoring Cortisol Balance: You Can Feel Better

Using advanced testing, lifestyle adjustments, nervous system support, and targeted bodywork, we started helping Sarah unwind her high-alert system and allowed Tom’s body to rebuild its stress resilience. They both said the same thing after a few sessions: "I had no idea how much my body was holding onto." "I can finally breathe again." And that’s the magic of approaching cortisol from a whole-body perspective.


🧘‍♀️ What You Can Do Right Now

Balancing cortisol isn’t about taking a pill or meditating once a week. It’s about tuning in to your body, your stress response, and your environment. And sometimes—you need someone to guide you through that.


✨ That’s where I come in.

💬 Curious if cortisol is the missing piece in your health puzzle? Let’s talk!






 
 
 
bottom of page