How to Decrease Cortisol / Stress + Sleep Better
Are you stressed and exhausted all the time, but still can’t sleep at night? I’m a nutritionist and acupuncturist & here’s how to fix that:
Cortisol (stress hormone) & melatonin (sleep hormone & also a powerful antioxidant) orchestrate our sleep-wake cycles.
Cortisol is low at night + slowly rises, peaking when you wake. It then stimulates your appetite for breakfast & is meant to decrease throughout the day/into the evening, hitting its lowest point when you’re asleep. If this pattern is off and levels remain high constantly, you feel anxious, overwhelmed, abnormally hungry & struggle to sleep at (in turn your melatonin doesn’t rise at night when it should).
1. Exposure to natural light in the morning: stimulates melatonin to decrease, cortisol to increase, helps regulate insulin (blood sugar / weight management). Decreases anxiety & depression & aids sleep
2. Practice good sleep hygiene: Sleep in a cool and very dark room (or wear an eye mask as even a little light disrupts melatonin production), schedule sleep to be at the same time nightly (preferably 10-11pm), dim your lights & stop exposure to blue light from 6-8pm, stop eating 3 hours before bed.
3. Diet: Drink adaptogenic teas, especially in the evening (ashwaghanda, lemon balm, camomile). Only drink caffeine in the morning/ not at all. Consume foods high in magnesium (leafy greens, nuts and seeds, dark chocolate, complex carbohydrates). Eat cherrys or drink cherry juice like from @activeedgeofficial which is very high in melatonin.
4. Swap HIIT training for lower impact training (yoga, resistance training, Pilates), not forever, but HIIT training increases cortisol dramatically. If you are already in a heightened state, this will exacerbate it.
5. Try acupuncture: which activates the parasympathetic nervous system, calming & relaxing you. Bringing us out of a fight or flight excess cortisol state. Try meditation, Epsom salt baths, aromatherapy, & other relaxation techniques.
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