Cortisol: The Hormone Tug of War Ruining Your Recovery

When most people hear the word Cortisol, they immediately think:

• Bad. 

• Stress Hormone. 

• Avoid It. 

But Cortisol isn’t the villain people make it out to be. In fact, it’s completely necessary for the body's daily operations.

Without cortisol, you wouldn’t wake up in the morning, you wouldn’t train hard, you wouldn’t focus at work, nor be able to respond to challenges at all.

Cortisol is your body’s primary alertness hormone, and it’s not a problem unless it’s high when it doesn’t need to be, for long periods of time, and what it then has to compete with. 

What Raises Cortisol?

Cortisol is released by your adrenal glands in response to stress, and this doesn’t just mean emotional pressure. It can be a myriad of things, including:

• Intense training

• Poor sleep 

• Under eating 

• Excess caffeine

• Psychological stress (work, finances, relationships)

• Inflammation

• Illness 

Unfortunately, all stress pours into the same cup, so while things like training stress are necessary for improving strength and fitness - your body can’t distinguish between a tough training session and a hard day.    

Cortisol’s Natural Rhythm:

In a healthy system, cortisol will follow a predictable daily pattern.

Morning: Cortisol will be highest to wake you up. The goal is to help you feel alert, focused and ready to take on the day. This is called the awakening response.

Midday: Levels will start to decline, allowing steady energy as the day goes on and to ensure you’re not overstimulated.

Evening: Levels will continue to drop so that your nervous system can shift into a parasympathetic state aka recovery mode.

At Night: Cortisol should be at its lowest, making way for your sleep hormone, Melatonin to take over.