How to Lower My High Cortisol

Cortisol is a hormone that can become elevated due to stress. Stress can be physical (pain, infection), environmental (heat, noise) or psychological (worry, fear). As the body goes through stress, it experiences symptoms, like increased heart rate and high blood pressure, relative to the increase of cortisol. Reducing stress is critical to maintaining normal cortisol levels.

Instructions

• 1

  Get plenty of rest. Set a bedtime that allows seven to eight hours of sleep. According to Advance-health.com, a lack of sleep increases cortisol levels dramatically, causing fatigue and lack of energy. You need sleep to maintain healthy cortisol levels, which in turn, increases alertness.

• 2

  Eat a low glycemic diet. Having lots of sugar in your blood can raise cortisol levels. High cortisol levels eventually can lead to diabetes based on high insulin levels.

• 3

  Take nutritional supplements, which help balance cortisol levels. Phosphatidylserine is effective in lowering increased cortisol levels. According to Advance-health.com, a normal dosage is one to three 100mg capsules a day. This supplement essentially repairs feedback between the body and the brain; the cortisol receptors in the brain are able to once again recognize high cortisol levels and correct them.

• 4

  Reduce stress in your life. Since stress is the main cause of increased cortisol levels, the less stressed you are, the lower your cortisol levels will be. This may be as simple as avoiding stressful situations whenever you can. Practice relaxation techniques to deal with stressful situations you can't avoid. Exercise can also help to reduce stress.