In recent months the word "cortisol" has become almost fashionable. You hear it in podcasts, across social media, in clinics and even in gyms. People blame cortisol for fatigue, belly fat, sleep difficulties and cravings for sweets... and of course also for weight gain. If we stop for a moment and ask what cortisol actually is, it turns out that not everyone really knows. Following the listener's question about coffee and cortisol, let's first examine what it actually is.
What Is Cortisol: Cortisol is a hormone. A hormone is a substance that the body produces in order to send messages between different organs. Cortisol is produced in glands located above the kidneys, and it is actually one of the central hormones that help us cope with stress. It is true that it is called "the stress hormone", but it is important to understand that it is definitely not an enemy. On the contrary, it is essential for our functioning.
What Happens During Stress Of Any Kind: When we experience a stressful situation – before an exam, during an argument, in the middle of a busy day or during a time of real danger – the body enters an alert state: The heart rate rises, blood pressure changes, the muscles contract and the body prepares for action. Cortisol participates in this response.
It has very important roles – it raises blood sugar levels in order to provide available energy, affects blood pressure, participates in regulating the immune system and helps us stay alert and focused. In a short emergency situation this is an excellent mechanism that allows us to respond quickly.
Prolonged Stress – Harmful Effect: The problem begins when the stress is not short but prolonged. In the past, stressful situations were usually specific and ended quickly. Today many of us live under almost constant tension, especially in this country. Not only workload, endless news, financial worries, lack of sleep and a phone that never stops ringing, but also the entire security situation. When the body feels that it is constantly in an emergency state, cortisol levels remain high for a long time.
And that is not good. High cortisol levels over time may affect the body in several ways: They are associated with less quality sleep, fatigue despite sleeping, an increase in cravings for sweets and carbohydrates, a tendency to accumulate belly fat, damage to sugar balance and even a decrease in bone density in extreme and prolonged situations.
Blood Tests: Cortisol can be measured in a blood, saliva or urine test, but it is important to know that it changes naturally throughout the day. In the morning it is supposed to be higher in order to help us wake up and be active, and in the evening it is supposed to drop in order to allow falling asleep. So ultimately a single test does not always reflect the full picture.
There Is No Goal To Eliminate Cortisol: It is also important to understand that the goal is not to "lower cortisol to zero". We need it. The goal is balance. If sleep is sufficient, if there is regular physical activity and if nutrition is balanced – the body knows how to regulate cortisol levels better. Moments of real rest, deep breathing and intentional breaks during the day also help the body exit the alert state.
Coffee And Cortisol? To the listener's question whether coffee in the morning "spikes" cortisol and therefore may be harmful? It is true that caffeine can cause a temporary rise in cortisol, especially among people who are not used to drinking coffee. But two important things must be remembered: First, cortisol is anyway higher in the morning hours as part of a natural mechanism that helps us wake up.
Second, the rise following coffee is short and temporary, and in people who drink coffee regularly the body adapts and the response weakens. There is no evidence that coffee in the morning causes a hormonal problem. For most healthy people, a cup of coffee in the morning is simply part of the waking routine, and in no way a dramatic event in terms of cortisol.
Miracle Supplements Do Not Exist: Some people promise supplements that lower cortisol quickly, but such promises should be treated with caution. Unfortunately, recently I also experienced fraud firsthand – they created an accurate figure of me in a full AI video that tells about an imaginary study that supposedly I conducted and in it drops or patches that reduce cortisol and cause weight loss. It never happened and never existed.
My message is always: Organized nutrition, sufficient protein, vegetables, quality fats and carbohydrates in an appropriate amount support the entire system.
Nutritional deficiencies and chronically short sleep may worsen the feeling of stress, but there is no pill that cancels a busy life.