How do stress and cortisol affect your metabolic health, and what can you do about it?

Cortisol is one of the body’s key stress hormones. It is released in response to perceived or real threats, triggering changes that help the body respond and adapt.

These changes include raising blood glucose levels to provide quick energy and influencing heart rate and blood pressure to help the body respond to a perceived challenge.

This response is the reason why you might experience a glucose spike when you’re stressed.

Solutions for reducing stress and cortisol are easy to find online, but many—such as the “cortisol cocktail” that includes coconut water, orange juice, and salt—are not supported with any scientific evidence.

Below, we offer science-backed tips for reducing stress to help counteract the negative effects of cortisol. We also explain how the stress response and your metabolism are related, and how building healthy habits to manage stress can support your metabolic health and overall well-being.

7 tips to help manage stress for better metabolic health

Here are seven lifestyle tips that could help with managing stress and cortisol:

1. Prioritize quality sleep

Cortisol naturally rises and falls throughout the day. It starts out high, and surges within an hour of waking up (a process thought to prepare the body for the demands of the day) and then starts to progressively decline, typically hitting its lowest point around midnight.¹

However, when sleep is disrupted—whether by stress, insomnia, or other factors—this natural rhythm can become disrupted.

Elevated cortisol levels, especially in the evening, can interrupt sleep and reduce its restorative quality.² In turn, poor sleep can cause an increase in cortisol levels, creating a vicious cycle over time that impairs both sleep and metabolic health.²

Raised cortisol can elevate glucose levels, increase cravings for carbs and sugar, and weaken your immune system,³ while shortened sleep durations have been found to be associated with weight gain.²

Adopt a consistent sleep routine to keep stress in check and allow your body the proper rest it needs. Go to bed and wake up around the same time each day and aim for 7-9 hours of quality sleep a night.

Try to avoid exposure to electronic screens such as phones and tablets for an hour or two before bed and give yourself time to wind down and relax.

Learn more tips for better sleep.

2. Get regular exercise

Exercise is important for many aspects of your health, and supporting the body’s stress response is among them.

While both high-intensity interval exercise and strength training raise your cortisol levels in the moment, over time they can lead to lower cortisol levels during periods of rest.⁴

Research also suggests that people who exercise regularly may be better able to maintain a positive mood during stressful situations than people who don’t exercise. So when your schedule suddenly shifts or you hit that unexpected traffic jam, you might find it easier to stay emotionally steady if you’ve been moving your body consistently.⁵

The best time to exercise is whenever you can fit it into your day. But keep in mind that high-intensity exercise close to bedtime may make it harder to fall asleep and accumulate good quality sleep,⁶ which could negatively impact your stress levels.

Learn more about exercise and glucose.

3. Try breathing exercises or meditation

Slow, intentional breathing can trigger shifts in the body and mind that promote relaxation, reduce emotional distress, and enhance self-regulation. As part of meditation practices, it may also build resilience against stress.⁷

One specific technique called diaphragmatic breathing has been shown to further support these effects with potential improvements in cortisol levels, blood pressure, and perceived stress.⁸

Here’s how to do diaphragmatic breathing:⁹

1. Lie down flat on your back with your knees bent.

2. Put one hand on your chest and one on your belly just below your rib cage.

3. Breathe in slowly through your nose so that your stomach rises. Your lower hand should move out while the hand on your chest should remain still.

4. Breathe out slowly through your mouth while tightening your stomach muscles. Your lower hand should move back in with your belly and the hand on your chest should remain still.

4. Spend some time outdoors

Evidence indicates that spending at least 2 hours a week in nature (including open spaces in towns and cities) can improve stress levels.¹⁰

Researchers noted this association regardless of how this time was made up, with stress improving after one long visit a week as well as several shorter visits spread over several days.

Some researchers have also seen a correlation between the amount of green space where someone lives and their stress levels, as measured by how they feel as well as their cortisol levels. The more green space around, the more people’s cortisol levels would fall during the day.¹¹

When looking to take advantage of nature, you could also combine a trip outdoors with some physical or breathing exercises for extra stress relief.

5. Eat a healthy diet rich in omega-3s

Omega-3 fatty acids help regulate the body’s stress-response systems and may even act as a buffer from inflammation during high-stress situations.¹²

Food sources of omega-3s include:¹³

• Fatty fish, such as salmon, mackerel, and sardines

• Walnuts

• Flaxseed

• Chia seeds

• Canola oil

6. Strengthen your social connections

Catching up with someone or joining a group activity can help lower cortisol levels, easing stress and supporting overall well-being.¹⁴

Research during the COVID-19 pandemic—a period that for many was marked by high stress and social isolation—also underscored the vital role of social connections, showing that spending time with friends or family could help to relieve stress and make you more resilient to stressful events.¹⁵

Combine meeting someone with time outdoors or exercising for an even bigger stress-relieving bonus.

7. Interact with pets

Research suggests that petting an animal could help lower stress.

One small study measured cortisol levels in college students who interacted with a dog for about 60 minutes. The researchers found that the participants’ cortisol levels dropped, and they experienced an improvement in overall mood.¹⁶

And other research suggests that interacting with pets or other companion animals can help buffer the impact of stress on positive emotions, and also contribute to general emotional well-being.¹⁷

The connection between stress hormones and metabolic health

We need cortisol to survive. It plays a central role in the body‘s stress response and helps regulate key aspects of metabolism, including:¹⁸

• Glucose levels

• Blood pressure

• Conversion of food into energy

• Sleep and wake cycles

In a healthy stress response, cortisol levels rise quickly in response to a perceived threat—like narrowly avoiding a car accident—and then naturally fall once the danger has passed. It is this short-term surge that helps the body mobilize energy and stay alert in what may be seen as a threatening situation.

However, modern stressors, like being stuck in traffic or having to give a big presentation at work, can trigger this same fight-or-flight response, even when there’s no immediate danger.

If your body is regularly in fight-or-flight mode, this can cause problems over time. The body isn’t designed to have constant exposure to cortisol—and prolonged exposure to cortisol is associated with:¹⁹

• Higher blood glucose levels

• Increased insulin resistance

• Greater risk of weight gain

As a result, getting stress under control is important for your metabolic health and overall well-being.

Effects of cortisol on glucose and diet

The release of cortisol raises your glucose. Consistent exposure to stress and cortisol can lead to higher glucose levels, which can result in glucose spikes that are larger, more frequent, and trickier to predict.²⁰

Cortisol also increases appetite and can make the body more likely to store excess energy as fat when levels remain high. That’s why stress can leave you craving high-calorie, ultra-processed foods—and feeling like you’re gaining weight faster than usual.²¹

These ultra-processed foods tend to be digested very quickly, which can lead to rapid glucose spikes if you’re eating them in large amounts.

You can track the impact of stress on your glucose using a continuous glucose monitor (CGM). Lingo is a CGM system designed by Abbott to help you understand your body and build healthy habits.

Keeping your glucose in a healthy range and minimizing glucose spikes can provide many health benefits, such as supporting your mood and hunger levels, among other things.²²

How does stress affect your body?

If you experience too much elevated cortisol all the time (like when you’re constantly stressed) and your body can't rest, you may experience adverse health effects.

Some symptoms of chronic stress include:²³

• Frequent headaches

• A racing heart

• Sweating easily without physical exertion

• Anxiety

Chronic stress can also have a negative impact on other aspects of your health, including:²⁴

• Memory

• Cognition

• Immune functioning

• Blood pressure

• Digestion and gut health

Note: While everyone experiences stress, if you feel it is interfering with your day-to-day life or is unmanageable, you should speak with a healthcare professional.

A final note from Lingo

Cortisol is a key hormone that helps your body respond to stress and maintain balance. It’s not inherently harmful.

But, if you feel stressed all the time, it might be time to examine how to lower cortisol levels naturally. Especially if you’re having trouble sleeping, struggling to lose weight, and are constantly getting sick.

Managing stress and your cortisol levels can support steady glucose levels, which in turn can benefit many areas of your health, including your mood, sleep, hunger, and energy levels.²²

Using Lingo to track your glucose can show you the impact of your day-to-day routine and diet and help you learn to build healthy habits that contribute toward your health goals.

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