5 Strategies to Fix Low Cortisol Levels
Low cortisol levels often result from extended periods of high cortisol levels. This is considered an adaptive response, where the adrenal glands downregulate cortisol production as a protective mechanism.
Cortisol is the body’s main stress hormone that acts within the nervous system. While chronically elevated cortisol levels get more of the spotlight, low cortisol levels can cause significant fatigue, muscle weakness, low mood, loss of appetite, and more.
Cortisol levels are regulated by circadian rhythms, which you may have heard of before, often called sleep-wake cycles! Circadian rhythms are natural rhythms in the body that operate on a 24-hour cycle. This goes beyond sleep to influence metabolism, hormone production, menstrual cycles, and even fertility!
Today we are outlining 5 strategies to optimize circadian rhythms to help support low cortisol levels and overall hormone balance!
Understanding Cortisol and Circadian Rhythms
Cortisol levels naturally should fluctuate throughout the day, as dictated by circadian rhythms. We should experience an increase in cortisol levels in the morning, soon after waking. This helps get us up and going for the day!
This morning cortisol increase is called the Cortisol Awakening Response (CAR). Without this morning cortisol increase, we may have significant difficulty waking up in the morning.
Low cortisol levels are a key indicator of disrupted circadian rhythms. So many tissues and systems in the body run on circadian clocks, including those related to metabolism.
Disrupted circadian rhythms result in low cortisol levels, impacted follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), and triggers our hypothalamus-pituitary-ovary (HPO) axis to downregulate sex hormone production. This can result in irregular menstrual cycles, low levels of estrogen and progesterone, and even fertility challenges!
Because cortisol levels are most significantly impacted by circadian rhythms, we can implement a handful of nutrition and lifestyle strategies to support cortisol production from the perspective of circadian rhythms.
1. Get Light Exposure in the Morning
Light, particularly sunlight, is the ultimate regulator of circadian rhythms. When light hits the eyes, it signals to the area of the brain called the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN). The SCN is the body’s “master clock”, responsible for telling each of our cells what time it is.
Circadian rhythm regulation is so critical because many cells have different functions at different times of day! The first hour of the day is so important to help establish and reinforce our biological clock!
Support circadian rhythm regulation by getting 15-30 minutes of light, ideally sunlight, in your eyes within the first 30 minutes of waking. This helps sync our cortisol response and trigger that CAR! If you aren’t able to get outside or don’t wake up when the sun is out, sun lamps or light boxes that deliver at least 10,000 lux are a great tool to support circadian rhythms.
2. Keep Meal Timing Consistent and Don’t Cut the Carbs
Digestive processes and blood sugar regulating hormones, like insulin, also operate according to circadian rhythms. Having erratic eating patterns, eating at inconsistent times throughout the day, and skipping meals can all disrupt circadian rhythms that control digestion.
Carbohydrate intake helps lower elevated cortisol levels. However, that does not mean that those with low cortisol levels should decrease carbohydrate intake.
In order to lower cortisol levels and allow for melatonin to be produced, it’s important to consume adequate carbohydrates with dinner, and balance those carbs with adequate protein.
Melatonin is a hormone that helps promote sleep and works in opposition to cortisol. Ideally, as cortisol levels decrease in the evening, melatonin production increases. We actually have melatonin receptors in our pancreas and throughout our GI tract, furthering the digestion-circadian rhythm link.
It’s important to have similar eating patterns throughout the day to support anticipatory responses that support digestion. These responses include the production of the hunger hormone ghrelin, digestive enzymes, and insulin (our main blood sugar regulating hormone).
3. Skip Skipping Breakfast!
Intermittent fasting, particularly when it involves skipping breakfast, is a popular practice that can have negative effects on thyroid function and circadian rhythms. Research has shown that breakfast consumed shortly after waking effectively helps reset our clock gene network, or circadian rhythms, and is critical for shifting our body from an overnight fast state to a waking fed state.
This shift is key for improving blood sugar response and other markers of metabolism, in addition to supporting cortisol levels and our CAR, thyroid activity, and thyroid hormone production. Skipping breakfast can trigger a stress response, increasing cortisol levels. Recall that low cortisol levels are often seen in response to chronically elevated cortisol levels.
There are other ways to tailor intermittent fasting to honor circadian rhythms, for example by prioritizing eating breakfast within the first hour of waking, not snacking after dinner, and allowing 12 hours between dinner and breakfast the next day.
4. Establish an Evening Routine and Limit Blue Light Exposure
Limiting blue light exposure in the evening time is just as important as getting light exposure upon waking. Blue light exposure suppresses melatonin production, which impacts our ability to fall and stay asleep. Red light and infrared light, on the other hand, supports melatonin production as well as mitochondrial function.
Eliminate or limit blue light exposure in the evening by decreasing screen time, using blue light blocking glasses, and turning off or dimming fluorescent or LED lighting. The sun emits the most blue light from 10am until 2pm. By flooding our eyes with blue light in the evening we are signaling to our brain that it’s actually much earlier in the day, which can lead to circadian dysfunction.
Designing an evening routine that encourages relaxation and a healthy decline in cortisol levels is so important to support circadian rhythm regulation. Consider utilizing red light in the evening time for improved melatonin production. You can also try listening to calming music, meditating, deep breathing, or lightly stretching to support relaxation.
5. Stick to a Consistent Sleep Schedule
A consistent sleep schedule is also vital for regulating your biological clock.
The strategies outlined above will help support melatonin production, which is key to falling and staying asleep. We know how important sleep is for overall health, stress levels, tissue healing, and even the speed of our metabolism.
The concept of social jet lag refers to sleep disruption that often occurs over the weekend. It’s possible your sleep schedule is consistent down to the minute during the week, with a 6:30am wake up. On the weekends you like to socialize, stay out later than you might like, then allow yourself to rest a bit more and sleep until 9am. This sleep disruption very significantly disrupts circadian rhythms, and effectively may feel like you’ve changed time zones!
To support your circadian rhythms and the wide variety of processes in our bodies dictated by our biological clocks, stick to a consistent sleep schedule. Ideally, keep the variation from weekday to weekend within an hour. For example, if you wake up during the week at 6:30am, try to wake up no later than 7:30am on the weekends.
Evening routines, light exposure, and meal timing all play a role in getting to sleep on time. Your sleep environment also plays a major role in ensuring you get good quality sleep. Optimize your sleep environment by making sure the room is dark, cool (around 68°F), and quiet.
Most, if not all, of these strategies are free, easily accessible, and so impactful for optimizing your circadian rhythms. We know just how impactful circadian rhythm regulation is for our cortisol levels, thyroid and reproductive hormones, and even metabolic health.
If you’re not sure where to start or are interested in better understanding your CAR and daily cortisol rhythm, be sure to check out our Hormone Testing Packages. Dried Urine Hormone Testing via the DUTCH test gives insightful information into both your acute and chronic cortisol levels throughout the day. Let’s regulate your cortisol levels!
Written by Romana Brennan, MS, RD
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