How to Tame Cortisol
4 Simple to tips to take back your peace
I’m getting sun in my eyes as soon as Sun and I are up at the same time (which was 10am today)!
Why is this “sunlight first thing” suddenly a thing? Because sunlight in your eyes first thing in the am turns off cortisol (your wake up hormone) and resets your circadian rhythm (which will turn on melatonin tonight).
No need to stare at the sun, just keep your eyes open, the light gets in.
Cortisol is catabolic (meaning it “tears down”). It is the most damaging hormone in the body. You need a little to wake-up and some for a fight or flight response but virtually no other time.
Cortisol’s main job is to force your liver to shoot glycogen (sugar) into your blood stream to give you instant energy for fight/flight. If you have not eaten sugar for awhile and have no glycogen stored in your liver, your liver will take it from your tissues (including from your organs and muscles). You don’t want that.
4 Simple Tips
Here are 4 simple tips that stops the cortisol response and brings peace and a clear head in stressful situations. This works whether the stress is ACUTE (as in the tiger just appeared) or CHRONIC (as in the adrenaline switch is on and you can’t flip it off) -- BEEN THERE many times in my life.
#1 Sugar (yes, SUGAR)
Eat a date, a low-starch fruit, a hard candy or drink a glass of juice. The sugar turns off the fight-or-flight response because you did cortisol’s job for it and the hormone stops being released.
Please note: fake sugar will not work. Organic with cane sugar or honey only! Fake sugars, glyphosate and all non-food ingredients cause your body STRESS even if you don’t “feel” it, which releases more cortisol.
#2 Sunlight
Get sunlight in your eyes every morning first thing. Outside, sun to eyes directly. Sunlight resets your circadian rhythm regulating both cortisol (your wake-up hormone) and melatonin (your sleep hormone). Sunlight is the Cortisol Umbrella Remedy.
If getting outside is too challenging for any reason, open a window. Or sit close to it... I’ve been doing this f-a-i-r-l-y consistently since last summer and the effects have been so positive, I now make the effort to go outside! Simple tool, huuuge reward.
#3 Quick Buteyko breath
Take a couple of Buteyko breaths (all nasal): breathe in 3 secs, exhale 4 secs, hold 2-5 secs, repeat. Keep it easy and smooth, no stress. Here’s a basic lesson -- Buteyko breathing has been amazing for me!
#4 Reframe your response
Reframe your stress response from “OMG” to “there is opportunity here” (thank you, Scott Adams). This little mantra makes the world sane again which allows you to deal CALMLY with whatever calamity has appeared.
When I am stuck in chronic fight-or-flight mode, EVERY calamity is HUGE, calling up more cortisol on top of what’s already flowing thru my system. I want peace.
Stressed? Find the sun, suck on a candy, do a Buteyko, tell yourself “there is opportunity here”, then slay that tiger.
Chronic stress can lead to cancer and all manner of unpleasant health outcomes. You don’t want that, right?
My health philosophy these days is based on Ray Peat’s teachings.
xo Sally
Timely read. Very helpful, thank you!!
Thank you, Sally! I'm fairly certain my cortisol has been out of control for some time, and these are easy and free things to try. I need easy right now.