From juggling deadlines to navigating personal relationships, stress can come from all directions. Whether it’s work pressure, lack of sleep, emotional strain, or simply a packed schedule, these everyday stressors can activate a powerful response in your body—starting with a hormone called cortisol.

Cortisol, often called the “stress hormone,” is produced by the adrenal glands and plays a crucial role in keeping you balanced. It helps regulate energy, metabolism, immune response, and your natural sleep-wake cycle. In short bursts, cortisol helps you stay sharp, focused, and ready to handle challenges.

But when high stress levels becomes a daily habit, cortisol levels can stay elevated longer than they should. Over time, this can start to influence how you feel, how your body functions, and even how your skin looks. The good news? By understanding cortisol’s role—and knowing how to manage it—you can take simple, meaningful steps to support your overall well-being.

Let’s dive into why managing cortisol levels is so important and how cortisol affects your body in the long run.

What does cortisol do for you?

Cortisol impacts nearly every aspect of your health. Here’s what it does and why it matters to you:

1. Boosts energy and reduces inflammation: how cortisol helps your body respond

Cortisol the stress hormone helps your body break down fats, proteins, and carbohydrates, providing the fuel you need to stay energized throughout the day. It also serves as a natural anti-inflammatory, helping to reduce swelling when your body experiences injury.

2. Helps you handle stress

Ever feel a sudden burst of energy during a stressful moment? That’s cortisol at work—released by your adrenal glands to trigger a surge of glucose into your bloodstream, giving your body an instant energy boost to help you respond.

3. Controls inflammation

While cortisol helps regulate inflammation, too much of it over time can weaken your immune system and lead to chronic inflammation.

4. Balances blood sugar

It works with insulin to keep your blood sugar stable, preventing energy crashes and those sudden sugar cravings.

5. Supports blood pressure

Cortisol helps regulate blood pressure by influencing the balance of salt and water in your body—but when levels stay too high for too long, it can contribute to hypertension.

6. Regulates Sleep

Cortisol levels naturally follow your body’s circadian rhythm—rising in the early morning to help you wake up and gradually falling throughout the day, reaching their lowest point at night to support relaxation and restful sleep.

Cortisol plays a vital role in helping your body respond to stress, regulate metabolism, and support overall health. But when stress becomes chronic, cortisol levels can stay elevated longer than they should. This can affect everything from sleep and digestion to immune function, blood sugar, and hormone balance. The good news? By managing stress, you can help keep cortisol in check and support your body’s natural rhythm and resilience.

The Mind-Body Connection: How Chronic Stress Affects Your Skin and Joints

Stress doesn’t just affect your mood—it leaves both visible and physical marks on your body, particularly your skin and overall well-being. When you’re under prolonged stress, your body produces more cortisol, the primary stress hormone. While short-term cortisol is essential for coping with immediate challenges, chronically elevated levels can disrupt various internal processes—especially collagen production.

How Cortisol Affects Your Skin: The Impact of Chronic Stress

High cortisol levels specifically impact collagen type I, the most abundant form of collagen in the skin. Elevated cortisol slows down its production and accelerates its breakdown, leading to reduced skin firmness and elasticity.

Cortisol also stimulates excess oil production in the skin, which can clog pores and trigger breakouts. For those dealing with skin conditions like acne, eczema, or rosacea, stress can significantly worsen symptoms. Additionally, cortisol can thin the skin, impairing its ability to regenerate and heal properly.

To help counteract these effects, supporting your skin from the inside out can make a meaningful difference. Dermn’Nutrition is specially formulated with a blend of key nutrients—including vitamins D and C, biotin, MSM, tripeptide collagen, hyaluronic acid, zinc, and more. These ingredients are known to promote healthy skin function, deep hydration, and improved elasticity. They also help strengthen hair and support overall skin resilience—especially valuable during times of stress, when your body needs extra care.

Cortisol and Inflammation: How Chronic Stress Affects Your Body

Beyond its effects on the skin, elevated cortisol contributes to increased inflammation, weakens the immune system, and impairs the body’s ability to repair damaged cartilage. This can accelerate joint degeneration and lead to increased joint pain and stiffness.

The impact of stress reaches far beyond emotional strain—it manifests throughout the body. Since hormones like cortisol influence everything from mood and energy to digestion and physical appearance, even small imbalances can have significant effects. Managing cortisol levels is therefore essential to restoring balance and promoting both internal health and outer vitality.

Products containing ingredients like hydrolyzed collagen peptides, glucosamine, chondroitin, MSM, turmeric, hyaluronic acid, and vitamins D and C may help support joint mobility, reduce discomfort, and promote cartilage repair. For example, Collamin Joint’Active Collagen combines hydrolyzed collagen with key nutrients such as glucosamine, chondroitin, and turmeric. This Swiss-made supplement comes in a convenient honey-lemon flavor and can be easily mixed into cold drinks, smoothies, or yogurt. As always, it’s recommended to consult with a healthcare provider to determine if this or any other supplement is suitable for your specific health needs.

Managing Cortisol Levels: How to Balance Stress for Better Health

Feeling overwhelmed? You’re not alone! But the great news is that small changes can have a big impact on your stress levels. Here’s how you can start today:

1. Make sleep a priority

Make sleep a priorityGetting a good night’s sleep can help lower cortisol levels, improving your overall well-being.

1. Set a consistent bedtime and wake-up time—even on weekends.
2. Create a relaxing night time routine (cozy pajamas, a good book, and no screens!).
3. Aim for 7-9 hours of quality sleep every night.
4. Limit caffeine intake late in the day.
5. Limit exposure of blue light which can put a lot of stress on the human body.  Avoid phone use for at least 30 minutes before sleep, keep your bedroom quiet and dark.

2. Nourish your body with the right foods

Research highlights the strong connection between a healthy gut microbiome and improved mental health. To support both, incorporate foods that help lower cortisol levels, such as dark chocolate, legumes, lentils, green tea, and a variety of fruits and vegetables. What you eat plays a key role in how your body handles stress. A diet high in added sugars and processed foods can raise cortisol levels and dull your body’s natural stress response.

1. Fill your plate with fresh fruits, veggies, whole grains, and healthy fats.
2. Support your gut health with prebiotic and probiotic-rich foods.
3. Cut back on processed foods, excessive caffeine, and alcohol to avoid unnecessary cortisol spikes.

3. Practice mindfulness & stress reduction

Mindfulness-based stress reduction involves becoming more self-aware of stress-provoking thoughts, accepting them without judgment, and processing them in a healthy way. Training yourself to recognize signs of stress—such as changes in your breathing, heart rate, or mental state—can help you respond to stress in a more mindful way.

1. Try deep breathing exercises, meditation, or yoga—even five minutes a day makes a difference!
2. Let go of guilt and perfectionism—they’re major stress triggers.
3. Focus on what you can control and practice self-compassion.

4. Stay well-hydrated

Dehydration can increase cortisol levels, while staying hydrated helps keep them in check.

1. Drink plenty of water throughout the day to support your body’s stress response.
2. Not a fan of plain water? Try herbal teas or add a splash of fruit juice or citrus slices for flavor.
3. Keep a water bottle nearby as a reminder to sip regularly.

5. Nurture your relationships

Healthy relationships play a big role in emotional and physical well-being.

1. Spend time with loved ones who support and uplift you.
2. Practice forgiveness and open communication to reduce conflict-related stress.
3. Interacting with pets—or even spending time with someone else’s pet—can lower cortisol levels and boost your mood.

6. Have fun and laugh

Laughter promotes endorphin release and helps suppress stress hormones like cortisol. Even forced laughter can have positive effects.

1. Laughing yoga has been shown to lower cortisol, reduce stress, improve mood, and boost energy levels.
2. Enjoying hobbies like gardening, listening to music, or dancing can enhance well-being and lower stress.

Understanding cortisol and its impact on your body is the first step to better health. By making small, manageable lifestyle changes, you can balance cortisol levels, reduce stress, and feel your best—both inside and out. So why wait? Take charge of your health today—your future self will thank you!

Learn about the effects of stress on the body.

Disclaimer:

Cortisol levels can be influenced by various medical conditions. If you’re experiencing symptoms, it’s important to consult a qualified healthcare professional. This article is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for medical advice. Always speak with your doctor or healthcare provider before starting any new supplement, making lifestyle changes, or attempting self-treatment.