These 6 bad habits keep your stress hormone high, warns top US doctor

Health risks of over-training: While regular exercise raises cortisol briefly and normalises soon after, excess training without adequate recovery disrupts cortisol rhythm (Image: Pexels)

• Six daily habits like poor sleep and excess caffeine can raise cortisol levels
• High cortisol affects sleep, metabolism, mood, and recovery
• Managing stress and healthy routines can help lower cortisol

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Many people often don’t pay attention to some of their daily habits which can actually be bad for them. This includes lifestyle choices that determine cortisol levels. If you constantly remain stressed, anxious, or emotionally drained, it is time to look into what may be disrupting your normal rhythm.

Dr Kunal Sood, a US-based doctor, took to his Instagram account to explain how cortisol helps you manage stress and how it can affect your sleep, metabolism, mood, and recovery when it’s high. “Elevated cortisol often comes from stacked daily stressors. Improving sleep, recovery, meal timing, and stimulant use lowers overall stress load,” he wrote.

6 daily habits that raise cortisol levels

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Sleep deprivation

It is for a reason sleep is often emphasised by health experts. It is important for recovery, and a regular sleep patternkeeps hormonal balances in check. Dr Sood said, “Sleep normally suppresses cortisol at night. Even one night of total sleep loss raises evening cortisol, while chronic short sleep keeps late-day cortisol elevated and exaggerates stress responses the next day.”

Overtraining

Just as much as no body movement is problematic, overtraining also does no good. While regular exerciseraises cortisol briefly and normalises soon after, excess training without adequate recovery disrupts cortisol rhythm. “When training exceeds recovery, cortisol rhythms become abnormal, reflecting HPA axis dysregulation rather than healthy adaptation.”

Excess caffeine

While caffeine is known for being rich in antioxidants, an excess of anything is bad for your body. Dr Sood warned, “Caffeine blocks adenosine, stimulating ACTH and cortisol release. Studies show cortisol stays elevated for hours, even in habitual users, especially with higher doses or added stress.”

Emotional stress

If you remain in a state of constant stress, it needs to be managed better, as it impacts your cortisol levels. “Psychological stress directly activates the HPA axis. Chronic stress can keep cortisol elevated or dysregulated, impacting mood, cognition, and immune balance,” he wrote.

Skipped meals

Skipping mealsis never a good idea, as it is a metabolic stressor. Not only does this mean less nutrition in the body, but also raised cortisol, as the body tries to maintain blood glucose. Skipping meals alters normal cortisol rhythms.

Screen overload

Dr Sood said that excessive screen time is linked to higher late-day cortisol. “Blue light disrupts circadian timing, suppresses melatonin, worsens sleep, and indirectly raises evening cortisol.”

It is easy for people to think of these habits as non-problematic, but when done every day, they add up and affect your body in ways you may not imagine. What’s needed is keeping your lifestyle choices in check to stay healthy and happy in the long term.

Disclaimer: This article, including health and fitness advice, only provides generic information. Don’t treat it as a substitute for qualified medical opinion. Always consult a specialist for specific health diagnosis.