When your mind is spinning with tomorrow's to-dos at 3 a.m., you have high cortisol - this hormone is supposed to help you manage stress. If it sticks around after hours, it still gets in the way of your sleep. Your body is stuck in overdrive when it should be powering down. High cortisol at night can make it harder for you to drift off and can interrupt your rest, which leaves you feeling worn out during the day.
One of my clients went through this for months until they also changed up three easy habits in their day. The difference came from adjustments that fit right into their standard routines.
Small differences can sneak up on you. You don't have to turn your whole schedule upside down. Instead, you should get started with the timing, your surroundings, and the relaxing habits you can use as the day winds down.
Start to try out the first change - set up a schedule every evening that helps your body relax and lets your mind know it's time to rest. Even ten minutes makes a dent. Before you add any of these relaxing routines to your night, you'll want to get a clearer picture of how cortisol prevents you from getting the rest you need.
How Cortisol Impacts Sleep
Cortisol acts as your body's internal alarm clock. It rises in the morning to help you wake up and just drops off. If something throws off this system - maybe a late-night work email or scrolling your phone under bright lights - your body is still waiting for the all-clear signal, so your cortisol doesn't drop when it's supposed to. Instead, it hangs around and tells your body to stay alert even when you want to rest.
You might think of cortisol like a steady drip of caffeine. You get that boost at 8 a.m. that kick-starts your day. If that drip also continues past sunset, your brain never quite shuts down. Studies find that people with higher cortisol at night take longer to fall asleep and spend less time in deep sleep. One study looked at nurses who work night changes and saw their cortisol rhythms were almost the opposite of those who worked during the day - which caused standard insomnia. Another found that late-day screen time bumped up cortisol levels for at least two hours afterward.
Your habits can have a bigger effect than you might guess. When you eat dinner right before bed or skip meals, it can throw off your internal schedule. The change in work makes this harder. But even smaller actions - like answering messages after 9 p.m. - can build up. These habits don't just make it tough for you to fall asleep. They can lock you into a cycle where poor sleep makes you feel more stressed. That stress keeps the cycle going.
See Abigail, a graphic designer who kept waking up around midnight. She didn't think her 11 p.m. snack was an issue until she started tracking her cortisol. Her levels spiked 30% above average after late meals. When she moved dinner earlier and dimmed her screens once the sun went down, she found her sleep improved in just a few weeks. There wasn't any secret to her success - she started working with her body instead of against it.
Look at your own schedule and see what could be pushing your cortisol up when it should be going down. It could be that extra cup of coffee after lunch or trying to settle disagreements just before bed. Your body likes things to be predictable. Try to build in some relaxing evening habits so your cortisol can drop naturally. Why not give it a try? You might see that you fall asleep more and wake up feeling a bit more rested.
Bedtime Routine Blueprint
The first thing you can do to settle your mind before bed is to just set aside a quiet hour in the evening. You can use this time as a way to leave behind the day's rush and also get ready for sleep. You don't need an elaborate schedule - just follow easy things that improve your body so it knows it's time to relax. When you take a warm shower, it helps you because as your body cools down afterward, it starts to feel sleepy. When you dim your lights, it also makes quite a difference for you. Your eyes will thank you for it. The bright lights trick your brain into thinking it's still daytime, so you end up with more cortisol in your system.
If the meditation feels awkward for you, you don't have to force it. You can try playing a few chords on a guitar or doodling in a notebook. The idea is for you to choose something that feels relaxing, not like another item on your to-do list. One of my clients switched from the meditation apps to slowly folding laundry, and she still saw that her whole body was less tense. She called it her "laundry meditation" - who knew? What you choose matters less than if it helps you unwind.
The screens can get in the way. But even the small differences do something good. You should instead swap your phone's bedtime scroll for reading a paperback or having a quiet talk. If you need to use a device, turn on an amber filter since blue light messes with melatonin levels more. Also, remember the power of darkness. If you turn down the overhead lights an hour before you go to bed, it can give your nervous system a signal that it's okay to get sleepy.
When you follow a standard bedtime, it ties everything together. If you go to bed around the same time each night, your body starts to expect sleep and tends to fall asleep a bit faster. One study saw that people with a steady schedule were drifting off about 19 minutes sooner than those without one. Nineteen minutes might not sound like much - until you're the one still staring at the ceiling. Track your evening schedule for a week - not to be strict with yourself. But just to see patterns. Did the tea prove to be more helpful than the wine, or did writing in a journal help? The small differences will start to add up.
Your life isn't always very predictable. Sometimes, you'll be working late, or you'll get caught up in a good show. You shouldn't worry about sticking to the plan every single night. You should shoot for some consistency most of the time. Even if you take five minutes to practice box breathing - inhaling for four counts, then you hold and exhale slowly - it can help settle your nerves. It's an easy way to reset when you need it.
Consistent Sleep Hygiene Principles
If you can just follow the same sleep schedule every day, it'll make it easier for your body to relax at night. The studies from the National Sleep Foundation show that when you go to bed and get up at the same time every day - even on the weekends - you fall asleep faster and feel less stressed. Your body likes it when you have a schedule, so when that schedule gets thrown off, it'll respond by raising cortisol, which then tells your brain to stay alert just when you want to wind down. Your brain's still not great at handling surprises here.
The space where you sleep also plays a very big role. You should try to set your bedroom temperature to around 65 degrees Fahrenheit since the cooler air helps your brain to start making melatonin. Most of us run hotter than we know. You can also use blackout curtains or a soft sleep mask to block out the light. Even just a little glow from the streetlights or your electronics can trick your body into thinking that it's still daytime. If the idea of pitch-black darkness feels like too much, you can try to use a dim red night light since that color is the least likely to get in the way of your sleep.
People like to relax by scrolling on their phones or watching TV before going to bed. But the blue light from the screens pushes back the release of melatonin, which can keep you awake for much longer. You should try to set a screen cut-off time about 90 minutes before you go to sleep. If that sounds too tough for you, just have a half hour and add more time as you get used to it. You can trade your late-night streaming for reading a book or doing something calm like sketching. You should watch out for your afternoon caffeine, too - a cup of coffee at 3 in the afternoon can keep you up past midnight.
While alcohol feels like a fast way to relax, it can break up your sleep and make you wake up in the middle of the night. Instead, you can have an herbal tea with no caffeine or take a warm shower to help release the tension. Why not try one small difference tonight? You can crack a window for some fresh air or switch to lighter pajamas. Even these small adjustments can give you some much better sleep over time.
Optimal Timing For Exercise
The third way to manage your cortisol is by paying attention to when and how you move. The morning workouts also help to signal to your body that it's time to get going. When you push yourself with high-intensity exercise late at night, you might actually make your system more alert at the wrong time. Your body's clock doesn't like surprises. Your body likes a standard pattern, and the timing of your movement matters just as much as the effort.
You'll see the best results when you go for some moderate activity in the afternoon. Our systems want that midday reset. Research finds it can help to lower your stress hormones by the evening. That doesn't mean you need to stay away from exercise at night if that's the only time you have available. Just go for some gentle movement instead. You want to choose the right intensity for the time of day. If you feel more lively in the evenings, try swapping those burpees for stretches or slower routines that help you wind down.
Watch out for one mistake - when you combine late workouts with energy drinks or pre-workout supplements. That combo hits differently after dark. These can increase your cortisol even more when your body actually needs to relax. Even a 20-minute walk after your dinner can seem better for you than when you do a tough spin class close to bedtime. Give your heart and mind some time to settle, and you'll set yourself up for better rest.
If your schedule only leaves some room for late-night exercise and you want to finish at least an hour before you go to bed - this small window lets your body transition out of the active mode and start to relax. See if you could move your evening session to earlier in the day. Morning sunlight mixed with movement helps your body regulate cortisol naturally and can make your evenings calmer.
It's still easy to forget overtraining. But if you go too hard, in most cases, it increases your cortisol - even if you mostly work out during the daytime. Listen to what your body needs from you. On some days, if you stroll around the block, it does more for you than when you try to squeeze in one more set of squats. The right balance lets you change your schedule as needed instead of focusing on how well you do everything.
Nutrition Strategies For Cortisol
What you eat also has a big effect on the way your body manages cortisol. Try just putting some whole foods like vegetables, nuts, and fatty fish at the center of your meals. These foods actually bring in nutrients like magnesium and omega-3s, which can help to steady your stress hormones. One of my clients switched her afternoon coffee for a handful of almonds and saw she was able to fall asleep faster within a week. Small adjustments can still have big results. Too much sugar or eating processed snacks can give you a spike in your cortisol, which makes it harder to relax at night.
Meal timing also matters for you. It helps to eat a small snack. You don't need a full meal for this. Sometimes, just a few bites can make a real difference. If you skip your breakfast, try moving more of your calories to the first part of your day. A study from the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism found that the people who had balanced meals by mid-morning had lower cortisol in the evening compared to people who waited until later.
Be careful with popular services like adaptogens or supplements. Some herbs may help you, too. But they aren't a cure-all for everyone. Always check in with your doctor before trying any new products. You'll want to be aware of your caffeine. That 3 p.m. latte might feel necessary for you. But caffeine can stay in your system longer than you might think. Someone I worked with dropped her afternoon coffee and started falling asleep in half the time. Also, keep an eye out for sugar hiding in sauces, salad dressings, or snacks labeled as "healthy" - those can quietly raise your cortisol.
Get started by how you feel after eating your meals. Do you crash and feel tired an hour later? Does hunger make your mind race? Those feelings are clues your body can give you some information. You don't need to overhaul your diet all at once. Try starting with just one change and see how it changes things for you.
Keep It All Natural
Small differences can shape how well you sleep. When you build a relaxing bedtime schedule, change your workout to a different time of day, or make some food swaps that also support rest, you start to take back control over your stress hormones. It feels much easier if you pick just one habit to try first. Your body still loves a good rhythm, after all. Stick with it for a while since your body responds best when you give it some steady routines.
What's nice about these strategies is that you don't need any tools or big investments to get started - just a few easy adjustments to your standard habits. Look at how your day unfolds for you. Can you make a little space in the evening for some reading or stretching before bedtime? Try to move your workouts earlier or see if you can pick up a few foods known to support better sleep on your next grocery run. These small steps fit right into what you're already doing in your life.
You can start to see some steadier energy, a brighter mood, or even better immune health for yourself. Ready to give one a try now? And if sleep has been a struggle for a while, you can talk with your healthcare provider since it's always a good idea.
When you want to look for ways to improve your health naturally, you can have the right products on hand to make building these new habits even smoother for you. Bella All Natural is here to help you reach those wellness goals of yours. Our natural products are made to work side by side with your body. You might want a light improvement from our Skinny Iced Coffees, too. You can get a gentle cleanse from our Detox Kit. We also give you digestive support with our Constipation Relief Kit.
Check out Bella All Natural and see how these products might make your process toward better sleep and day-to-day wellness easier for you.
