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Is cortisol making you gain weight?
The facts behind the trend
Cortisol is trending, but is it really making you gain weight?
Before it was the glucose goddess, now it’s cortisol. There's always new science that claims a ground-breaking solution to fix our health. So, how much should we trust it?
Fact check: Cortisol is not bad
Cortisol is often referred to as the stress hormone, but it’s essential to your health. Produced by your adrenal glands, cortisol plays a role in your sleep-wake cycle, energy, inflammation control, metabolism, and immune function.
You need cortisol for many of your systems to function. So why are we worrying about it? The issue with cortisol isn’t the hormone itself - it’s when it’s chronically elevated or becomes dysregulated from prolonged stress without proper recovery.
So Can Cortisol Lead to Weight Gain?
The truth is, yes it can. when cortisol remains high over time, it can contribute to weight gain through:
Increased Appetite & Cravings
Cortisol increases your hunger hormone (ghrelin) and drives cravings for high-energy, sugary foods.
Fat Storage in the Belly Area
Chronic cortisol can lead to fat being stored around the abdomen - a stress-related survival mechanism.
Disrupted Sleep through stress
Cortisol dysregulation often messes with your sleep, which impacts insulin sensitivity, appetite control, and metabolism.
Muscle Breakdown
In high amounts, cortisol can break down muscle tissue, reducing your resting metabolic rate over time.
Is This More Common in Women?
Women may be more susceptible to cortisol dysregulation due to:
- Hormonal fluctuations that occur during the menstrual cycle, perimenopause, or after stopping hormonal birth control.
- For women with PCOS, adrenal dysfunction, or other hormonal imbalances, cortisol can have a stronger impact.
- Overtraining and undereating, which many women use to control weight, but often backfire by increasing cortisol and stalling progress.
So Should You Worry About Cortisol?
Not necessarily. Short-term cortisol spikes (from workouts, ice baths, etc) can even make you more resilient to chronic cortisol. They teach your nervous system how to calm down after these stressful states.
The real issue is chronic stress with no recovery. Not giving yourself a break, not feeding yourself properly, never getting enough sleep... That’s when cortisol turns from a helpful tool into something that holds you back.
How to Support Healthy Cortisol Balance
✅ Train Smart
Alternate intense workouts with low-impact movement and recovery.
✅ Eat Enough
Especially around workouts, under-eating drives stress higher. Get your protein and healthy fats, especially before training.
✅ Prioritise Sleep
Poor sleep increases cortisol and disrupts hormones. Your evening wind-down routine matters.
✅ Go Easy on Caffeine
Especially if you’re stressed - delay your coffee until after food to avoid spikes.
✅ Daily Nervous System Care
Breathwork, nature, slow walks, stillness — these signal safety to your system.
Our Everyday Practices to Lower Cortisol Naturally and Feel Generally Better:
- Practice breathwork — Hyperventilation breathwork (e.g Wim Hof) is a short-term cortisol spike. So it can help to improve cortisol regulation over-time. Slow breathing techniques with long exhales (e.g box-breathing) can help to reduce stress during the day.
- Spend time in nature or get sunlight early in the day.
- Eat regular, balanced meals to prevent blood sugar crashes.
- Prioritise sleep hygiene with consistent routines and screen-free evenings.
- Journal or reflect to calm mental clutter and reduce overthinking.
- Cold exposure (like a cold shower or plunge) can improve cortisol regulation over time
- Laugh, hug, connect - social bonding lowers stress and boosts resilience.
So, should you worry about your cortisol?
Following trends shared via social media is part of the quick fix cuture. It’s good to be aware of them but not get hooked on them as the one and only solution.
Cortisol is not the enemy - unmanaged stress is.
And for women, especially those with hormone sensitivities, regulating stress is one of the most powerful forms of self-care.
At ATTIKA, we don’t believe in trends. We believe in balance, education, and your uniqueness. Everyone is different, and learning about what works for you takes one step at a time.
Cortisol is trending, but is it really making you gain weight?
Before it was the glucose goddess, now it’s cortisol. There's always new science that claims a ground-breaking solution to fix our health. So, how much should we trust it?
Fact check: Cortisol is not bad
Cortisol is often referred to as the stress hormone, but it’s essential to your health. Produced by your adrenal glands, cortisol plays a role in your sleep-wake cycle, energy, inflammation control, metabolism, and immune function.
You need cortisol for many of your systems to function. So why are we worrying about it? The issue with cortisol isn’t the hormone itself - it’s when it’s chronically elevated or becomes dysregulated from prolonged stress without proper recovery.
So Can Cortisol Lead to Weight Gain?
The truth is, yes it can. when cortisol remains high over time, it can contribute to weight gain through:
Increased Appetite & Cravings
Cortisol increases your hunger hormone (ghrelin) and drives cravings for high-energy, sugary foods.
Fat Storage in the Belly Area
Chronic cortisol can lead to fat being stored around the abdomen - a stress-related survival mechanism.
Disrupted Sleep through stress
Cortisol dysregulation often messes with your sleep, which impacts insulin sensitivity, appetite control, and metabolism.
Muscle Breakdown
In high amounts, cortisol can break down muscle tissue, reducing your resting metabolic rate over time.
Is This More Common in Women?
Women may be more susceptible to cortisol dysregulation due to:
- Hormonal fluctuations that occur during the menstrual cycle, perimenopause, or after stopping hormonal birth control.
- For women with PCOS, adrenal dysfunction, or other hormonal imbalances, cortisol can have a stronger impact.
- Overtraining and undereating, which many women use to control weight, but often backfire by increasing cortisol and stalling progress.
So Should You Worry About Cortisol?
Not necessarily. Short-term cortisol spikes (from workouts, ice baths, etc) can even make you more resilient to chronic cortisol. They teach your nervous system how to calm down after these stressful states.
The real issue is chronic stress with no recovery. Not giving yourself a break, not feeding yourself properly, never getting enough sleep... That’s when cortisol turns from a helpful tool into something that holds you back.
How to Support Healthy Cortisol Balance
✅ Train Smart
Alternate intense workouts with low-impact movement and recovery.
✅ Eat Enough
Especially around workouts, under-eating drives stress higher. Get your protein and healthy fats, especially before training.
✅ Prioritise Sleep
Poor sleep increases cortisol and disrupts hormones. Your evening wind-down routine matters.
✅ Go Easy on Caffeine
Especially if you’re stressed - delay your coffee until after food to avoid spikes.
✅ Daily Nervous System Care
Breathwork, nature, slow walks, stillness — these signal safety to your system.
Our Everyday Practices to Lower Cortisol Naturally and Feel Generally Better:
- Practice breathwork — Hyperventilation breathwork (e.g Wim Hof) is a short-term cortisol spike. So it can help to improve cortisol regulation over-time. Slow breathing techniques with long exhales (e.g box-breathing) can help to reduce stress during the day.
- Spend time in nature or get sunlight early in the day.
- Eat regular, balanced meals to prevent blood sugar crashes.
- Prioritise sleep hygiene with consistent routines and screen-free evenings.
- Journal or reflect to calm mental clutter and reduce overthinking.
- Cold exposure (like a cold shower or plunge) can improve cortisol regulation over time
- Laugh, hug, connect - social bonding lowers stress and boosts resilience.
So, should you worry about your cortisol?
Following trends shared via social media is part of the quick fix cuture. It’s good to be aware of them but not get hooked on them as the one and only solution.
Cortisol is not the enemy - unmanaged stress is.
And for women, especially those with hormone sensitivities, regulating stress is one of the most powerful forms of self-care.
At ATTIKA, we don’t believe in trends. We believe in balance, education, and your uniqueness. Everyone is different, and learning about what works for you takes one step at a time.
