Is Stress Making You Unwell? Understanding Your Adrenals, Cortisol & Metabolic Health
Updated: Sep 30
Have you ever felt like you're doing everything right, but your body just isn't responding?
You're trying to eat healthier, get more sleep, lose weight, and take better care of yourself. Yet you're still exhausted, carrying extra weight around your middle, craving sugar, or feeling like your body is constantly running on empty.
Could stress be part of the picture?
We often think of stress as something that happens in our minds, but stress affects the entire body. Your hormones, metabolism, blood sugar, sleep, digestion, and immune function can all be influenced by how your body responds to stress.
Today, I want to introduce you to two small but powerful glands that play an important role in your wellness journey: your adrenal glands
What Are Your Adrenal Glands?
Your adrenal glands are two small, triangular-shaped glands located on top of your kidneys.
Although they are small, they produce hormones essential for everyday health, including:
Cortisol — helps regulate your stress response, blood sugar, metabolism, and inflammation.
Aldosterone — helps maintain blood pressure and fluid and electrolyte balance.
Adrenaline and noradrenaline — prepare your body to respond to stressful situations.
Adrenal androgens — contribute to the body's supply of certain sex hormones.
One of the most important hormones we'll focus on today is cortisol, often called your stress hormone.
Cortisol: Too Much or Too Little?
Cortisol is not your enemy!
Your body needs cortisol to function properly. It helps you wake up in the morning, respond to stressful situations, maintain blood pressure, regulate blood sugar, and manage inflammation.
Normally, cortisol follows a daily rhythm. Levels are generally higher in the morning and gradually decrease throughout the day.
But when your stress response is repeatedly activated, that rhythm and other metabolic processes may be affected.
The goal is not to eliminate cortisol. The goal is to support a healthy stress response and allow your body to maintain appropriate hormone levels.
True cortisol excess and cortisol deficiency are distinct medical conditions that require proper testing and treatment.
Are You Recognizing These Warning Signs?
Stress-related symptoms can overlap with several health conditions. Here are some changes worth paying attention to:
☑ Persistent fatigue or difficulty getting through the afternoon
☑ Trouble sleeping or waking up feeling unrested
☑ Increased cravings for sugary foods
☑ Weight gain, particularly around the abdomen
☑ Difficulty managing blood sugar
☑ Feeling overwhelmed or irritable
☑ Changes in energy and motivation
☑ Difficulty concentrating
☑ Changes in sex drive
More pronounced signs such as easy bruising, slow wound healing, muscle weakness, a rounded face, or fat accumulation between the shoulders can occur with prolonged pathological cortisol excess and deserve medical evaluation.
Low cortisol due to adrenal insufficiency can cause fatigue, muscle weakness, low blood pressure, dizziness, loss of appetite, and weight loss.
Remember: Symptoms alone cannot tell you whether your cortisol is too high or too low. Thyroid disorders, sleep problems, medications, and other conditions may produce similar symptoms.
The Connection Between Stress, Cortisol & Metabolic Syndrome
Now let's connect the dots!
Metabolic syndrome is not just about weight. It is a group of metabolic risk factors that can increase the risk of heart disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes.
Metabolic syndrome is identified when a person has at least three of the following:
Increased waist circumference
Elevated blood pressure
Elevated fasting blood sugar
High triglycerides
Low HDL cholesterol
These measurements provide important information about metabolic health.
American Heart Association
So where does cortisol fit into this picture?
Cortisol helps your body make glucose available when you need energy.
Imagine you're facing an emergency. Your body releases stress hormones to help you respond. Your heart rate increases, energy becomes available, and your body prepares for action.
This response is helpful in the short term.
However, chronic stress, inadequate sleep, limited physical activity, and an unbalanced diet may contribute to metabolic difficulties over time.
Prolonged, medically confirmed cortisol excess can also contribute to insulin resistance, elevated blood sugar, abdominal weight gain, and high blood pressure.
Stress is not the only cause of metabolic syndrome, but managing stress is one important part of a comprehensive wellness plan.
Natural Ways to Support Your Stress Response & Metabolic Health
This is where I love helping people make small, consistent lifestyle changes!
You don't have to change everything overnight. Start with a few simple habits and build from there.
1. Begin your morning with intention
Before reaching for your phone, give yourself a few minutes to wake up peacefully.
Drink water, enjoy natural morning light, stretch, pray, or practice gratitude.
A calmer morning routine can help establish a more intentional start to your day.
2. Practice slow breathing
Try this simple exercise:
Breathe in for four seconds.
Hold gently for four seconds, if comfortable.
Exhale slowly for four to six seconds.
Repeat for several minutes.
Slow breathing can help activate your body's relaxation response.
3. Clean up your diet
Focus on nourishing your body with whole foods.
Choose:
Quality protein
Colorful vegetables
Healthy fats
Fiber-rich foods
Appropriate portions of fruit
Adequate hydration
Reduce excess added sugar, highly processed foods, and caffeine that interferes with sleep.
And yes, a little dark chocolate can fit into a balanced eating plan! Enjoy it because you love it, not because it is a proven treatment for abnormal cortisol levels.
4. Move your body every day
Walking is one of my favorite recommendations.
You don't have to start with an intense workout.
A morning walk, gentle resistance training, stretching, or dancing around your kitchen can help support metabolic wellness.
Consistency matters more than perfection.
5. Make sleep a priority
Your body needs adequate sleep for hormone regulation, recovery, and healthy metabolic function.
Establish a consistent bedtime, reduce evening screen exposure, and create a relaxing nighttime routine.
6. Find something that brings you JOY!
This is one of my favorites!
Spend time with people you love.
Get outside.
Listen to music.
Laugh!
Find a hobby.
Do something every day that makes your heart happy.
Your emotional wellness is an important part of your physical wellness.
Are You Listening to Your Body?
Sometimes we get so busy taking care of everyone else that we forget to pay attention to ourselves.
We push through fatigue, ignore poor sleep, overlook changes in our weight, and tell ourselves that feeling exhausted is just part of getting older.
But your wellness journey deserves attention.
You don't have to wait until you feel completely overwhelmed to begin making positive changes.
Start by asking yourself:
What is one thing I can do TODAY to better support my health?
Maybe it's going for a walk, improving your diet, drinking more water, getting to bed earlier, or simply taking a few minutes to breathe.
Small changes can lead to meaningful progress over time.
Ready to Take the Next Step in Your Wellness Journey?
As a naturopathic doctor, I enjoy helping people understand their wellness patterns and develop personalized lifestyle strategies to support their health goals.
My Wellness Scan provides a report we can use as a starting point for conversations about nutrition, hydration, sleep, stress, and other lifestyle factors.
It is not a diagnostic test for cortisol disorders, adrenal disease, insulin resistance, or metabolic syndrome. Appropriate medical testing is important when those conditions are suspected.
Let's work together toward a healthier YOU!
Dr. Laura Dennison, ND
Educational information only. This article is not intended to diagnose or treat a medical condition. Persistent symptoms or suspected hormone abnormalities should be evaluated by a qualified healthcare professional.
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