{"id":397062,"date":"2026-03-21T19:15:44","date_gmt":"2026-03-21T19:15:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/397062\/"},"modified":"2026-03-21T19:15:44","modified_gmt":"2026-03-21T19:15:44","slug":"is-high-cortisol-really-to-blame-for-all-my-problems","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/397062\/","title":{"rendered":"Is high cortisol really to blame for all my problems?"},"content":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s 8pm on a Wednesday. I got home from work an hour ago, and I\u2019m lying on the sofa mindlessly scrolling TikTok and contemplating getting into bed. It\u2019s the millionth day in a row that I feel exhausted \u2014 like, to the bone. <\/strong><\/p>\n

As I swipe, swipe, swipe on my phone, barely registering what I\u2019m watching, something catches my eye: \u2018Signs of high cortisol in the body,\u2019 reads the caption, overlaid on a video<\/a> of a very zen-looking girl sitting outside on a summer\u2019s day. My eyes scroll down the list \u2014 \u2018Energy crash at 3pm\u2019? Hard relate. \u2018Bloated face and stomach\u2019? Yep, that\u2019s me. \u2018Trouble falling and staying asleep\u2019? Check, check. \u2018Can\u2019t stop doom scrolling?\u2019 Uhh\u2026 <\/p>\n

I type \u2018high cortisol\u2019 into the search bar and keep scrolling. \u2018You\u2019re not ugly, you just have cortisol face,\u2019 declares one video<\/a>. \u2018POV you finally drop the cortisol belly,\u2019 reads another<\/a>. A third<\/a> screams in caps lock, \u2018HOW TO LOWER CORTISOL\u2019. I\u2019m sold. Cortisol is to blame for everything. But how do I fix it?<\/p>\n

Related Story<\/p>\n

I quickly learn that the answer is, apparently, a \u2018cortisol detox\u2019. This means reducing my cortisol through supplements such as ashwagandha, black pepper, or turmeric, a \u2018cortisol cocktail\u2019 consisting of orange juice, coconut water, and sea salt, or by rubbing lavender balm on to my temples. Sounds easy enough, I tell myself, adding the relevant ingredients into my Notes app. <\/p>\n

Now, I\u2019m not usually one to be sucked in by social media wellness advice, but this is the second time a TikTok diagnosis has caught my eye. A few months ago, I convinced myself I had an underactive thyroid \u2014 the symptoms of which, TikTok told me<\/a>, include chronic tiredness, weight gain, puffy face, and anxiety \u2014 even going as far as to book a test with my doctor. Admittedly, these are among the symptoms of hypothyroidism and, for some, finding out about this on TikTok might help them get a genuine diagnosis. But I know, deep down, that neither this nor high cortisol is my problem.<\/p>\n

You see, what these TikToks don\u2019t factor in is the context \u2014 which, for me, is that I don\u2019t always take the best care of myself. I go to bed late and get up early; I drink coffee on an empty stomach before doing a HIIT class; and I indulge more than I probably should in meals out, and booze to boot. I also have IBS and an anxiety disorder\u2026 Oh and my job (and life) can be pretty stressful at times. No amount of orange juice and coconut water is going to alleviate the consequences of all that. So why, despite knowing all of this, do I still jump at the opportunity for an easy-to-spot, out-of-my-hands issue to blame? And besides, how much truth is there to TikTok\u2019s spiel about high cortisol anyway?<\/p>\n

Everyone’s clicking on…A misunderstood hormone<\/p>\n

\u201cI feel really sorry for cortisol these days,\u201d says Niamh Martin, a professor of endocrinology at Imperial College London. \u201cIt needs some rehabilitation or something because, actually, it\u2019s such an important hormone.\u201d While cortisol \u2014 a steroid hormone produced by our adrenal glands \u2014 does play a key role in managing your body\u2019s stress response, including, yes, spiking when we\u2019re stressed, it\u2019s also vital in regulating our metabolism, mobilising energy, decreasing inflammation, controlling blood pressure, and influencing our sleep- wake cycle. For those who work traditional nine-to-five hours, it\u2019s usually high in the morning and low in the evening, with spikes throughout the day. Essentially, says Martin, it keeps us in balance. <\/p>\n

So, how accurate is it that permanently high cortisol can impact someone\u2019s weight, mood, skin, sleep, vision, and brain function, as TikTok suggests? Well, there is something called Cushing\u2019s syndrome, which is caused by long-term elevated levels of cortisol, and its symptoms do indeed include weight gain on your tummy (as well as neck, upper back, and chest), a round face, and changes in mood. But, Martin assures me, Cushing\u2019s is a rare condition, and one usually caused by a non-cancerous tumour in the pituitary or adrenal glands or by taking high doses of steroid medicine for a long time. According to You And Your Hormones<\/a>, an education resource from the Society for Endocrinology, 60 to 180 cases of Cushing\u2019s are diagnosed in the UK each year, which is one to three new patients per million. <\/p>\n

\n

Cortisol needs some rehabilitation or something because, actually, it\u2019s such an important hormone<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Essentially, it\u2019s unlikely that high cortisol is responsible for what it\u2019s being accused of online. And those home remedies? They won\u2019t do anything, sorry. \u201cThere is no evidence to suggest that people are having pathologically high [levels] of cortisol because of modern-day life,\u201d says Martin. \u201cWe\u2019re all looking for a reason why something happens, so we can fix it. It\u2019s much easier to be like, \u2018Oh, this one thing is to blame, rather than my lifestyle.\u2019 You can just have your cortisol cocktail and everything will get better, whereas an overhaul of your life would take time \u2014 and often people are in short supply of that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Still, Martin says she has been seeing a rise in people seeking to have their cortisol levels tested \u2014 something they usually have to do privately. \u201cPeople are looking for a solution, so they think they\u2019ll pay \u00a350 to have their blood tested and that\u2019ll tell them what the problem is. But it doesn\u2019t always work that way,\u201d she explains. \u201cWhat often ends up happening is that the more investigation someone has, the more it makes them feel that there\u2019s something wrong with them. [That in itself unleashes] a whole torrent of anxiety, which doesn\u2019t help anybody.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"is\"pinterest\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Artwork by Alex Hurst. Photography by Getty.<\/p>\n

Reclaiming control<\/p>\n

It\u2019s no secret that we\u2019re living in a particularly stressful and anxiety-inducing time. You know the culprits: the lingering, lonely effect of the pandemic; economic uncertainty and wage stagnation; climate, housing, and employment crises; global atrocities streamed live on our phones; and the phones themselves, which sap our energy by forcing us to constantly be connected to loved ones, colleagues, strangers, and the news, while simultaneously disconnected from each other. Against this backdrop, it\u2019s easy to see why people turn to TikTok pseudoscientists for reassurance and explanation, because what\u2019s really wrong is often out of our control. <\/p>\n

We\u2019re stressed out by the pace and demands of life, but we can\u2019t just opt out of it. So instead we look for ways to manage the chaos: tracking our sleep, our steps, our glucose levels; drinking \u2018cortisol cocktails\u2019 between heavy weekends of partying; treating ourselves with home remedies while we wait months for the doctor to call. But what impact is this health tracking, pathologising, and self-diagnosis having on our mental and physical health (and, ironically, on our cortisol levels)? <\/p>\n

\n

It\u2019s not cortisol that we should be focusing on, but the underlying drivers of stress<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\u201cThe mix of clicking related content, Googling symptoms, and even asking AI can quickly escalate uncertainty,\u201d says Nicholas Rose, a UKCP psychotherapist. Basically, what starts out as a bid to understand, control, and, ultimately, quick-fix our feelings of anxiety can, in fact, have the exact opposite effect. In reality, it\u2019s not cortisol that we should be focusing on, says Rose, but the underlying drivers of stress. <\/p>\n

\u201cOften the anxiety sits atop something else \u2014 loneliness, lack of purpose, relationship difficulties, or a sense of being ungrounded,\u201d he continues. \u201cWhen these deeper needs go unaddressed, it\u2019s easy for them to latch on to health as the focus. Understanding the real cause can be hugely relieving and is often where genuine wellbeing begins.\u201d<\/p>\n

So, how can you shut out the noise and begin to address the stress you believe is causing your \u2018cortisol face\u2019 or \u2018cortisol belly\u2019? Stepping away from our screens, resisting the urge to go down Reddit rabbit holes and taking a more holistic view of our health, is a start. Because, however much we may want to, no amount of tech, tracking, or TikTok advice can control our bodies \u2014 they\u2019re a natural, changeable thing. \u201cWe expect ourselves to be like machines with infinite capacity,\u201d says Suzy Reading, a psychologist specialising in wellbeing, stress management, and facilitation of a healthy lifestyle. \u201cBut to help mitigate the effects of stress and protect ourselves from burnout, we need to embrace our humanity \u2014 the things that distinguish us from our devices.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"circular\"pinterest\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Artwork by Alex Hurst. Photography by Getty.<\/p>\n

She adds: \u201cWe need to listen to our needs and tend to our feelings; feed our brain; hydrate our mood; move for mental health; spend time in nature to feel part of something bigger than ourselves; [enjoy] social connection; sleep for sanity; rest for resilience; we also need fun, relaxation, and pleasure to resource us and help us to heal. Compassion is key, and it pays to take action at the whisper rather than waiting for the shout of illness, injury, conflict, or overwhelm.\u201d<\/p>\n

Although cortisol videos still crop up on my TL every so often, I\u2019ve seen enough marked as \u2018paid partnership\u2019 to know that I shouldn\u2019t be taking them seriously. What I\u2019ve started to do instead is address why I keep getting sucked in by these supposedly easy fixes \u2014 and figure out what it is, exactly, that I\u2019m trying to fix. And then \u2014 the complicated bit \u2013 how to fix it. For me, that\u2019s looked like drinking less, if at all, during the week; making sure I get an early night when I\u2019m up early the next day; exercising regularly; eating well; reading instead of scrolling; and spending more time with friends in person rather than online. I know these all sound like unsexy, obvious solutions to my problems, but sometimes the easiest fix is the one you\u2019ve been avoiding the whole time.<\/p>\n

Related Stories\"Lettermark\"<\/p>\n

Brit Dawson is Cosmopolitan UK’s Sex & Relationships Editor. Her work mostly delves into sexual subcultures, sex work, women’s rights, and sex and relationships, exploring how each intersects with technology, politics, and culture. Formerly a staff writer at Dazed and MEL Magazine, she’s written for British GQ, The Face, Slate, and more. She’s also interested in drugs, youth and pop culture, and books \u2014 so all the good stuff. Find Brit on Instagram, X, and LinkedIn.<\/p>\n