What To Do When You're Feeling Stressed & Anxious

Whether you're working on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic, or you're doing your part to stop the spread by staying at home—the strain on your usual routine and uncertainty about the future is probably sending your cortisol levels into overdrive right now.

Of course, it's totally normal to have elevated stress right now. But too much cortisol for a sustained period of time it can be a major contributor to declining health. Yet, cortisol is also required for us to be alive1. Our body likes to be in homeostasis both mentally and physically, so while a little bit of stress helps regulate our systems, diseases caused by stress occur when things go out of balance for too long.

To back up for a minute, cortisol is a hormone made by the adrenal glands, which sit on top of the kidneys. Cortisol stimulates the liver to convert amino acids into glucose, increases fatty acid metabolism, helps fight inflammation and allergies, prevents loss of sodium in urine (an important mineral for cellular health), maintains resistance to stress, and can help us focus and stay calm.

Signals coming from the brain tell the adrenal cortex to release cortisol in times of stress. When you're in a state of sustained stress, the body is constantly getting those signals to produce more of the stress hormone, and it adapts a higher threshold of cortisol, leading to an imbalance in hormones.

Cortisol is a huge part of our body's "fight or flight" response, which is activated in times of high stress—like running from a bear. When this stress response is triggered, our bodies divert blood flow to ensure we can breathe and move effectively to stay alive. However—as we are not usually running from a bear in modern times—stressors can be due to factors such as underlying disease (e.g., hormone imbalance, obesity), poor diet, poor sleep, unhealthy relationships, suppressed emotions, emotional stress, and chemicals in the environment (e.g., skin products, pollution).

When trying to improve your stress response and lower your cortisol levels, it's imperative to recognize what's making you stressed in the first place and try to get that under control. That being said, tests can also be a helpful way to evaluate the severity and cause of a cortisol imbalance.

There are a number of supplements that can help promote normal cortisol levels, such as magnesium, known as nature's "relaxation mineral."* It's used in over 300 reactions in the human body and supports the responsiveness of the adrenal glands5.* Many of us are deficient in magnesium, and it can be a great tool for supporting normal cortisol levels.* Consider the magnesium glycinate form of magnesium, as glycine is a calming amino acid and has high bioavailability and minimal gastrointestinal side effects, which are common with other forms of magnesium.*

It's important to note that chronic cortisol elevations did not happen overnight, so it's going to take some time and effort to bring back balance. Part of this process will be communicating to our bodies that everything is okay. Our body thrives on rhythm, so when it knows what's going to happen, there's no need to worry or stress. Maintaining a regular bedtime between 10:30 and 11 p.m. allows cortisol to drop to a point where an optimal amount of melatonin is being produced, and this can help ensure high-quality sleep. Getting at least seven and a half to nine hours of sleep per night also helps weight loss efforts and leptin response, which are related to cortisol. (mbg's sleep support+ supplement may also acts as a natural sleep aid, to help you fall asleep and establish a healthy routine.)

A healthy diet brimming with vegetables, fruits, healthy fats like avocado, fiber like ground chia seeds, and protein (vegetarian or non-vegetarian) will provide a wide range of vitamins and minerals needed to address processes involved in elevated cortisol. Epsom salt baths are rich in magnesium, and some salts contain lavender, a known herb to invoke a sense of calm and relaxation6. Consider adding in mindfulness techniques such as asking yourself in times of stress, "Am I in imminent danger?" as well as lifestyle techniques like more movement and stretching-type exercises like yoga or tai chi versus bootcamp-like activity. It might also be wise to decrease caffeine intake if you're trying to lower cortisol.