How to lower cortisol levels naturally
Which habits and supplements lower cortisol in trials, what raises it, how quickly each one works, and when high cortisol needs a GP.
- Written by
- Alexa A.
- Last updated
- Reading time
- 9 min read
Overview
The best evidence is for regular, moderate exercise, yoga most of all, along with mindfulness courses and keeping caffeine to the morning. Laughing lowers cortisol for a short time, and short sleep can raise it. Of the supplements, ashwagandha has the most consistent results. Truly high cortisol is rare, and only a test can show it.
Key points
- Regular moderate exercise lowered cortisol in trials, and yoga lowered it most.
- Hard exercise raises cortisol for a while, which is normal, and so does caffeine.
- Short sleep raised evening cortisol in a lab study, though reviews disagree.
- Ashwagandha lowered cortisol in trials more consistently than other supplements.
- Truly high cortisol is rare, and only a test from your GP can show it.
How can you lower cortisol?
If you've ended a long week feeling wired but tired, you already know how stress feels in the body. Cortisol is part of that feeling, but it isn't the villain it's often made out to be.
The best evidence is for regular, moderate exercise, yoga most of all, along with mindfulness courses and less caffeine. Sleep matters too, though studies disagree on how much. Of the supplements, ashwagandha has the most consistent results.
Cortisol is a hormone your body releases when you're under stress, along with adrenaline [1]. It's meant to rise during stress and hard exercise. For most healthy people, lowering cortisol means calming that stress response and keeping a steady daily rhythm. It isn't about chasing a number.
| Method | What trials found | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Regular exercise, especially yoga | Lowered cortisol across 44 trials, with yoga doing best [2] | Moderate |
| Enough sleep | Short sleep raised evening cortisol, but a review found no overall rise [3][4] | Mixed |
| Less caffeine | Caffeine raised cortisol, less so in regular drinkers [5][6] | Moderate |
| Laughing | Lowered cortisol by about a third, for a short time [7] | Moderate |
| Mindfulness courses | Lowered cortisol a little across 39 studies [8] | Moderate |
| Ashwagandha | Lowered cortisol across 7 trials [9] | Moderate |
Does exercise lower cortisol?
Yes, if it's regular and not too hard. A 2025 review pooled 44 trials in 3,284 adults with raised stress, anxiety or depression scores. Exercise lowered their cortisol. Yoga lowered it most, followed by qigong and mixed programmes of aerobic and strength work [2].
Moderate and gentle exercise worked better than hard exercise. Sessions of 30 to 60 minutes, more than 3 times a week, did best. The best total was about 90 to 150 minutes of moderate exercise a week, and doing more didn't help further [2]. Programmes averaged 12 weeks, and longer ones gave bigger falls [2].
Walking and other steady exercise on their own didn't make a clear difference Mixed. High-intensity interval training tended to raise cortisol, though not significantly [2]. A short rise during hard effort is the body's normal response.
Does sleep affect cortisol?
It does, though studies disagree on how much. In a lab study, 13 healthy men spent 2 nights with 4 hours in bed and 2 nights with 10. After the short nights, their evening cortisol was 30% higher, while morning cortisol didn't rise [3].
Cortisol normally falls through the day, and short sleep flattened that fall [3]. Yet a 2024 review of 24 studies of a night or more without sleep found no overall rise in cortisol [4]. Most of these studies lasted a night or two. A regular sleep pattern is still the sensible aim.
Does caffeine increase cortisol?
Yes, especially if you don't usually have it. In a trial of 96 healthy young adults, 250 mg doses of caffeine raised cortisol strongly after 5 days without caffeine [5].
In people who had 300 to 600 mg a day, the morning dose no longer raised cortisol, but a lunchtime dose still did [5]. In another trial, caffeine also added to the rise in cortisol from mental stress [6]. So if you want lower cortisol later in the day, keep coffee to the morning.
Alcohol isn't the answer either. The NHS advises against using alcohol or cigarettes to relieve stress [1].
How can you lower cortisol fast?
On a hard day, a fix that takes weeks isn't much comfort. Laughing may be the quickest. A 2023 review of 8 small studies with 315 people found laughing, often while watching comedy, lowered cortisol by about a third. Even a single session worked [7].
The effect is short-lived, so it's a lift for the day rather than a long-term fix. The NHS also suggests breathing exercises and talking to someone when you feel stressed [1].
Does meditation lower cortisol?
Structured courses seem to. A 2026 review of 39 studies with 2,059 people found mindfulness-based stress reduction lowered cortisol a little more than control groups [8]. It's a weekly group course of meditation and gentle yoga that runs over several weeks.
The effect was smaller when the comparison group did another activity. So part of the benefit may come from doing anything structured [8].
What supplements lower cortisol?
Ashwagandha has the most consistent results. Across 7 trials, people taking 250 mg a day or more had cortisol 1.16 µg/dL (about 32 nmol/L) lower than those on a placebo [9].
Yet how stressed people felt wasn't clearly lower Mixed [9]. Most of the trials were funded by the extract makers, which is common in this field, as our ashwagandha guide explains.
Ashwagandha isn't for everyone. Don't take it if you're pregnant or breastfeeding, under 18 or have liver disease. Ask your GP or pharmacist first if you have a thyroid condition or take regular medicines. Our guide to ashwagandha side effects has the detail.
Other supplements have much less research on cortisol. Our guides to rhodiola and L-theanine cover what they've been tested for.
What are the signs of high cortisol?
Only a test can show it. A GP can check cortisol in a sample of your blood, urine or saliva, and refer you to a hormone specialist if it's high [10].
Social media blames cortisol for everything from tiredness to tummy fat, but truly high cortisol is rare. It's called Cushing's syndrome, and the most common cause is taking high doses of steroid medicine, such as prednisolone, for a long time [10]. Signs come on slowly. They include more fat on the tummy, neck and upper back, with thin arms and legs. Others are a red, round face, easy bruising, stretch marks and weak muscles in the upper arms and thighs [10].
Where Nooroots fits
Nooroots Ashwagandha + Lion's Mane gives you 120 mg of KSM-66 and 500 mg of lion's mane extract in two caffeine-free capsules a day. It's made for calm focus and calm resilience on demanding days, as part of a morning routine.
KSM-66 is a root-only extract standardised to 5% withanolides. The lion's mane extract is standardised to 30% polysaccharides, and every amount is on the label.
Frequently asked questions
What is cortisol?
Cortisol is a hormone your body releases when you're under stress, along with adrenaline [1]. It normally falls through the day, from a high in the morning to a low at night [3].
How long does it take to lower cortisol?
It depends on the method. Laughing changed cortisol within a single session [7], while exercise programmes averaged 12 weeks, with bigger falls in longer ones [2].
Does walking lower cortisol?
Not clearly on its own. In the 2025 review, walking and other steady exercise didn't lower cortisol significantly, while yoga did [2]. Walking is still worth doing, and the NHS recommends exercise for stress in general [1].
How do you lower cortisol at night?
Keep a regular sleep pattern and avoid caffeine after the morning. Short sleep raised evening cortisol in a lab study [3], and a lunchtime dose of caffeine raised cortisol even in regular coffee drinkers [5].
What is cortisol belly?
It's a social media term, not a medical one. Extra fat on the tummy with thin arms and legs is one sign of Cushing's syndrome, a rare condition caused by too much cortisol [10]. Whether everyday stress does the same is far less clear.
How do you lower cortisol in women?
The same way as in men, as far as the research shows. None of the reviews here found a method that works only for women. Our guide to ashwagandha for women covers the trials in women.
Can you test cortisol at home?
Home saliva kits are sold, but cortisol changes through the day [3], so one reading means little. If you're worried, ask your GP, who can arrange a blood, urine or saliva test [10].
References
Every study here is listed so you can read it yourself. This guide is for general information and doesn't replace advice from your GP or pharmacist. We review it when new research is published.
- NHS (reviewed 6 March 2026). Stress. nhs.uk. nhs.uk/mental-health
- Li X et al. (2025). The optimal exercise modality and dose for cortisol reduction in psychological distress: a systematic review and network meta-analysis. Sports 13(12): 415. PMID 41441399
- Guyon A et al. (2014). Adverse effects of two nights of sleep restriction on the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis in healthy men. Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism 99(8): 2861–2868. PMID 24823456
- Chen Y et al. (2024). The effect of acute sleep deprivation on cortisol level: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Endocrine Journal 71(8): 753–765. PMID 38777757
- Lovallo WR et al. (2005). Caffeine stimulation of cortisol secretion across the waking hours in relation to caffeine intake levels. Psychosomatic Medicine 67(5): 734–739. PMID 16204431
- Lovallo WR et al. (2006). Cortisol responses to mental stress, exercise, and meals following caffeine intake in men and women. Pharmacology, Biochemistry and Behavior 83(3): 441–447. PMID 16631247
- Kramer CK, Leitao CB (2023). Laughter as medicine: a systematic review and meta-analysis of interventional studies evaluating the impact of spontaneous laughter on cortisol levels. PLoS One 18(5): e0286260. PMID 37220157
- Johnson BT et al. (2026). Mindfulness-based stress reduction interventions and cortisol regulation: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Health Psychology, published online 3 September 2026. PMID 42691284
- Albalawi AA (2025). Dual impact of ashwagandha: significant cortisol reduction but no effects on perceived stress. A systematic review and meta-analysis. Nutrition and Health 31(4): 1395–1408. PMID 40746175
- NHS (reviewed 19 March 2025). Cushing's syndrome. nhs.uk. nhs.uk/conditions/cushings-syndrome
