In a world full of overstimulation, busy schedules and mounting pressure, it’s no surprise many people lie awake at night with racing thoughts and tense muscles. Chronic stress doesn’t just wear you down emotionally; it can also take a toll on your physical health by increasing levels of cortisol, your body’s primary stress hormone. Learning how to lower cortisol can help reduce stress.
If you’ve been struggling to fall asleep, waking up feeling unrested or noticing increased anxiety or fatigue, your nighttime routine could be the missing link. Building bedtime habits that naturally lower stress levels and regulate cortisol can help your mind and body transition into true rest and promote better mental health over time.
What Is Cortisol and Why Does It Matter?
Produced by the adrenal glands, cortisol plays a vital role in regulating metabolism, immune response and your natural sleep-wake cycle. It peaks in the morning to help you wake up and gradually declines throughout the day.
But when you’re under chronic stress, cortisol can remain elevated, especially at night, disrupting your ability to fall asleep and stay asleep. Over time, high cortisol levels are linked to:
- Insomnia and poor sleep quality
- Anxiety and irritability
- Fatigue or burnout
- Weight gain, especially around the abdomen
- Weakened immune function
- Increased risk of depression and heart disease
By making small but intentional changes to your evening habits, you can support your body’s natural rhythm and lower cortisol before bedtime, leading to better rest and overall health.
Learn How to Lower Cortisol and Improve Sleep by Creating a Consistent Wind-Down Routine
Your body thrives on rhythm and predictability. A regular bedtime and wind-down routine signals your brain that it’s time to shift gears. Try these strategies:
- Dim the lights 1–2 hours before bed.
- Brush teeth and change into sleepwear at the same time each night.
- Keep a “no screens” rule 30–60 minutes before bed.
- Use calming rituals, such as stretching, journaling or listening to soft music.
Over time, this routine becomes neurologically linked to relaxation, helping cortisol decline naturally as melatonin production ramps up.
Avoid Late-Night Scrolling or TV
Blue light emitted from phones, laptops and TVs suppresses melatonin and can stimulate cortisol release, making your brain think it’s still daytime.
Even more importantly, emotionally charged content, such as social media arguments or late-night news, spikes stress hormones, keeping your nervous system activated. Instead, try reading a physical book, listening to an audiobook or practicing mindfulness meditation to ease your mind and reduce nighttime cortisol.
Eat a Cortisol-Friendly Evening Snack
Going to bed hungry can trigger the production of stress hormones, as your body perceives low blood sugar as a threat. A light, balanced snack can stabilize blood sugar and promote relaxation.
Cortisol-lowering snack ideas include:
- A small bowl of oatmeal with almond butter
- A banana with a few walnuts
- Greek yogurt with honey
- Warm milk with cinnamon
Avoid high-sugar or high-caffeine items (such as chocolate, soda or sugary cereal), which may raise cortisol and interfere with sleep.
Try Magnesium and Herbal Teas
Magnesium is often called “nature’s chill pill” because of its role in supporting relaxation and regulating cortisol.
Magnesium-rich bedtime options include:
- Epsom salt bath
- Chamomile or lemon balm tea
- Magnesium glycinate supplements (with doctor’s approval)
- Leafy greens, pumpkin seeds or almonds earlier in the day
Calming herbal teas, such as passionflower, valerian root or lavender, can also promote parasympathetic nervous system activation, helping cortisol levels decline.
Practice Deep Breathing or Progressive Relaxation
Intentional breathing activates the vagus nerve, shifting your body into a calm, restorative state and lowering cortisol.
Techniques to try include:
- Box breathing. Inhale for 4 counts, hold for 4, exhale for 4, hold for 4.
- 4-7-8 breathing. Inhale for 4, hold for 7, exhale for 8.
- Progressive muscle relaxation. Tense and release muscle groups from head to toe.
Just 5–10 minutes of breath work can significantly calm your nervous system and support stress reduction before sleep.
Take a Warm Bath or Shower
Warming your body with a bath or shower before bed helps your core temperature cool down faster once you exit, a signal to your body that it’s time to sleep.
Adding Epsom salts, lavender oil or calming music can increase the relaxing effect. This habit prepares your body for rest and provides a mental transition from stress to sleep.
Reflect, Don’t Ruminate
Overthinking and racing thoughts are among the most common complaints from people with high nighttime stress. Journaling or using a reflection practice can help release those thoughts.
Try a short bedtime journal:
- What went well today?
- What am I grateful for?
- What can I let go of until tomorrow?
The act of writing can help shift your focus from rumination to closure, which supports healthy cortisol reduction and improved sleep onset.
Set Boundaries With Work and Worry
If your job or responsibilities creep into your evening hours, you may feel like you’re never off the clock, keeping stress hormones elevated long past sunset.
Healthy boundaries might include:
- Turning off work email notifications after 7 p.m.
- Setting a “worry time” earlier in the day to address anxieties
- Creating a dedicated workspace that doesn’t overlap with your sleeping area
Your brain needs time to disengage from performance mode before it can fully rest.
Limit Alcohol and Caffeine
While alcohol may seem to help you wind down, it increases cortisol during the night, disrupts REM sleep and can leave you waking up anxious or unrefreshed.
Caffeine can stay in your system for up to 8 hours, so even a late-afternoon coffee might interfere with sleep quality or raise cortisol overnight.
If you’re struggling with nighttime stress, try a caffeine cutoff by 2 p.m., and avoid alcohol as a bedtime aid.
Practice Mindfulness or Meditation
Mindfulness practices help train your brain to respond to stress with awareness rather than reactivity, reducing cortisol in both the short and long term.
Research has shown that regular meditation can lower cortisol, reduce insomnia and improve emotional regulation. You may find it helpful to use apps that offer guided bedtime meditations and body scans that support nightly relaxation. Examples include:
- Insight Timer
- Calm
- Headspace
When Stress Won’t Let You Sleep
If you’re doing everything right but still can’t sleep due to stress, anxiety or chronic worry, it may be time to explore what’s beneath the surface.
Unprocessed trauma, mental health conditions, including generalized anxiety disorder or depression, or unresolved life stressors can all disrupt sleep, even with a perfect nighttime routine.
You don’t have to fix it alone.
When to Reach Out for Mental Health Support
If bedtime has become a battle or stress is spilling into every area of your life, the Mental Health Hotline is here for you, offering the opportunity to:
- Receive free, confidential support 24-7
- Speak with trained mental health professionals
- Get connected to therapists, support groups or local services
There’s no pressure, just help when you need it most.
Sleep and stress are deeply connected to your mental health, and your health matters.
Call Today
You deserve to rest. You deserve peace. And you deserve support in getting there. Reach out for help today.
