“One recommendation that has worked very well for me, and that I give to all my patients, is to eliminate coffee as the first intake in the morning,” says de la Peña. “On a biochemical level, it exacerbates the natural cortisol spike that we all experience at the start of the day.”
Instead, consider a nutritious, slow energy-releasing breakfast, one you enjoy and that makes you feel good for both physical and mental wellbeing. If you drink your coffee even a little later, you’ll experience its benefits all while avoiding those spikes. “Coffee contains caffeine, which is a natural stimulant,” nutritionist Mugdha Pradhan, founder of iThrive, previously told Vogue. “This means it can boost your metabolism by increasing the body’s heart rate and energy expenditure. That’s why drinking coffee in the morning—about 90 minutes after waking up—works well, because it syncs up with the body’s natural cortisol rhythm.”
If you want to cut out coffee, you can choose herbal teas, chicory, or matcha instead.
Other tips for stabilizing your cortisol levels
These are certainly some pretty general recommendations for reducing cortisol, and the reality is that not everyone relaxes in the same way. A meditation session or yoga class can be an anti-stress balm for some, while for others, trying to focus on the present moment or doing the tree pose can be a challenge that actually destabilizes their cortisol levels.
Truth is, finding universal tips and tricks for keeping your cortisol levels stable first thing in the morning and when leaving the house is tough. “Recommendations depends a lot on what helps each person to calm their nervous system,” explains de la Peña. “Some people will do better listening to music with headphones, others reading, while some are so tired that they take advantage of the subway ride to sleep and relax. Everyone knows what works best for them to cope with the situation, but what is really important is their level of self-care.” Ultimately: You have to know what personally relaxes and de-stresses you, and consistently seek it out.
Still, there’s one very simple remedy: “When you realize you’re feeling high-stress and at speed, taking a deep breath is the best way to let our brain know that everything is okay,” she says. “It’s easy and free.”
Keep breakfasts sacred
Some people prefer to eat breakfast when they get to the office, or to practice intermittent fasting and do it later, but having a leisurely breakfast is one of the fundamental principles of slow mornings that help keep cortisol spikes at bay. “This way, you let your body know that there is nothing more urgent at that moment than to put the focus on you, to wake up calmly, to be thankful for another day, and to do whatever feels best for you in order to have a good day,” says de la Peña. “When I had high cortisol levels in the morning, I would feel so stressed I couldn’t even eat. Today, for me, breakfast is a sacred and symbolic act towards myself that sends an important message to my brain every morning: You come first, the rest can wait!”