Laura Morrow
Nutritional Therapy Practioner, Laura Morrow Wellness
You’re checking the boxes – you feel like you’re eating pretty well, getting your steps in, and sleeping a lot (because you’re exhausted). But still, something feels off. You’re struggling just to make it through the day. You feel wired because you’ve got so much running through your mind, but you don’t feel like you’re productive.
This isn’t because you aren’t trying hard enough. You aren’t lazy. It’s about what your body is pulling from to get through the day.
When your nervous system is under constant pressure, your body begins relying more on cortisol — the primary stress hormone — as a stand-in for energy. It works, until it doesn’t. And what starts as a functional adaptation slowly begins to wear you down.
If any of these five signs feel familiar, they’re important signals that your system may be running on stress chemistry instead of true fuel.
1. You’re Tired When You Wake Up, and Still Tired by Midday
Mornings feel heavy. You hit snooze, and your brain feels slow to come online. By early afternoon, you’re either fantasizing about a nap or relying on caffeine to push through.
This isn’t just fatigue. It’s a mismatch in your cortisol rhythm. When cortisol peaks too early, stays elevated too late, or flatlines entirely, the body struggles to regulate its natural wake-sleep signals. So even after what looks like “enough” sleep, you wake up feeling behind.
2. You Sleep, but It Doesn’t Feel Like Rest
Sometime around 2 or 3 a.m., you find yourself awake with your mind spinning.
This mid-sleep wakefulness is often a sign that cortisol hasn’t tapered off enough to allow deep rest. When stress hormones stay active into the evening, melatonin can’t do its job fully. You wake up having technically slept, but without that restored feeling in your body.
3. You React Quickly, Even to Small Things
Maybe the car in front of you moves too slowly. Or your partner asks a simple question, and you feel irritation rise before you can stop it. Focus feels harder to access. Emotion feels harder to regulate.
This isn’t a flaw in your personality. It’s your chemistry at play. When cortisol is elevated for too long, it begins to affect how your brain handles dopamine and serotonin — two neurotransmitters involved in emotional regulation, patience, and reward. The result is a thinner threshold for stress, even when nothing dramatic is happening.
4. Your Body Feels Inflamed and/or Bloated, Especially Around the Midsection
You’re eating mostly healthy. You’re moving your body in ways that used to help. And still, your clothes feel tighter than usual — especially around the waist. Your digestion may feel sluggish or you feel bloated.
Chronic cortisol elevation signals the body to hold onto fuel, especially in the form of abdominal fat. It also interferes with insulin sensitivity, which can cause blood sugar spikes and crashes even with relatively balanced meals. This isn’t just about weight — it’s about how your body prioritizes survival over ease when it senses prolonged stress.
5. You Catch Everything That’s Going Around
You used to bounce back from colds quickly. Now it feels like every minor illness lingers. Your skin may feel more reactive.
This is what happens when your immune system is caught in the cortisol loop. Stress hormones are anti-inflammatory in the short term—but over time, they suppress immune function. Your body loses its edge when it comes to fighting off small infections or recovering from everyday stressors.
When you see these patterns, it’s not a sign that you’re lazy or unmotivated. It’s your body signaling that your stress hormones are out of balance.
There’s a reason why you’re exhausted, moody, bloated, and feeling awful – and instead of guessing what’s happening, we can use data from lab testing to figure out exactly what’s going on in YOUR body to get the best results.
Functional lab tests like the DUTCH hormone test shows us exactly where your cortisol hormone levels are throughout the day. These results give us insights into your energy levels, sleep issues, mood, and inflammation – and will give us actionable nutrition and lifestyle changes that will make a real difference in how you feel.
If you suspect that your cortisol levels are negatively affecting your work and life and you’re looking for support, Laura Morrow Wellness can help you identify hormonal imbalances through functional lab testing and implement actionable nutritional and lifestyle changes. Book a free consultation today to learn more!