Why Sleep Is Your #1 Cortisol Reset Button (and How to Master It)

When we think of stress relief, we often reach for surface-level solutions—smoothie bowls, supplements, or yoga classes. But sometimes the most powerful wellness upgrade is the simplest one—SLEEP.

Sleep isn’t just about feeling rested. It’s your body’s built-in reset button—especially when it comes to regulating cortisol, your primary stress hormone.

If you’ve been stuck in survival mode, waking up groggy, feeling foggy by 3 p.m., and battling cravings or burnout, your sleep hygiene might be sabotaging your healing.

Let’s break it down…

🧠 What Just One Night of Poor Sleep Can Do:

• 🔺 Increase cortisol by 37–45%

• 🍩 Boost hunger hormones (hello, cravings) by 24%

• 💉 Reduce insulin sensitivity, making blood sugar swings more likely

• 🧩 Impairs cognitive function (decision fatigue is real!)

• 💥 Decrease willpower, making healthy choices harder

When your sleep is off, your whole system suffers. And the kicker? Cortisol and sleep have a two-way relationship:
➡️ High cortisol disrupts sleep
➡️ Poor sleep raises cortisol

Breaking this cycle requires intentional evening habits—not just wishful thinking.

🌙 Your Cortisol-Friendly Evening Routine

These tips may seem small, but together they can transform your sleep quality, reduce stress, and help you show up as your best self:

• ⏰ Set a consistent bedtime (yes, even on weekends!)

• 💡 Dim lights 2 hours before bed to cue melatonin production

• 🍽️ Stop eating 3 hours before bed to let digestion rest

• 📵 Create a tech-free zone 60 minutes before sleep to reduce stimulation

• 🌡️ Cool your bedroom to 65–68°F (18–20°C) for optimal rest

• 🛑 Use blackout curtains or an eye mask to block melatonin disruptors

• 🤸🏾‍♀️ Do 5–10 minutes of gentle stretching or deep breathing to transition out of “go mode”

💡 Why This Matters for Women on a Healing Journey

If you're navigating hormone imbalances, recovering from burnout, or just trying to feel like you again, sleep is one of the most underrated healing tools you have access to—for free.

No supplement, workout, or detox can replace what quality sleep does for your adrenal health, mental clarity, and emotional regulation.

This week, challenge yourself to make sleep sacred. Protect your peace. Prioritize your evening rhythm. And most of all—give yourself permission to rest deeply.

Need support creating a lifestyle that nourishes your body from the inside out?

✔️ Grab the 30-Day Anti-Inflammatory Meal Plan to fuel your sleep + recovery
✔️ Join the Simplify Healthy Eating Membership for recipes and guidance that honor your healing season
✔️ Check out our Faith + Mindset Journals to help you reset mentally and spiritually

➡️ Start your healing journey today at TheRelentlesslyEmpowered.com
➡️ Follow @michelle11leslie on IG for daily tools and encouragement

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3 Hidden Habits That Are Secretly Sabotaging Your Stress Levels (and What to Do Instead)

Let’s be real—most of us are doing “all the right things” to manage stress: working out, eating clean, pouring a glass of wine to unwind. But what if I told you some of those exact habits could be backfiring—and making your stress levels worse?

Welcome to your Monday Mindset reset. If you're struggling with anxiety, burnout, or that constant feeling of being on edge, it might be time to check in with your cortisol—the stress hormone that plays a huge role in how we feel physically, emotionally, and mentally.

Here are 3 sneaky things that might be stressing you out more than you realize—and what to do instead to support your healing journey.

1. Using Intense Exercise to Relieve Stress (When You're Already Stressed)

We’ve all heard that exercise is a great stress reliever—and it can be. But if your body is already under chronic stress, high-intensity interval training (HIIT), boot camps, or heavy lifting could be doing more harm than good.

Why? Because intense workouts spike cortisol. And when your cortisol is already elevated from emotional or physical stress, stacking a tough workout on top of that can lead to fatigue, poor sleep, and burnout.

Mindful Movement Solution:
Swap HIIT for healing movement. Think:
✅ Walking outdoors
✅ Gentle yoga or Pilates
✅ Swimming or mobility flows

These types of movement regulate your nervous system and support recovery rather than fight against it.

2. Skipping Meals or Going Super Low-Carb While Stressed

If you’ve ever skipped a meal or gone keto to “stay lean” while juggling a busy schedule, your body might be paying the price.

When you’re under stress, skipping meals or going low-carb creates a double cortisol spike. Your body sees fasting and low-carb eating as additional threats—fueling the “fight or flight” response and throwing your hormones out of whack.

Balanced Fuel Solution:
Aim for regular meals with balanced macros, especially moderate complex carbs (like sweet potatoes, oats, or quinoa) that help calm the nervous system. Your stressed-out body needs nourishment—not restriction.

3. Using Alcohol to “Unwind” at Night

We get it—after a long day, that glass of wine feels like self-care. But here’s the truth: alcohol initially relaxes the body but disrupts deep sleep, worsens anxiety the next day, and triggers a rebound cortisol spike during the night when it’s metabolized.

Restorative Alternatives:
✨ Sip on magnesium-rich herbal teas (like chamomile or lemon balm)
✨ Do 5–10 minutes of gentle stretching or deep breathing
✨ Take an Epsom salt bath to decompress naturally

These habits lower cortisol gently—no rebound crash.

Final Thoughts: Mindset Matters for Hormone Health

The key to managing stress isn’t doing more, it’s doing what’s right for your body. When you honor your nervous system and stop pushing through overwhelm, you create space for healing.

Let this Monday be the beginning of a new mindset:
💬 Rest is productive.
💬 Gentle is powerful.
💬 Fuel is healing.

Ready to support your body and mind on a deeper level?

Download our 30-Day Anti-Inflammatory Meal Plan or join the Simplify Healthy Eating Membership to get expert-designed support that helps regulate cortisol, reduce inflammation, and promote healing from the inside out.

➡️ Join us for a FREE 5-Day Mindset Challenge
➡️ Follow @michelle11leslie on Instagram for daily wellness tips