How to Control Your Cortisol & Overcome Burnout

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Aug 4, 2025

Discover the powerful role of cortisol beyond just stress regulation. Learn how to optimize your cortisol rhythm to boost energy, mood, and focus throughout the day. Uncover effective strategies like sunlight exposure, hydration, and nutrition to enhance cortisol levels, especially in the morning. Explore practical methods to combat burnout with techniques such as breathing exercises and intentional timing of meals. Transforming your cortisol management could be the key to elevating your physical and mental well-being!

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00:00 / 00:00

Cortisol as Energy Hormone

Cortisol is primarily an energy deployment hormone, not just a stress hormone.
It's essential for releasing glucose to fuel brain and body activity throughout the day.

00:00 / 00:00

Morning Sunlight Boosts Cortisol

Get bright natural sunlight in your eyes within 30 minutes of waking.
This boosts your cortisol spike, enhancing morning energy and setting the day’s rhythm.

00:00 / 00:00

Hydration and Caffeine Timing

Hydrate immediately upon waking to increase alertness and modestly boost cortisol.
If you use caffeine daily, delay intake 60 to 90 minutes to avoid sharp cortisol drops later.

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In this episode, I explain cortisol and science-based protocols for properly setting your cortisol rhythm, which can significantly increase your daytime energy, focus, mood, and stress resilience, while also improving your sleep quality.

Most people mistakenly think cortisol is bad, and many assume their levels are too high, when in fact many health and performance challenges simply stem from a disrupted cortisol rhythm. Getting your cortisol rhythm right can be transformative for your health and performance.

I outline behavioral, nutritional, and supplement-based strategies to raise or lower your cortisol levels at the appropriate times of day and night. I also provide specific protocols for overcoming burnout.

If you’re dealing with stress, low energy, hormone or sleep challenges—or simply want to optimize these for the sake of your physical and mental health and performance—this episode offers science-backed protocols to help.

Read the the episode show notes at hubermanlab.com.

Thank you to our sponsors

AG1: https://drinkag1.com/huberman

Carbon: https://joincarbon.com/huberman

BetterHelp: https://betterhelp.com/huberman

David: https://davidprotein.com/huberman

LMNT: https://drinklmnt.com/huberman

Timestamps

(00:00) Cortisol

(1:29) Stress, Tool: Daily Cortisol Rhythm

(3:16) Cortisol & Directing Energy, Glucose, Adrenals

(6:39) Sponsors: Carbon & BetterHelp

(10:14) Daily Cortisol Phases & Rhythm, Waking Up & Cortisol

(17:55) Cortisol Release & Regulation, Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal (HPA) Axis

(24:57) Rapid & Delayed Stress Response, HPA Axis

(28:42) Bright Light & Cortisol Release, Tool: Increase Morning Cortisol & Sunlight

(36:58) Sponsors: AG1 & David

(39:48) Viewing Bright Light & Mood, Depression, Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)

(41:44) Increase Morning Cortisol, Tools: Hydration, Delaying Caffeine Intake

(49:30) Exercise, Entrainment Cues & Cortisol Rhythm, Tool: Boost Energy & Exercise Schedule

(57:52) Does Deliberate Cold Exposure Increase Cortisol?, Energy & Mood

(1:01:19) Sponsor: LMNT

(1:02:51) Increase Morning Cortisol & Nutrition, Grapefruit, Black Licorice

(1:11:34) Afternoon & Evening Cortisol Rhythms, Sunlight, Screens

(1:14:30) Lower Evening Cortisol, Tools: Dim Lights, Light Color

(1:20:54) Lower Evening Cortisol, Tools: Caffeine Timing; Stress Response & Exhales; Starchy Carbohydrates

(1:30:42) Low-Carb Diets & Cortisol, Metabolic Syndrome

(1:35:30) Evening Exercise & Cortisol, Tool: Spike Your Morning Cortisol

(1:44:32) Supplements to Reduce Cortisol, Ashwagandha, Apigenin, Magnesium

(1:50:57) Burnout, Cushing's & Addison's, 2 Burnout Patterns

(1:55:23) Early-Phase Burnout, Tools: NSDR/Yoga Nidra, Boost Morning Cortisol, Caffeine

(2:01:35) Late-Phase Burnout, Tools: Reduce Evening Cortisol

(2:08:02) Age, Male vs Females, Lifespan, Cancer; Menopause; Brain Health

(2:13:41) Zero-Cost Support, YouTube, Spotify & Apple Follow & Reviews, Sponsors, YouTube Feedback, Protocols Book, Social Media, Neural Network Newsletter

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