HOW CORTISOL SHIFTS WITH AGE – AND WHAT IT MEANS FOR YOUR HEALTH, MOOD AND WELLBEING

Cortisol is the hormone on everyone's minds at the moment. Cortisol belly, cortisol detox and low-cortisol workouts have all been trending on social media, claiming that we all need to pay attention to how much of it we have. But did you know that your cortisol levels change as you age?

Much like other hormones, including oestrogen and testosterone, our cortisol fluctuates depending on our life stage, according to Hannah Alderson, BANT-registered nutritionist, hormone specialist and author of Everything I Know About Hormones.

'Like all hormones, cortisol doesn’t operate in isolation, so it’s reactivity and levels can be impacted and influenced by hormonal shifts throughout a woman's lifespan, and also the changing landscape of perceived stress.

'Overtime, your HPA axis, which regulates the stress response, may become less sensitive to cortisol feedback, potentially leading to higher overall cortisol levels and altered diurnal patterns.'

How your cortisol changes as you age

'Cross-sectional studies have generally reported that cortisol blood levels increase slightly with aging, but there is limited corroboration of these findings by longitudinal observations,' says Alderson.

One study, for instance, published in Psychoneuroendocrinology, tracked adults cortisol levels over six years, finding that the entire rhythm of how cortisol rises and falls throughout the day showed notable shifts. For instance, their waking cortisol levels were higher six years later than at baseline, while the morning 'surge' that occurs after waking was blunted. The drop off was also slower, suggesting cortisol remained higher throughout the day for longer.

However, six years is just one small section of our lives. There are also other noteable changes as we age. 'And remember that at any point during a lifespan there is a window for trauma and PTS, and this has the potential to impact your HPA axis and therefore your cortisol levels,' adds Alderson.

Puberty

While teenagers are often coined 'hormonal', it's not just the period cycle that is maturing and changing – their cortisol levels are too. A study by Stanford University recorded cortisol spikes after a stress task and found that pubertal stage, as opposed to age, was associated with cortisol. Girls who were earlier in puberty had lower cortisol responses, while those who were later into development had hyperactive cortisol responses.

'During puberty, oestrogen and progesterone begin to cycle and this can bring changes to the reactivity of cortisol. Cortisol levels also naturally rise slightly as the stress response matures,' says Alderson.

'The adolescent transition is marked by increases in stress exposure and significant maturation of neural and hormonal stress processing systems, so teens can become more reactive to stress and may have stronger emotional responses. Throw in lack of sleep, social media scrolling, social pressures and a diet that might be dysregulating blood sugar and it will crank things up even more.'

Those changes might go some way to explain the emotional and behavioural fluctuations in teenagers. They're not unreasonably sensitive: it really is their hormones.

Pregnancy and postpartum

Research suggests that cortisol can be around twice as high during pregnancy. A small study also found those who experienced a stressful life event, or were worried about pregnancy complications, had 27% higher levels than those who didn't experience these.

'Pregnancy naturally leads to a significant increase in maternal cortisol levels. This physiological response is believed to be crucial for normal fetal development,' says Alderson.

That change occurs because the placenta produces corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH), which stimulates cortisol production. That peaks around the third trimester, she says. 'Postpartum, cortisol drops and drops – fast. Combine that with sleep deprivation and the emotional rollercoaster of new motherhood and the stress response can become wobbly. The HPA axis often needs some TLC here.'

Perimenopause and post-menopause

'This is when things can get tricky,' says Alderson of perimenopause and menopause. 'As oestrogen and progesterone fluctuate in a downward spiral, they offer less support to the stress system. Progesterone is naturally calming, so as it declines, cortisol can feel more intense. Women often report feeling “wired and tired”, struggling to unwind or sleep deeply. This is a time when stress management becomes essential, not optional.'

Research on specific cortisol changes during this time are limited, but one study linked more intense hot flushes with stronger alterations in HPA axis activity. Interestingly, other research has shown that the stage of menopause transition has no impact on cortisol levels, but that it was more related to the presence of other hormones.

'After menopause, the ovaries step back and the adrenal glands take on more hormone work,' explains Alderson. 'If cortisol has been chronically high for years, stress resilience may dip, and fatigue can become more noticeable. However, with the right support nutritionally and emotionally, cortisol can find its rhythm.'

2025-04-24T14:28:39Z