Cortisol, produced by the adrenal glands, helps regulate energy, metabolism, immune balance, and the body’s response to daily stressors. In Australia, morning cortisol levels typically range from about 185 to 624 nmol/L.
Tracking cortisol over time shows how well your body adapts to stress and recovery. Keeping levels balanced supports steady energy, sleep quality, and long-term metabolic health.
Cortisol is available in Vively's Metabolic Essentials Test. Book your blood test now for only $199 per test.
Cortisol is a glucocorticoid hormone produced by the adrenal glands. It follows a circadian rhythm, peaking in the morning to help with waking, then declining across the day. It regulates many systems including energy allocation, metabolism, inflammation control and the stress response.
Why does it matter for long-term health and wellbeing?
Because cortisol interfaces with energy balance, appetite, inflammation and recovery systems, persistent dysregulation (too high or too low) can gradually undermine metabolic health, sleep quality, emotional balance and resilience. By understanding your cortisol trend, you gain foresight into how your body is adapting (or not) to life stress, lifestyle load and recovery.
What’s an optimal level of cortisol?
What influences cortisol levels?
Key factors include sleep timing and quality, stress exposure (mental or physical), circadian rhythm entrainment, diet (especially carbohydrate and caffeine patterns), exercise timing and intensity, light exposure (morning bright light in particular), and recovery habits (rest, relaxation, downtime). Environmental and seasonal factors can also shift cortisol patterns (for example, sunrise timing shifts and seasonal variation in cortisol have been observed in Australian populations).
What does it mean if cortisol is outside the optimal range?
Above optimal / high side: may suggest your body is under chronic load or in a heightened stress state — potentially pushing metabolic systems, appetite regulation and sleep into imbalance.
Below optimal / low side: may indicate a system under strain or exhaustion, with reduced capacity to respond adaptively to daily challenges.
Either way, an out-of-range result is not a diagnosis but a signal — a launch point for deeper insight and lifestyle tuning (and discussion with your clinician, if needed).
How can I support healthy cortisol levels?
You can help your cortisol balance by: keeping a consistent sleep–wake schedule, prioritising morning bright light (natural daylight), moderating caffeine or stimulants (especially later in the day), using stress-modulating practices (e.g. mindfulness, breathing, gentle movement), spacing exercise appropriately, ensuring periods of recovery and rest, optimising nutrition (balanced macronutrients, stabilised blood sugar), and avoiding overtraining or excessive load without recovery. Tracking over time helps you see which levers move your cortisol in the right direction.
This information is provided for general health and wellness purposes only and does not replace medical advice.
References
Royal College of Pathologists of Australasia. (2024). Cortisol – RCPA Manual.
Hadlow, N., Brown, S., Wardrop, R., & Henley, D. (2014). The effects of season, daylight saving and time of sunrise on serum cortisol in a large population. Chronobiology International, 31(2), 243–251.
Hadlow, N., et al. (2018). Where in the world? Latitude, longitude and season contribute to the complex coordinates determining cortisol levels. Clinical Endocrinology (Australia populations)
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