Chronic Stress and Insulin Resistance
- Harsh Mota
- Jun 20
- 4 min read
We’ve been taught that reversing insulin resistance starts with food and exercise.
Eat clean.
Move more.
Sleep well.
Track macros.
But what if you’re doing all the “right” things, and still feel stuck?
If your blood sugar refuses to budge, belly fat won’t leave, or your energy crashes by midday? Well, there’s a silent force you might be overlooking: Chronic stress.
In particular, its hormonal messenger: cortisol.
This article unpacks how stress influences your blood sugar, how it compares to diet and activity, and what you can do practically to lower its grip on your health.
1. Cortisol: The Stress Hormone with a Metabolic Punch
Cortisol is your body’s primary stress hormone. It’s released by the adrenal glands during perceived threat, whether it’s physical (like danger) or psychological (like overthinking your to-do list at 2am).
In the short term, cortisol is life-saving. It helps:
Mobilize glucose from the liver and muscles
Increase blood pressure and alertness
Suppress non-essential systems like digestion, immunity, and reproduction
Why?
Because if a lion is chasing you, you don’t need to digest lunch. You need to run.
But here’s the issue: today’s threats aren’t lions.
They’re:
Burnout.
Finances.
Deadlines.
Social media.
Family expectations.
And more often than not, our own minds.
This means cortisol isn’t spiking for a moment. It’s elevated for months or years.
And chronically high cortisol:
Keeps blood sugar elevated, even during fasting
Makes your cells resistant to insulin (to preserve glucose for fight/flight “emergencies”)
Increases appetite and cravings, especially for high-sugar, high-fat comfort foods
Promotes visceral fat, the deep belly fat that is most strongly linked with metabolic disease
Put simply: you can be fasting and still have high blood sugar if your cortisol is high.
Stress vs. Food and Exercise: Who’s the Bigger Player?
Let’s be honest: food and movement are easier to track.
You can measure calories. You can count reps.
But stress flies under the radar, even though it can silently undo your efforts.
Here’s how stress stacks up in the research:
Cortisol’s impact on blood sugar:
A single acute stressor (like public speaking) can raise blood sugar by 20–30 mg/dL in healthy individuals.
In people with prediabetes or insulin resistance, the same stress can push glucose well above safe ranges.
Sleep and stress:
One night of poor sleep reduces insulin sensitivity by up to 25%.
Sleep debt leads to higher evening cortisol, increased hunger (especially for carbs), and poor decision-making.
Visceral fat:
Chronically high cortisol increases storage of fat around abdominal organs.
This fat is more metabolically active and releases inflammatory cytokines, further worsening insulin resistance.
Lifestyle load:
Even if your meals and workouts are on point, an overwhelmed nervous system blocks recovery.
Cortisol shifts you into sympathetic “fight or flight” mode, raising heart rate, tightening muscles, slowing digestion.
Your body becomes inflamed, insulin resistant, and stuck.
So yes, diet and exercise matter. But stress, left unaddressed, can be the metabolic bottleneck.
3. Practical, Science-Backed Tools to Lower Cortisol
Good news? You don’t need to become a monk or quit your job to reduce stress.
What matters most is regulating your nervous system consistently.
Here are simple, proven tools that can help:
1. Box Breathing (4-4-4-4)
Just 5 minutes of breathing in for 4 seconds, holding for 4, out for 4, and holding again for 4 can signal your brain that you’re safe. It helps in reducing cortisol, slowing heart rate, and improving glucose tolerance.
2. Morning Light Exposure
Getting 10 to 15 minutes of natural light within an hour of waking helps reset your circadian rhythm and optimize cortisol’s daily curve (high in the morning, low at night).
3. Walks After Meals
This doesn’t just aid digestion. It also blunts post-meal glucose spikes, improves insulin sensitivity, and clears mental clutter.
4. Tech Boundaries
Scrolling late into the night keeps cortisol elevated.
Try a “digital sunset”: no screens 60 minutes before bed.
Read, stretch, or journal instead.
5. Stress Journaling
Write down what’s bothering you. Just naming the stressor helps shift it from the amygdala (fear center) to the prefrontal cortex (logic center).
6. Human Connection
Studies show even a 10-minute chat with a friend or loved one reduces cortisol and improves heart rate variability (HRV), a marker of stress resilience.
7. Meditation
You don’t need to sit cross-legged on a mountaintop. A simple 10-minute meditation can:
Lower cortisol and blood pressure
Increase self-awareness and emotional regulation
Train your brain to pause before reacting
Over time, meditation rewires the brain, shrinking the amygdala and strengthening the prefrontal cortex, making you more resilient to everyday stressors.
Don’t underestimate the small stuff. It compounds.
4. Honest Self-Inquiry: What’s Really Driving Your Stress?
You can’t breathe your way out of a broken value system.
Many professionals I work with are driven, capable, and committed.
But beneath the surface, there's often a tug-of-war between:
What they truly want vs. what the world expects
Inner peace vs. external validation
Rest vs. guilt of not doing enough
So instead of just reducing stress symptoms, go deeper. Ask:
“What part of me feels unsafe or out of control right now?”
“Is this stress self-imposed… or inherited from someone else’s definition of success?”
“What do I fear will happen if I slow down?”
“What cycle am I perpetuating because I’m afraid to disappoint?”
“What would life feel like if I stopped trying to prove and started to feel?”
Awareness is where transformation begins.
Because the truth is: chronic stress often stems from chronic self-abandonment. And reversing insulin resistance sometimes means regaining control of more than just your health, it means reclaiming you.
Finally...
If you’re struggling with insulin resistance or prediabetes, don’t just look at your plate.
Look at your pace. Your pressure. Your patterns.
Cortisol is powerful, but so are you, especially when you’re truly honest about what’s beneath the surface, and ready to confront those issues.
The best healing doesn’t just happen in the kitchen or gym. It happens when the nervous system feels safe enough to let go of survival mode.
And that’s where sustainable change begins. That's where you can thrive, not just survive.
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Want to be coached personally to combat stress effectively and reverse insulin resistance? Book a call today!
