Cortisol often gets a bad rap, but it’s actually essential. Produced by the adrenal glands, cortisol helps wake you up, energize your mornings, and regulate your stress response throughout the day. It should peak mid-morning and slowly taper off by night. But stress, caffeine, poor sleep, and even late-night workouts can throw off this rhythm.

If you can’t get up in the morning or hit that afternoon slump, chances are your cortisol is off. Let’s talk about some ways to get it back on track:

You can’t out-supplement bad sleep. If you’re not in bed by 10 p.m., you’re missing your hormonal “golden hour”—a critical window when your body detoxifies, regenerates, and resets cortisol patterns for the next day. Poor sleep disrupts this process, making your system more sensitive and reactive.

Sleep tips:

• Power down by 9:30 p.m.

• Avoid intense workouts after 7 p.m.

• Skip screens and opt for a relaxing bedtime routine.

The food you eat—and when you eat it—impacts your cortisol response. One of the simplest ways to stabilize your system is by eating complete nutrients: protein, fat, and carbs in balanced amounts throughout the day. Most women are not eating enough protein! Shoot for 30+ grams of protein per meal.

Morning strategy:
Eat a high protein meal within an hour of waking up—even if it’s small. Not hungry in the morning? That’s a sign your cortisol might be off.

Throughout the day:

• Eat regularly (don’t skip meals).

• Include stress-friendly carbs (yes, carbs!) to support insulin balance.

• Focus on high protein foods

• Avoid extreme diets that aren’t tailored to female physiology.

Needing three cups of coffee just to function? Or winding down every night with a glass (or two) of wine? That’s a signal your nervous system is relying too much on external crutches. Instead, we want your body to naturally produce energy and relax without chemical prompts.

The goal: Not to eliminate these completely, but to shift toward choice over dependence.

Supplements can help—but only when the foundation is solid. That’s why I love my Adrenal Balance Tincture, packed with adaptogens that modulate your stress response. But remember: even the best herbs won’t help if you’re sleeping 4 hours a night and living on caffeine.

Finally, don’t forget to play. Engaging in a hobby like painting or gardening activates your brain’s creative centers, which helps balance your mood and enhance resilience. Add the fun back into your day—your cortisol will thank you.

We’re launching a Free 5-Day Adrenal Repair —designed specifically to improve your cortisol response. It’s not restrictive. And it’s packed with strategies to help you feel calmer, more energized, and less reactive to everyday stress.

✅ Real food

✅ Morning & Evening routines

✅ Daily guidance
✅ No judgment
✅ Big shifts in just 5 days

👉 SIGN UP HERE

In this episode, I have the pleasure of interviewing Dr. Melissa McCreery.

Dr. Melissa McCreery is a psychologist, emotional eating expert, author, host of the Too Much on Her Plate podcast, and the creator of Your Missing Peace, the program that supports smart, busy women in creating freedom from overeating and peace with food. She has helped thousands break cycles with overwhelm, overload, and overeating without feeling deprived, and without depending on ridiculous amounts of willpower. Participants in her signature program lose their cravings and their overeating habits. Dr. McCreery’s approach to helping working mothers, busy professionals, and stressed-out business owners emphasizes leveraging your unique strengths, ditching diet mentality, and using the power of psychology. Her perspective has been featured in The Wall Street Journal, CNN Health, Weight Watchers Magazine, Good Housekeeping, Working Mother, Fitness, Women’s Health, Real Simple, and Self.

Find Dr. Melissa:

The free Hidden Hungers Quiz: https://toomuchonherplate.com/emotional-eating-quiz/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TooMuchOnHerPlate

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/toomuchonherplate/

Let’s get real for a moment. Not “do you feel overwhelmed?” but how overwhelmed are you… right now?

If your answer is “way more than I used to be,” you’re not alone. In fact, that’s the norm for so many women I speak to—feeling maxed out, overstimulated, and constantly on edge. And here’s the wild thing: most of us don’t even realize how deep into burnout we’ve gotten until our bodies shut down.

Think about it: every day you juggle thousands of decisions, from “What’s for dinner?” to managing family schedules, careers, social commitments, and digital overload. Our brains weren’t designed for this 24/7 flood of input. Yet, here we are—expected to handle it all with a smile.

Compare that to 60 years ago: a black-and-white TV, a single daily paper, and meal plans based on “meat of the day.” Simpler? Yes. Less overwhelming? Definitely.

Fast forward to today: social media, constant notifications, and a culture of doing more with less time have pushed us past our biological limits. And the effects are showing up in our nervous systems, hormones, and health.

That lingering fog, the irritability, the weight that won’t budge? It’s not in your head. It’s in your hormones.

Chronic stress triggers a cortisol rollercoaster that can derail your entire endocrine system. Over time, this shows up as:

• Fatigue and brain fog

• Irregular cycles and hormonal imbalances

• Poor sleep

• Skin and gut issues

• Immune dysfunction

• Weight gain and insulin resistance

• Mood swings or anxiety

Here’s the truth: you can’t fix chronic overwhelm by pushing harder, working out more, or “trying to be positive.” You need the right tools for the job—and that starts with data.

That’s why I love the DUTCH Hormone Test. It gives a detailed view of what’s actually happening in your system, so we can target your healing accurately. No more guessing. No more trying every supplement under the sun.

In the Female Hormone Solution Program, we walk you step-by-step through this process:

• Test your hormones (Dutch Test)

• Interpret your body’s stress and hormone story

• Build a personalized, science-backed plan to heal with meal guides and coaching

• Get ongoing support from me and my expert team

Most women wait until they’re absolutely fried before they reach out. I get it. We’re taught to just keep swimming. But if you haven’t had six months of calm, uneventful life in the last few years? It’s no wonder you feel stuck.

Your body is not broken. It just needs time, support, and the right conditions to heal. That’s what we do. We match the right tools to your situation.

Get on the waitlist now for the next round of the Female Hormone Solution Program. We only work with a limited number of women so we can give you the hands-on attention and results you deserve.

Click here to join the waitlist: https://drbethwestie.com/waitlist/