{"id":7988,"date":"2026-10-05T13:40:00","date_gmt":"2026-10-05T13:40:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bioprofile.com\/?p=7988"},"modified":"2026-10-05T14:08:33","modified_gmt":"2026-10-05T14:08:33","slug":"what-is-cortisol-what-the-stress-hormone-does","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bioprofile.com\/en\/what-is-cortisol-what-the-stress-hormone-does\/","title":{"rendered":"What is cortisol: what the stress hormone does, what too high looks like and what a scan can show"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<article class=\"wp-block-group bp-blog is-layout-flow wp-block-group-is-layout-flow\">\n\n<link rel=\"preconnect\" href=\"https:\/\/fonts.googleapis.com\">\n<link rel=\"preconnect\" href=\"https:\/\/fonts.gstatic.com\" crossorigin>\n<link rel=\"stylesheet\" href=\"https:\/\/fonts.googleapis.com\/css2?family=Poppins:wght@300;400;500;600;700&#038;display=swap\">\n<style id=\"bp-blog-design\">\n.bp-blog {\n  --bp-ink: #212527; --bp-teal: #005859; --bp-teal-deep: #006B62; --bp-emerald: #228A62;\n  --bp-green: #7CA74D; --bp-lime: #B7CB33; --bp-lime-soft: #B7CB3329; --bp-green-aa: #4F6B28;\n  --bp-beige: #EDEAE5; --bp-sand: #DBD4CB; --bp-pale-teal: #D9E6E6; --bp-white: #FFFFFF;\n  --bp-foot: #6b6b6b;\n  --bp-font: 'Poppins','Segoe UI',Arial,sans-serif;\n  --bp-fs-h1: 40px; --bp-fs-h2: 29px; --bp-fs-h3: 21px; --bp-fs-body: 17px;\n  --bp-fs-lead: 19px; --bp-fs-small: 14px; --bp-fs-foot: 13px; --bp-fs-btn: 17px;\n  --bp-lh-body: 1.75;\n  --bp-s-2: 8px; --bp-s-3: 12px; --bp-s-4: 16px; --bp-s-5: 24px; --bp-s-6: 32px;\n  --bp-s-7: 44px; --bp-s-8: 72px;\n  --bp-measure: 875px; --bp-prose: 875px; --bp-side: 40px; --bp-portrait: 132px;\n  --bp-radius-card: 20px; --bp-radius-btn: 10px; --bp-radius-chip: 999px;\n  --bp-shadow: 0 10px 30px rgba(0,88,89,0.10); --bp-shadow-soft: 0 2px 10px rgba(0,88,89,0.06);\n  font-family: var(--bp-font); font-size: var(--bp-fs-body); line-height: var(--bp-lh-body);\n  color: var(--bp-ink); background: var(--bp-white); -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;\n}\n.bp-blog, .bp-blog * { box-sizing: border-box; }\n.bp-blog p, .bp-blog li, .bp-blog h1, .bp-blog h2, .bp-blog h3, .bp-blog a, .bp-blog td,\n.bp-blog th, .bp-blog cite { overflow-wrap: break-word; min-width: 0; }\n.bp-blog h1, .bp-blog h2, .bp-blog h3 { text-wrap: balance; }\n.bp-blog p, .bp-blog li { text-wrap: pretty; }\n\/* WordPress core's flow layout puts 24px above every child after the first; inside\n   a grid or a flex row that is a misalignment (measured on the scan pages 2026-08-21) *\/\n.bp-blog .bp-blog-author > *, .bp-blog .bp-blog-related > *, .bp-blog .bp-blog-verify > * { margin-block: 0; }\n\n\/* --- sections: one column, the article measure, the section rhythm ------------ *\/\n.bp-blog-sec { position: relative; background: var(--bp-white); margin-block: 0;\n  padding-block: var(--bp-s-7);\n  padding-inline: max(var(--bp-side), calc((100% - var(--bp-measure)) \/ 2)); }\n.bp-blog-sec > *:last-child { margin-block-end: 0; }\n.bp-blog-sec > p, .bp-blog-sec > ul, .bp-blog-sec > ol, .bp-blog-sec > .wp-block-quote,\n.bp-blog-sec > .bp-blog-faq-item, .bp-blog-sec > .bp-blog-takeaways, .bp-blog-sec > .bp-blog-toc,\n.bp-blog-sec > .bp-blog-refs, .bp-blog-sec > .bp-blog-srclead { max-width: var(--bp-prose); }\n.bp-blog-sec--head { padding-block: var(--bp-s-7) 0; }\n.bp-blog-sec--body { padding-block: var(--bp-s-6) var(--bp-s-7); }\n.bp-blog-sec--beige { background: var(--bp-beige); }\n.bp-blog-sec--wash { background: linear-gradient(180deg, #B7CB331A 0%, #B7CB330D 100%), #FFFFFF; }\n.bp-blog-sec--tight { padding-block: var(--bp-s-6); }\n\/* A COLOURED SECTION IS A PANEL, so it carries the panel radius. 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That matters, because online, cortisol gets the blame for stress, a round belly and tiredness, and what the studies really found is calmer and more useful. <a href=\"https:\/\/bioprofile.com\/en\/scan-hormone-test\/\">BioProfile&#8217;s hormone scan<\/a> gives you an indication of where you stand today in this area. It is insight, to see where you stand and to help you make better choices in your diet and lifestyle. The scan does not measure cortisol. It is not a diagnosis; only a doctor can make one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group bp-blog-takeaways is-layout-flow wp-block-group-is-layout-flow\">\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">In short<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n\n<li>Cortisol is a hormone made by the adrenal cortex.\u2060<sup class=\"bp-blog-sup\"><a href=\"#bronnen\">1<\/a><\/sup> It rises in the period after you wake up, and that rise is larger in people with work stress or general stress in their lives.\u2060<sup class=\"bp-blog-sup\"><a href=\"#bronnen\">2<\/a><\/sup><\/li>\n\n\n<li>Genuinely too much cortisol, as in Cushing&#8217;s syndrome, is rare: a Dutch GP will probably see at most one patient with that syndrome in an entire career.\u2060<sup class=\"bp-blog-sup\"><a href=\"#bronnen\">1<\/a><\/sup><\/li>\n\n\n<li>People with obesity had more than three times as much cortisol in their scalp hair as people of a normal weight or who were overweight.\u2060<sup class=\"bp-blog-sup\"><a href=\"#bronnen\">3<\/a><\/sup><\/li>\n\n\n<li>The hormone scan gives you a baseline for how you feel today. The scan does not measure cortisol and is not a diagnosis.<\/li>\n\n<\/ul>\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group bp-blog-toc is-layout-flow wp-block-group-is-layout-flow\">\n\n<p class=\"bp-blog-toclabel wp-block-paragraph\">Contents<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n\n<li><a href=\"#wat-is-cortisol\">What is cortisol?<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n<li><a href=\"#wat-als-je-cortisol-te-hoog-is\">What if your cortisol is too high?<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n<li><a href=\"#wat-is-een-cortisol-buik\">What is a cortisol belly?<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n<li><a href=\"#wat-is-cortisol-verlagend\">What lowers cortisol?<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n<li><a href=\"#wat-de-hormoonscan-kan-laten-zien\">What the hormone scan can show<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n<li><a href=\"#wanneer-naar-de-dokter\">When to see a doctor<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n<li><a href=\"#samengevat\">In summary<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n<li><a href=\"#veelgestelde-vragen\">Frequently asked questions<\/a><\/li>\n\n<\/ol>\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"wat-is-cortisol\">What is cortisol?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">To the question &#8220;cortisol, what is it?&#8221;, the short answer is: a hormone made by the adrenal cortex. Addison&#8217;s disease is what happens when the adrenal glands make too little of it, and Cushing&#8217;s syndrome is what happens when the adrenal glands make too much of it.\u2060<sup class=\"bp-blog-sup\"><a href=\"#bronnen\">1<\/a><\/sup> Cortisol is called the stress hormone for a reason: in a review of 66 studies on hair cortisol, groups living with stress had on average about a fifth more cortisol in their scalp hair than groups without that stress.\u2060<sup class=\"bp-blog-sup\"><a href=\"#bronnen\">4<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Cortisol also follows a daily rhythm. It rises in the period after you wake up. A review of 147 studies found that this rise was larger in people with work stress or general stress in their lives, and smaller in people with fatigue, burnout or exhaustion.\u2060<sup class=\"bp-blog-sup\"><a href=\"#bronnen\">2<\/a><\/sup> Put simply: your morning cortisol responds to how your life is going, and it can go up or down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Measuring cortisol is harder than it sounds. Cortisol in blood, saliva and urine varies a lot from day to day, which is why studies using those samples contradict each other, while scalp hair reflects cortisol over a longer period.\u2060<sup class=\"bp-blog-sup\"><a href=\"#bronnen\">3<\/a><\/sup> Scalp hair has its quirks too: in 760 Dutch adults without a psychiatric condition, age, diabetes, how often people washed their hair and the season all shifted the hair cortisol value.\u2060<sup class=\"bp-blog-sup\"><a href=\"#bronnen\">5<\/a><\/sup> Hair dye and the contraceptive pill shift that value as well.\u2060<sup class=\"bp-blog-sup\"><a href=\"#bronnen\">4<\/a><\/sup> So a single cortisol value says little on its own. That value only means something once you know how and when the sample was taken.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"wat-als-je-cortisol-te-hoog-is\">What if your cortisol is too high?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Genuinely too much cortisol has a name: Cushing&#8217;s syndrome, in which the adrenal cortex makes too much. The syndrome is rare. The Netherlands has about 150 to 200 patients, a GP will probably see at most 1 patient with it in an entire career, and the syndrome is three times more common in women than in men.\u2060<sup class=\"bp-blog-sup\"><a href=\"#bronnen\">1<\/a><\/sup> Nine in ten patients are often intensely tired and almost two in three report severe muscle and joint complaints. Typical signs are a full, round face, thin, fragile skin, purple-red striae and bruising easily, and early on the complaints are often wrongly seen as psychological.\u2060<sup class=\"bp-blog-sup\"><a href=\"#bronnen\">1<\/a><\/sup> What this means for you: tiredness is common and Cushing&#8217;s syndrome is rare. The signs belong together, and a doctor assesses the whole picture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Higher cortisol is also seen around depression. In a Dutch study of 1,588 people, both people with current depression and people whose depression had passed showed a larger rise in cortisol in the first hour after waking than the comparison group.\u2060<sup class=\"bp-blog-sup\"><a href=\"#bronnen\">6<\/a><\/sup> Mood and morning cortisol rise together. A study like this cannot show whether mood drives cortisol or the other way round.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Over the longer term, the Lifelines study in the north of the Netherlands measured cortisol and cortisone, a substance closely related to cortisol, in the scalp hair of 6,341 adults and followed those adults for 5 to 7 years. People with more cortisone in their scalp hair clearly developed heart and vascular disease more often, most clearly under the age of 60; for cortisol itself, the link remained a weak trend.\u2060<sup class=\"bp-blog-sup\"><a href=\"#bronnen\">7<\/a><\/sup> In plain words: in a Dutch population, high stress hormones over a long period went together with diseases of the heart and blood vessels, especially in people under 60.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"wat-is-een-cortisol-buik\">What is a cortisol belly?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;Cortisol belly&#8221; is an internet term that the studies below do not use. What those studies do describe: in Cushing&#8217;s syndrome, fat is stored mainly on the upper half of the body, with thin arms and legs.\u2060<sup class=\"bp-blog-sup\"><a href=\"#bronnen\">1<\/a><\/sup> And in a Dutch comparison of 175 adults, people with obesity had more than three times as much cortisol in their scalp hair as people who were overweight or of normal weight, while overweight and normal weight showed no clear difference.\u2060<sup class=\"bp-blog-sup\"><a href=\"#bronnen\">3<\/a><\/sup> So the link between cortisol and body fat only appears with obesity. This comparison cannot tell whether the cortisol came first or the body fat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"wat-is-cortisol-verlagend\">What lowers cortisol?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">None of the studies mentioned here tested a product, a supplement or a habit that lowers cortisol. What those studies do show is that hair cortisol follows stress over time: while the stress was still going on, the level was more than 40 per cent higher than in comparison groups, and once the stress was over, the level was about a tenth lower.\u2060<sup class=\"bp-blog-sup\"><a href=\"#bronnen\">4<\/a><\/sup> What this means for you: the strongest signal in the data is the stress itself, and your scalp hair follows along when a stressful period ends.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"wat-de-hormoonscan-kan-laten-zien\">What the hormone scan can show<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The hormone scan asks questions about how you feel and gives you a score as a baseline. The scan does not measure cortisol in scalp hair, saliva or blood. The two would not tell the same story either: in the review of hair studies, how stressed people felt according to their questionnaire answers showed no consistent link with their hair cortisol.\u2060<sup class=\"bp-blog-sup\"><a href=\"#bronnen\">4<\/a><\/sup> A questionnaire and a hormone value measure two different things. The scan is not a diagnosis. Repeat the scan after two weeks and you have two numbers instead of a feeling. If your questions are about hormonal changes around midlife, <a href=\"https:\/\/bioprofile.com\/en\/menopause-symptoms-which-ones-and-how-long-they-last\/\">the article on menopause symptoms<\/a> explains which symptoms belong to the menopause and how long those symptoms last.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"wanneer-naar-de-dokter\">When to see a doctor<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If you recognise several signs of Cushing&#8217;s syndrome at once (a full, round face, fat mainly on the upper body with thin arms and legs, purplish-red stretch marks, bruising easily), see your GP.\u2060<sup class=\"bp-blog-sup\"><a href=\"#bronnen\">1<\/a><\/sup> Too little cortisol can also be urgent. In Addison&#8217;s disease, the adrenal glands make too little cortisol, and diarrhoea and vomiting with low blood pressure and a tendency to faint are warning signs of an Addisonian crisis, an acutely life-threatening situation: go straight to A&#038;E at the hospital.\u2060<sup class=\"bp-blog-sup\"><a href=\"#bronnen\">1<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"samengevat\">In summary<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Cortisol is a hormone from the adrenal glands that rises after you wake up and follows the stress in your life. Genuinely too much, as in Cushing&#8217;s syndrome, is rare and shows up as a set of symptoms that occur together. Higher cortisol goes hand in hand with depression, obesity and, over many years, diseases of the heart and blood vessels. A single value says little on its own. The hormone scan gives you a baseline for how you feel, and a doctor looks at the symptoms.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group bp-blog-sec bp-blog-cta is-layout-flow wp-block-group-is-layout-flow\">\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">See where you stand<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Answer the hormone scan&#8217;s questions and your score appears in your dashboard. The scan page explains what the hormone scan measures and what the scan is based on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-layout-flex wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-button\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/bioprofile.com\/en\/scan-hormone-test\/\">Start the hormone scan<\/a><\/div>\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"bp-blog-ctamicro wp-block-paragraph\">Free, about 3 minutes. An analysis of your answers, never a diagnosis. <a href=\"https:\/\/bioprofile.com\/en\/free-health-check-tests\/\">All health scans<\/a><\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group bp-blog-sec bp-blog-sec--wash is-layout-flow wp-block-group-is-layout-flow\">\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"veelgestelde-vragen\">Frequently asked questions<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group bp-blog-faq-item is-layout-flow wp-block-group-is-layout-flow\">\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What is cortisol and what does it do?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Cortisol is a hormone made by the adrenal cortex.\u2060<sup class=\"bp-blog-sup\"><a href=\"#bronnen\">1<\/a><\/sup> It rises in the period after you wake up, and that rise is larger in people with work stress or general stress in their lives.\u2060<sup class=\"bp-blog-sup\"><a href=\"#bronnen\">2<\/a><\/sup> Groups living with stress carry, on average, about a fifth more cortisol in their scalp hair than groups without that stress.\u2060<sup class=\"bp-blog-sup\"><a href=\"#bronnen\">4<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group bp-blog-faq-item is-layout-flow wp-block-group-is-layout-flow\">\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">If your cortisol is too high, what does that feel like?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In Cushing&#8217;s syndrome, the rare condition of genuinely too much cortisol, nine in ten patients are often intensely tired and almost two in three report severe muscle and joint complaints, along with a full, round face, thin, fragile skin and purple-red striae.\u2060<sup class=\"bp-blog-sup\"><a href=\"#bronnen\">1<\/a><\/sup> Tiredness on its own fits many different causes, and a doctor assesses what is causing yours.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group bp-blog-faq-item is-layout-flow wp-block-group-is-layout-flow\">\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What is a cortisol belly?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">An internet term for belly fat that is blamed on cortisol. In Cushing&#8217;s syndrome, fat is stored mainly on the upper half of the body, with thin arms and legs.\u2060<sup class=\"bp-blog-sup\"><a href=\"#bronnen\">1<\/a><\/sup> People with obesity had more than three times as much hair cortisol as people of a normal weight, while there was no clear difference between overweight and normal weight.\u2060<sup class=\"bp-blog-sup\"><a href=\"#bronnen\">3<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group bp-blog-faq-item is-layout-flow wp-block-group-is-layout-flow\">\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How do you get your cortisol down?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">None of the studies mentioned here tested a product or a habit that lowers cortisol. In scalp hair, cortisol was clearly higher while the stress was still going on, and slightly lower than in comparison groups once the stress was over.\u2060<sup class=\"bp-blog-sup\"><a href=\"#bronnen\">4<\/a><\/sup> The stress itself is the strongest signal in the data.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group bp-blog-faq-item is-layout-flow wp-block-group-is-layout-flow\">\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">When should I see a doctor?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If you recognise several signs of Cushing&#8217;s syndrome at once, such as a full, round face, fat mainly on the upper body with thin arms and legs, purplish-red stretch marks and bruising easily, see your GP.\u2060<sup class=\"bp-blog-sup\"><a href=\"#bronnen\">1<\/a><\/sup> Diarrhoea and vomiting with low blood pressure and a tendency to faint can point to an Addisonian crisis: go straight to A&#038;E at the hospital.\u2060<sup class=\"bp-blog-sup\"><a href=\"#bronnen\">1<\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group bp-blog-sec bp-blog-sec--beige bp-blog-sec--tight is-layout-flow wp-block-group-is-layout-flow\">\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"bronnen\">Sources<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"bp-blog-srclead wp-block-paragraph\">Every source below was checked on the day this article was published. The numbering follows the text.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list bp-blog-refs\">\n\n<li>Nederlands Huisartsen Genootschap, VSOP, Bijniervereniging NVACP. Information for GPs on adrenal diseases (GP brochure). <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nhg.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/bijnierziekten_huisartsenbrochure.pdf\">nhg.org<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n<li>Chida Y, Steptoe A. Cortisol awakening response and psychosocial factors: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Biological Psychology, 2009. <a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1016\/j.biopsycho.2008.10.004\">doi.org\/10.1016\/j.biopsycho.2008.10.004<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n<li>Wester VL, Staufenbiel SM, Veldhorst MA, Visser JA, Manenschijn L, Koper JW, Klessens-Godfroy FJ, van den Akker EL, van Rossum EF. Long-term cortisol levels measured in scalp hair of obese patients. Obesity (Silver Spring), 2014. <a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1002\/oby.20795\">doi.org\/10.1002\/oby.20795<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n<li>Stalder T, Steudte-Schmiedgen S, Alexander N, Klucken T, Vater A, Wichmann S, Kirschbaum C, Miller R. Stress-related and basic determinants of hair cortisol in humans: A meta-analysis. Psychoneuroendocrinology, 2017. <a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1016\/j.psyneuen.2016.12.017\">doi.org\/10.1016\/j.psyneuen.2016.12.017<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n<li>Staufenbiel SM, Penninx BW, de Rijke YB, van den Akker EL, van Rossum EF. Determinants of hair cortisol and hair cortisone concentrations in adults. Psychoneuroendocrinology, 2015. <a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1016\/j.psyneuen.2015.06.011\">doi.org\/10.1016\/j.psyneuen.2015.06.011<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n<li>Vreeburg SA, Hoogendijk WJ, van Pelt J, Derijk RH, Verhagen JC, van Dyck R, Smit JH, Zitman FG, Penninx BW. Major depressive disorder and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis activity: results from a large cohort study. Archives of General Psychiatry, 2009. <a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1001\/archgenpsychiatry.2009.50\">doi.org\/10.1001\/archgenpsychiatry.2009.50<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n<li>van der Valk ES, Mohseni M, Iyer AM, et al. Long-Term Glucocorticoid Exposure and Incident Cardiovascular Diseases: The Lifelines Cohort. The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, 2024. <a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1210\/clinem\/dgae081\">doi.org\/10.1210\/clinem\/dgae081<\/a><\/li>\n\n<\/ol>\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group bp-blog-sec bp-blog-sec--tight is-layout-flow wp-block-group-is-layout-flow\">\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Also read<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group bp-blog-related is-layout-flow wp-block-group-is-layout-flow\">\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-layout-flow wp-block-group-is-layout-flow\">\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/bioprofile.com\/en\/hot-flushes-where-they-come-from-how-long-they-last\/\">Hot flushes: where they come from, how long they last and what you can measure yourself<\/a><\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-layout-flow wp-block-group-is-layout-flow\">\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/bioprofile.com\/en\/menopause-symptoms-which-ones-and-how-long-they-last\/\">Menopause symptoms: which symptoms belong to it, how long they last and what a hormone scan measures<\/a><\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n\n<\/div>\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group bp-blog-sec bp-blog-sec--tight is-layout-flow wp-block-group-is-layout-flow\">\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Written by<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group bp-blog-author is-layout-flow wp-block-group-is-layout-flow\">\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"320\" height=\"320\" src=\"https:\/\/bioprofile.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/author-jesse-round-320.jpg\" alt=\"Jesse van der Velde\" class=\"wp-image-4815\" srcset=\"https:\/\/bioprofile.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/author-jesse-round-320.jpg 320w, https:\/\/bioprofile.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/author-jesse-round-320-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/bioprofile.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/author-jesse-round-320-150x150.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 320px) 100vw, 320px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group bp-blog-authorid is-layout-flow wp-block-group-is-layout-flow\">\n\n<p class=\"bp-blog-authorrole wp-block-paragraph\">Founder of BioProfile<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"bp-blog-authorname wp-block-paragraph\">Jesse van der Velde<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group bp-blog-authorbody is-layout-flow wp-block-group-is-layout-flow\">\n\n<p class=\"bp-blog-authorbio wp-block-paragraph\">Jesse van der Velde has been guiding people to a new body and optimal health since 2006, and has written or co-written fifteen books on nutrition and health. Forever Young (2012) and Superfood Recipes (2013) both reached number 1 in the Netherlands.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group bp-blog-authormeta is-layout-flow wp-block-group-is-layout-flow\">\n\n<p class=\"bp-blog-authorbio wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/nl.linkedin.com\/in\/jessevdv\">LinkedIn<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"bp-blog-dates wp-block-paragraph\">Published on 5 October 2026 \u00b7 Last updated on 5 October 2026<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n\n<\/div>\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group bp-blog-sec bp-blog-sec--foot is-layout-flow wp-block-group-is-layout-flow\">\n\n<p class=\"bp-blog-legal wp-block-paragraph\">BioProfile analyses your health status to guide you and your coach. It does not make a diagnosis, only a doctor can do that. Built on validated health questionnaires; the combined BioProfile score is not itself a validated clinical instrument yet. Your answers stay private (GDPR).<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n\n<\/article>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>What is cortisol and what does it do? How it moves through the day, what too high looks like, what a cortisol belly is and when to see a doctor.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":18,"featured_media":7678,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"2","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-image":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-image-id":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-image":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-image-id":"","inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[70],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7988","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-hormonal-balance-en"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.9 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>What is cortisol: what it does and when it is too high | BioProfile<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"What is cortisol and what does it do? 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