From 5 videos

How can I lower cortisol during menopause?

Answered by Nikkiey Stott and WarriorBabe's coaches · Updated Nov 14, 2026

The short answer

On The WarriorBabe Show, Nikkiey Stott's answer is to remove the stress signals keeping cortisol high: prioritize deep sleep, build in real recovery days, eat enough consistently, skip fasted lifting, and favor steady-state cardio over HIIT when you're stressed or under-fueled. Talk with your doctor about hormone questions.

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Nikkiey on sleep, recovery days and fueling as her cortisol-lowering plan
Plays from 4:00 · Video: How to Lose Menopause Belly in 30 Days: 3 Pillars
Nikkiey on why lifting fasted pushes cortisol even higher in menopause
Plays from 14:11 · Video: Why Lifting Weights Fasted Can Cost You Muscle After 40
Nikkiey on why she steers stressed women from HIIT to steady-state cardio
Plays from 13:18 · Video: HIIT vs LISS Cardio: Body Type, Stress and Best Timing
A WarriorBabe coach on sleep, cortisol, belly fat and a better bedtime routine
Plays from 4:06 · Video: Menopause Metabolism Boosters: What Works and What's Hype
Nikkiey's everyday stress habits: sleep, water, consistency and deep breaths
Plays from 7:12 · Video: Stress, Sleep and Bloating: Why Your Progress Stalls

The full answer

Nikkiey explains that stress is more than feeling overwhelmed. Poor sleep, overtraining, eating too little and never fully recovering all count, and in her view they all keep cortisol elevated. Your body reads that constant stress as danger and holds on to fat, especially around the midsection. So if your belly won't budge, it may not be your effort. It may be a plan that piles on stress.

Start with sleep. Nikkiey calls deep, uninterrupted, intentional sleep the fastest way to lower cortisol through the day. She asks for at least seven hours and says her own body needs eight and a half, so she goes to bed early and wakes with the light. One WarriorBabe coach recommends seven to eight hours, a dark, cold room and no phone for an hour before bed, and mentions magnesium glycinate or guided sleep meditation if falling asleep is hard. Check any supplement with your doctor first.

Then look at how you fuel and train:

Eat enough, consistently, with protein at every meal. Nikkiey says under-eating tells your body to cling to fat for protection.
Don't lift fasted. She notes cortisol is naturally high in the morning and some women in menopause already run higher, so training with no fuel adds even more stress.
If you're high stress or not eating enough, she doesn't recommend HIIT. Steady-state cardio puts minimal stress on the body.
Build in true recovery days and train smarter, not harder. Consistent exercise still helps, because she sees it as good stress.

Day to day, Nikkiey also suggests drinking your water, adjusting your schedule when the clocks change, and taking a deep breath to come back to the present when you catch yourself overthinking. These are her coaching views, not a diagnosis. If you suspect a cortisol or hormone issue, work with your doctor.

From WarriorBabe's coaches (how we write our answers). For education, not medical advice: talk to your doctor about your own health.

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