For years, I lived with a low-grade current of anxiety that I couldn’t quite name. Not the dramatic, heart-pounding kind that sends you to the GP. It was subtler than that. A quiet, constant vigilance. A feeling that something, somewhere, needed managing. Even when nothing was wrong.
Looking back now, with the benefit of hindsight and thousands of client stories layered on top of my own, I can see that it began far earlier than I realised.
As a child, I was conscientious and driven, the sort of girl who put pressure on herself long before anyone else did. Through my teenage years it became exams, expectations, late nights revising, wanting to do well at everything. My nervous system never really switched off. There was always another goal, another deadline, another standard to meet.
High functioning on the outside, wired underneath
By my twenties I still looked “high functioning” on paper. I built a career, kept busy, said yes to everything, and from the outside it probably looked like I was coping just fine. But underneath, there was that familiar sensation so many women describe to me now in clinic — that tired-but-wired state where you can keep going indefinitely, yet never quite feel restored.
I could push through almost anything, fuelled by caffeine and sheer willpower, but rest never truly landed. Sleep was light and fractured, my shoulders permanently hovering somewhere near my ears, my jaw clenched so tightly that I’d wake with headaches from grinding my teeth. Even at night, my body didn’t feel safe enough to switch off, as though it were quietly bracing for something that never came.
When it finally catches up with you
Then, in my early thirties, the bill quietly came due.
There wasn’t one dramatic trigger or single illness to blame. In fact, if I’m honest, nothing “happened” at all. It was simply years of living in a low-grade state of stress, of pushing, striving, overcommitting, and rarely truly resting. My nervous system had been running hot for so long that I didn’t recognise it as abnormal anymore — it just felt like life.
Until one day, it didn’t.
The energy that had always carried me simply wasn’t there. What used to feel manageable suddenly felt heavy. Brain fog crept in. Even small tasks felt disproportionate, like walking through treacle. It wasn’t sharp or dramatic, just a slow, undeniable depletion, as though my body had quietly decided it had been accommodating me for long enough.
Eventually it was labelled as chronic fatigue, but deep down I knew this wasn’t something that had appeared overnight. It was the accumulation of years spent overriding my physiology — and my body finally asking me, very firmly, to stop.
This arc, I’ve since realised, is not uncommon. In fact, it’s almost textbook.
Why “cortisol detox” misses the point
Which is why I’m always a little wary when I see the phrase “cortisol detox” trending online, as though cortisol is the villain of the story and all we need to do is flush it out.
Because cortisol isn’t toxic. It’s not something to cleanse away. It’s one of the most important hormones we have. It wakes us up in the morning, stabilises blood sugar, regulates inflammation, and quite literally helps us survive stress and illness. Without it, we wouldn’t last long at all.
The problem isn’t cortisol itself. The problem is when the rhythm of cortisol becomes dysregulated.
In clinic, I don’t tend to think in terms of “good” or “bad” cortisol. I think in terms of patterns. Over time, you start to see that people often move through recognisable stages of stress physiology.
The three stages of stress physiology I see in clinic
Stage 1 — Wired and hyper-vigilant
In the first stage, there is a kind of high-output, hyper-vigilant energy. These are the clients who are capable, productive, and often very successful on the outside. They sleep lightly, their minds race, they rely on coffee to get through the day, and they tell me they can’t remember the last time they truly relaxed. Cortisol here is often elevated or spiking at the wrong times. Society rewards this stage. Biologically, however, it is expensive.
Stage 2 — The wobble
Then comes the middle ground, where things start to wobble.
Energy doesn’t disappear entirely, but it’s no longer reliable. Mornings might feel manageable, even productive, yet by mid-afternoon something shifts. Blood sugar feels less stable, patience wears thin more quickly, and small stressors feel disproportionately overwhelming. Immunity falters, PMS worsens, sleep becomes lighter, and there’s a subtle but persistent sense that life takes more effort than it should.
Cortisol is no longer high and steady, but erratic — swinging between peaks and troughs, as though the body can’t quite decide whether to sprint or shut down.
I remember this stage so clearly in myself. I’d be at work, outwardly fine, ticking through my to-do list, and then around three or four in the afternoon it would hit me like a wave. My vision would blur slightly, my hands would go cold, and I’d feel almost faint, as though the floor had tilted beneath me. I’d grab a coffee or something sugary and push on, assuming I just needed more willpower. Looking back, it was my physiology asking for support, not stimulation.
This is often the phase where people start searching for answers, sensing that something isn’t quite right, even if their blood tests still come back “normal.”
Stage 3 — Burnout and depletion
Finally, for some, comes the crash. This is the stage I found myself in. The anxiety gives way to flatness. Motivation evaporates. Mornings feel impossibly heavy. Resilience to illness drops. Everything feels slower, duller, harder. When we test, cortisol is often low or flattened throughout the day. And this is where the idea of a “cortisol detox” makes the least sense of all, because the last thing these bodies need is less stress hormone. They need rebuilding.
Testing the HPA axis properly
This is why I’m such a fan of proper assessment rather than guesswork. Tools like the DUTCH Plus test allow us to see the full diurnal cortisol rhythm, the waking response, and how someone is metabolising stress hormones. Instead of assuming “too much cortisol,” we can ask better questions. Is it too high at night? Too low in the morning? Burned through too quickly? Barely being produced at all?
Each pattern tells a different story and calls for a different approach. Alongside that, I use an HPA-axis questionnaire with clients, because symptoms and lived experience matter just as much as numbers on a page.
What actually helps (hint: it isn’t detoxing)
And more often than not, what helps isn’t anything dramatic. It isn’t detoxes or extreme protocols or cutting out half your diet. It’s far gentler than that.
It’s regular meals and enough protein. Minerals and hydration. Morning light in your eyes. An earlier bedtime. Reducing the relentless pressure to optimise every minute. Creating a sense of safety in the body.
One of the most overlooked pieces of this puzzle is vagal tone. The vagus nerve is essentially the bridge back to “rest and repair.” When vagal tone improves, heart rate variability improves, sleep deepens, inflammation often settles, and the body finally has the bandwidth to heal.
Sometimes that’s as simple as slow breathing, humming, gentle movement, or time in nature. For some clients, we also use non-invasive vagus nerve stimulation devices like Nurosym (https://link.nurosym.com/VJ10), which I’ve seen make a meaningful difference to resilience and recovery. If you try it, make sure you use the referral link rather than just the code so the discount applies correctly – you will receive a 10% discount at checkout.
A gentler way forward
So when someone asks me whether they need a cortisol detox, my answer is usually the same. Probably not.
What you may need is a different relationship with stress. A clearer picture of where your body actually is in the cycle. A little more nourishment and a little less self-pressure. Less fighting your biology and more working with it.
Because sometimes healing isn’t about removing something “bad.” It’s about creating the conditions in which your body finally feels safe enough to come back to balance.
And from what I’ve seen, both in my own life and in clinic, that gentler, more compassionate approach is far more powerful than any detox could ever be.
Ready to start supporting your body properly?
If this resonated with you and you’re feeling wired, tired, or somewhere in between, I’ve put together a practical starting point.
You can download The Autoimmunity Recovery Plan — a free guide that walks you through the foundations I use in clinic, from stabilising blood sugar and calming the nervous system to rebuilding energy and resilience — so you know exactly where to begin.
It’s simple, evidence-led, and designed to help you work with your body rather than against it.
👉 Download The Autoimmunity Recovery Plan here
Written by
Victoria “VJ” Hamilton, Registered Nutritionist (BSc Biochemistry & Immunology), IFM Certified Functional Medicine Practitioner and founder of the Autoimmune Nutrition Clinic, specialising in root-cause support for autoimmune disease, hair loss, gut dysfunction, and stress-related burnout.
References
Chrousos, G. Stress and disorders of the stress system. Nat Rev Endocrinol 5, 374–381 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrendo.2009.106
Knezevic E, Nenic K, Milanovic V, Knezevic NN. The Role of Cortisol in Chronic Stress, Neurodegenerative Diseases, and Psychological Disorders. Cells. 2023 Nov 29;12(23):2726. doi: 10.3390/cells12232726. PMID: 38067154; PMCID: PMC10706127.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a cortisol detox?
In most cases, no. Cortisol isn’t toxic — it’s essential for energy, blood sugar balance, and inflammation control. The issue is usually dysregulation of the stress response, not excess that needs “detoxing.”
What causes high cortisol or burnout symptoms?
Chronic psychological stress, poor sleep, blood sugar instability, under-eating, illness, and long-term nervous system overload can all disrupt the HPA axis and lead to symptoms like fatigue, anxiety, crashes, and poor resilience.
How can I lower cortisol naturally?
Supporting circadian rhythm, eating regular balanced meals, improving sleep, increasing mineral intake, gentle movement, and strengthening vagal tone are often more effective than restrictive or aggressive protocols.
What test shows cortisol patterns accurately?
Comprehensive hormone tests such as the DUTCH Plus can assess the daily cortisol rhythm, waking response, and metabolism of stress hormones, helping tailor support based on your individual pattern.
Is burnout just psychological?
No. Burnout has clear physiological drivers. Chronic stress alters the nervous system, immune function, and hormone rhythms. Supporting biology alongside mindset is usually key for lasting recovery.
VJ Hamilton, BSc, RNT
VJ Hamilton is a Registered Nutritionist (BANT) and an expert in autoimmune disease. VJ combines her knowledge from her medical science degree in Biochemistry & Immunology with Nutritional Therapy to offer a thorough and personalised approach to support her clients based on the most current scientific research. VJ runs a virtual and in-person nutritional therapy and functional medicine practice, The Autoimmunity Nutritionist, specialising in gut skin and immune health.