Can Cortisol help with Schlaf?

Cortisol is a stress hormone with a natural daily rhythm: high in the morning to promote wakefulness and low at night to allow restful sleep. Elevated cortisol levels in the evening or at night can disrupt sleep, not help it. Chronic high cortisol is linked to insomnia, fatigue, and abdominal weight gain. The question of whether cortisol can help with sleep is therefore misleading – it is not a sleep aid but rather an antagonist of the sleep hormone melatonin. A home test from MyBody-X measures cortisol, but a single reading is of limited value due to large fluctuations. For sleep issues, it is better to examine lifestyle factors such as stress, caffeine, and screen time, and to consult a doctor. There is no evidence that cortisol directly improves sleep; instead, a disrupted cortisol rhythm can impair sleep quality.