Why Fall Stress Feels Different: Cortisol, Workload Peaks, and Glucose Spikes

Key Takeaways

• Cortisol, your main stress hormone, rises during fall’s busier schedules, impacting glucose levels and cravings.
• Chronic stress keeps glucose elevated, increasing the risk for fatigue, inflammation, and metabolic imbalance.
• Balanced nutrition, sleep, movement, and glucose tracking help you manage stress and support metabolic health.

that {{mid-cta}}

While we picture fall as cozy sweaters and pumpkin spice lattes, in reality, it’s often a chaotic shift from summer calm to nonstop busyness. Work deadlines pile up, kids’ school and activity schedules explode, and the holidays start looming before you can catch your breath. In the middle of this seasonal whirlwind, your stress levels climb, cravings kick in, and your energy dips. And while it may feel like stress is all in your head, your metabolism feels it too.

‍

Cortisol, your body’s primary stress hormone, rises in response to the added stress, and your heart rate, blood pressure, and glucose often follow. This hidden metabolic storm can leave you feeling wired, tired, and reaching for quick hits of energy to keep moving through it all.

‍

Keep reading to learn how cortisol and glucose interact, why stress tends to spike in the fall, and what you can do to keep your metabolism steady through the season.

Cortisol 101: The Stress Hormone

Cortisol gets a bad rap, but it’s not all harmful. Produced by your adrenal glands, cortisol has a hand in everything from regulating your immune system and metabolism to mediating your body's inflammatory and stress responses.¹ It impacts nearly every organ in the body, and low cortisol can be just as detrimental as too much.

‍

When you face a stressor such as a looming deadline, a near-miss in traffic, or a work presentation, your body releases cortisol, which signals your liver to release stored glucose into your bloodstream and inhibits glucose storage, giving your muscles and brain quick access to fuel.¹ That acute stress response is helpful in small bursts. 

‍

Chronic stress is a different story. When stressors pile up day after day from an overwhelming workload, ongoing financial pressure, or caregiving demands, cortisol stays elevated far longer than your body was designed to handle. If you're running from actual danger, you'll burn through that glucose for energy. But when you're stressed while staring at your inbox? That glucose rises and lingers, with nowhere to go.

‍

In rare cases, chronically high cortisol levels may signal a medical condition like Cushing's syndrome, which requires intervention from a healthcare provider. This occurs when the body produces an excessive amount of glucocorticoid hormones, which can lead to high blood pressure, diabetes, osteoporosis, and obesity if left untreated. 

Why Stress Peaks in Fall

Fall brings stressful situations for many, regardless of life stage or responsibilities. And as stress increases, so does your cortisol. Here’s why this time of year can be more difficult to manage than others: 

‍

• Work and school calendars are overloaded. In September, your relaxed summer schedule is replaced with chaos, including pushing towards end-of-year goals, performance reviews, and budget planning. And if you have kids, just add on the new school schedules, pickup and drop-offs, extracurricular activities, and nightly homework responsibilities. 
• Daylight disappears. As the days get shorter, your circadian rhythm, which controls sleep, hormone release, and metabolism, starts to shift, and less sunlight means lower serotonin and disrupted melatonin production, which affects sleep quality.² Poor sleep, in turn, amplifies stress and makes it harder for your body to recover.
• Upcoming holidays add even more pressure. The holiday magic often starts with emotional and financial stress months ahead of time as you coordinate plans, finalize budgets, shop, and navigate family dynamics. 

How Stress Impacts Glucose and Appetite

Rising cortisol triggers your liver to dump glucose into your bloodstream as part of the fight-or-flight response of your sympathetic nervous system. Evolutionarily, this was essential to provide enough energy to fight off an attacker or run for your life. But most of today’s stressors don’t require a boost of energy to survive, which leaves you with a glucose spike that has no way of quickly coming back down. 

‍

Chronic stress leads to chronically elevated cortisol levels and repeated spikes in your glucose. Over time, elevated glucose levels can lead to insulin resistance, where your cells become less responsive to insulin and less efficient at absorbing glucose. Chronically elevated glucose levels may also increase inflammation, putting overall health at risk and increasing the risk for metabolic disease, immune system disruptions, and more.³ 

‍

And while the stress response can directly affect your glucose levels, it also impacts your desire for high-energy foods, which in turn can increase your glucose levels even further. Eating to soothe negative emotions is a common coping mechanism, and often works to provide short-term relief. When done repeatedly in the presence of chronic stress, eating these high-fat and high-sugar foods can lead to weight gain and chronically elevated glucose.^4,5 

The Metabolic Playbook: Managing Fall Stress

Chances are slim that you can eliminate fall stress entirely, but you can support your body’s ability to handle that stress in a healthier way. These strategies can help support your metabolic health and keep cortisol-driven glucose spikes in check. 

Focus on Nutrition

Instead of grabbing whatever is quickest and easiest when stress hits, do your best to plan ahead with easy, balanced meals and snacks. Prioritizing a balanced diet with protein and slow-digesting carbs will provide sustained energy, helping you stay focused and satisfied, no matter what your schedule throws at you. Greek yogurt and berries, hard-boiled eggs and whole-grain toast, or a salad kit with grilled chicken can all be prepped ahead or tossed together quickly for easy, glucose-friendly meals. 

Stay Active

Regular exercise is an effective way to support lower cortisol levels and better sleep, both of which can help your body better handle stress.⁶ Aerobic activities like brisk walking, cycling, or dancing help to lower glucose, and some research suggests that more intense exercise, while initially increasing cortisol, may help reduce your body’s cortisol response during future periods of stress.⁷

Prioritize Sleep and Stress Management

Poor sleep and stress act as a vicious cycle, with one only amplifying the other.⁸ By prioritizing a relaxing, consistent bedtime routine and taking action to address your mental health and reduce stressors in your life through meditation, breathing exercises, or therapy, you can work to improve both your stress levels and sleep patterns. 

How Signos Helps Spot and Manage Stress Spikes

To understand how stress impacts your metabolic health, seeing the data firsthand can make a big difference. Using a continuous glucose monitor (CGM), also known as a biosensor, Signos tracks your glucose throughout the day, allowing you to see how your stress and activities directly affect your metabolism. 

‍

When you check your Signos app after a stressful event or a chaotic morning in traffic, you might see a glucose spike, even if you haven’t eaten recently. Seeing the stress response in action may help empower you to take steps to reduce the long-term effects of stress, elevated levels of cortisol, and elevated blood sugar levels. 

‍

While awareness is a great first step, Signos goes a step further with personalized nudges to help stop a blood sugar spike before it starts. With gentle reminders to walk, breathe, or adjust your nutrient balance at mealtimes, you can take steps to support your metabolism and prioritize your mental and physical health. 

The Bottom Line

With a unique combination of seasonal and lifestyle forces combining at once, fall stress is a real concern for many of us.  Cortisol-driven glucose spikes are a natural response to pressure and stress, but can lead to metabolic damage if left unchecked. With awareness, intentional habits, and the insights from continuous glucose monitoring, you can navigate the busiest season of the year without sacrificing your energy, sanity, or metabolic health. 

Learn More With Signos’ Expert Advice

Making healthy choices doesn't have to add to your stress. Learn how Signos can help you improve your metabolic health and make more informed decisions about nutrition, stress, and your daily habits. Visit the Signos blog to learn more about how glucose and your metabolism impact your overall health and wellbeing and what steps you can take.