Cortisol

Cortisol gets blamed for everything — weight gain, belly fat, bad sleep, burnout — but most people have never actually heard how it works. In this episode, Dr. Deepti Sharma breaks down cortisol as more than just "the stress hormone": it's a survival signal that shapes blood sugar, appetite, fat storage, and even how your body decides where to hold onto weight. She walks through what happens physiologically when cortisol stays elevated for too long — not from a single stressful day, but from the chronic, low-grade stress so many people live in without realizing it. That includes the stress of caregiving, financial pressure, cultural expectations, and the silent stress of staying quiet in relationships or at work. Dr. Sharma connects the dots between this kind of sustained stress and real metabolic consequences: insulin resistance, disrupted sleep, cravings, and stubborn weight that doesn't respond to diet and exercise alone. This isn't a "just relax more" episode — it's a clear, physiology-first look at why chronic stress is a legitimate metabolic issue, and what actually helps regulate cortisol over time, not just in theory.