The cortisol spike from exercise suppresses the next cortisol response from a stressor. Exercise before stressful things.

Sep 7, 2026 · 1:19 PM UTC

100
1,950
17,853
929,821
Source: sciencedirect.com/science/ar…
1
2
40
15,756
Sort replies: Relevant Recent Liked
Replying to @NTFabiano
so exercise before work is actually the best idea?
119
Replying to @NTFabiano
Of course I just ran a half marathon @5 am in the morning what could be wost?
623
Replying to @NTFabiano
Results and findings of this paper: Compared with participants who engaged in light or moderate exercise, those who engaged in vigorous exercise had a much smaller increase in cortisol, lower peak cortisol levels, and returned to normal baseline levels much faster in stress tests. openread.academy/en/paper/re…
4
11
96
7,187
Replying to @NTFabiano
Seeing this now while in the gym. leg day
48
3,274
Replying to @NTFabiano
What you mean Exercise before going to boss cabin? Exercise before quarterly results? Exercise before meeting in laws?
1
11
1,542
Replying to @NTFabiano
Tested directly: 30 minutes on a bike, then a public speaking test, and the cortisol rise to the speech was smaller than after 30 minutes of sitting. Two catches: it was moderate effort, since a hard session keeps cortisol up for hours, and the subjects were regular exercisers.
5
601
Replying to @NTFabiano
Interesting dose-response effect. The key may be less “exercise raises cortisol, so the next spike is suppressed” and more transient HPA-axis feedback/adaptation. Would be interesting to see whether this generalizes across repeated stressors and chronic stress states.
4
202
Replying to @NTFabiano
“You know Jack, a little exercise would do you good before your next stressful thing.”
2
677
Replying to @NTFabiano
Can we get more research on the benefits of smoking a bowl and binge eating an entire frozen pizza?
1
4
525
Replying to @NTFabiano
Worth adding the intensity detail. 83 men ran 30 min at 30, 50, or 70% heart rate reserve before the Trier Social Stress Test. Only the vigorous 70% group showed blunted cortisol and faster recovery. A light walk may not cut it. Psychoneuroendocrinology, 2021 (Zhang, Puterman et al.)
1
4
512
Replying to @NTFabiano
and it doesnt matter what the stressor is. post exercise [sauna, cold shower, breathwork, etc] you actively enter a new temporary global baseline. do these activities enough and that baseline sticks
4
615
Replying to @NTFabiano
Such an important piece of scientific evidence. Thanks for sharing. Optimizing our sympathetic nervous system response to stress is an under appreciated way to enhance performance.
2
257
Replying to @NTFabiano
Turns out the warmup for stress might be… more stress
3
744
Replying to @NTFabiano @RayMcCue
Before my first day at my new job I ran 10km. It worked.
2
489
Replying to @NTFabiano
I’ve felt this intuitively. Interesting.
1
411
Replying to @NTFabiano
It also helps if you exercise after stress
1
430
Replying to @NTFabiano
So working out in thee morning before work is actually the way?
1
238
Replying to @NTFabiano
So that's why going for a run before my exams helped me in grad school...
1
118
Replying to @NTFabiano
Exercise in the morning, especially on Mondays?
1
906
Replying to @NTFabiano
Is there data that supports exercise AFTER the stressful things as a temporizer of that prior stress burden, or do you hypothesize/theorize that it is primarily forward-directing, ie: the next stressor has greater subsequent support? This could help clarify whether exercise before or after ie: work, is more complementary.
1
2
193
Replying to @NTFabiano
how does the study design affect the generalizability of the conclusions to different populations?
1
1,188
Replying to @NTFabiano @mr_jay_pea
What we used to do and put as "too tired to care".
78
Replying to @NTFabiano
make your own struggle. checks out. nothing can bother me on the days i exercise
216
Replying to @NTFabiano
What about a cortisol from a cold shower? Same effect?
115
Replying to @NTFabiano
Suggesting exercise is best when done in morning before stressful workday
42
Replying to @NTFabiano
What if the exercise is stressful?
71
Replying to @NTFabiano
So, the next time my exam is scheduled in the morning, I'll workout before taking the exam. Thanks :)
18
Replying to @NTFabiano
Good to know ! I do it every time before work and the days I don't do it I feel much more the stress of my clinical inbox and the back to back visits much more . I wonder what happens when you walk and are handling stressful things like reading labs and getting back to patients.
36
Replying to @NTFabiano
The point about stressful things is you usually don’t know when they happen
78
Replying to @NTFabiano
And you can literally feel this effect. I think of it as my “buffer”
925
Replying to @NTFabiano
How about not exercising to not spike cortisol in the first place?
298
Replying to @NTFabiano
You should have told me that before you posted this!
155
Replying to @NTFabiano
Cortisol spikes are not good even from exercise ... tai chi quigong better
24
Replying to @NTFabiano
Just don't forget the carbs or it may backfire
161
Replying to @NTFabiano
yet another reason why working out in the morning is superior. i’m not a morning person unfortunately
809
Load more