Cortisol, the “stress hormone,” has a profound effect on the brain chemicals that determine mood, sleep, energy, and focus. When we are stressed continually, our adrenal glands either adapt in a healthy way, or they mal-adapt, leading to cortisol levels that are too high or too low. Imbalanced cortisol levels play a huge role in weight gain, mental clarity, anxiety and depression, motivation, and overall feelings of vitality or fatigue.