We’re back at it again only this time, we’ll look into how to control cortisol levels, sleep better, and heal, with one essential nutrient you might be missing. If you’re new to the SUPP UP. blog or haven’t read the last few posts, in the last Workout Nutrition DIY, we ran through the benefits of creatine outside the gym. We deep dove into research on why creatine supplementation is useful when it comes to sleep deprivation, depression, and how supplementation of creatine can become necessary when encountering things like brain injury, cardiovascular disease, or other physiologically stressful scenarios.

Lately I’ve been heavily focused on sleep deprivation, mainly because I know this is a chronic problem in certain professions, especially military and emergency services. I’ve mentioned it countless times in the blog – I don’t know where I’d be today if I didn’t learn how to manage sleep deprivation, and I’m pretty sure my mental health would’ve taken a nose dive off a cliff had I not kept my nutrition uptake on point whenever possible. The best part is, I learned how to strip away the inessential, focusing on what really worked – and for almost a decade now I’ve dedicated myself to sharing this knowledge with anyone else who needs it. I have no intention of stopping.

Let’s get started.

Workout Nutrition DIY: Control Cortisol, Sleep Better, and Heal [Here’s How].

Most of us that have a focus on reducing stress also have concerns about cortisol. What we have to remember though, is that like estrogen (and yes, men have estrogen), cortisol is essential and a vital part of life. In my SUPP UP. No Bull Workouts for Better Sex guide (did you buy the paperback or the e-book?), I mentioned the importance of cortisol and how it’s akin to nature’s built-in alarm system; here’s an excerpt from the book:

“Cortisol is a steroid hormone that your adrenal glands (the endocrine glands on top of your kidneys) produce and release. It affects several aspects of your body and mainly helps regulate your body’s response to stress. Think of cortisol as nature’s built-in alarm system. It’s your body’s main stress hormone. It works with certain parts of your brain to control your mood, motivation, and fear. It also helps keep inflammation down, regulates blood pressure, controls your sleep/wake cycle, increases your glucose (blood sugar), and boosts your energy to overcome stress and restore balance post-stress.”

Put simply, cortisol gives you the stuff that fights stress from infection, illness, fright, and trauma.

Cortisol should be something that people praise – and in past blog posts I’ve called it a necessary evil – but it’s only evil when left unchecked. There’s situations when you want cortisol levels to be higher, and situations when it’s better off lower. When left unchecked, cortisol can hinder muscle growth, encourage accumulation of abdominal fat, and adversely affect your testosterone and growth hormone output (yes, this goes for women too).

You can thank your lucky stars though, that there’s a simple solution to help counter high cortisol levels…and that my friend, is DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) often found in fish oil. DHA is one of the most important omega-3 fatty acids. You read right – fish oil, or more specifically, DHA can help you control excess cortisol by reducing stress; this means it’ll be easier to sleep, build muscle, and lose fat. Plus, if you workout on a consistent basis, inflammation is another issue you have to concern yourself with, something that I talk about extensively in the SUPP UP. No Bull nutrition guides, and that fish oil (i.e. the combination therein of DHA and EPA) aids in reducing.

Now you might be from the generation that was forced to take fish oil when they were a kid even though they hated it and the taste was awful. It’s improved since then, with little tweaks to make it taste better; but I’ve always been a believer of “function not flavor” when it comes to health. This one is easier to stomach than most so embrace the suck. If you’re still taking it then you’re in for a nice surprise, because the benefits far outweigh the flavor.

The Research

Fun fact – for all you fish oil haters out there, curcumin (known as turmeric) also boosts DHA levels in the brain and aids in absorption of DHA, though it does so via a different process (Aiguo et al, 2015). The research I’m focusing on today though, is how DHA, or more accurately high levels of DHA in fish oil lowers cortisol, anxiety, and stress.

Hamazaki et al (2000) Study

Let’s focus on the anti-stress effects of DHA first, starting with a study done by Hamazaki et al (2000).

Hamazaki et al (2000) discuss how DHA is abundant in the brain, and how a deficiency of DHA alters behavior in animals. Their research focused on stress and to clarify the effects of DHA intake on hostility and plasma catecholamines. 2 studies were conducted.

• 41 students took either DHA-rich oil capsules containing 1.5-1.8 grams DHA/d (5 males and 17 females) or control oil capsules containing 97% soybean oil plus 3% fish oil (7 males and 12 females) for 3 months in a double blind fashion.
• They then took a psychological test (P-F Study) at the start and end of the study. Study 1 commenced at the end of summer vacation and ended in the middle of final exams, where mental stress was at its peak.
• The results? In the control group, hostility measured by P-F Study was significantly increased at the end of the study, compared with hostility measured at the start (a 58% increase), whereas it was not significantly changed in the DHA group (a 14% decrease).
• In a similar double blind 2 month study, plasma catecholamines and cortisol of students were measured (4 males and 3 females for the DHA group and the same numbers for the control) at the start and end of the study.
• In study 2 the students were under continuous stress from final exams which lasted for two months throughout the entire study duration.
• The results? The plasma cortisol did not change in either group, but the norepinephrine concentration was significantly decreased in the DHA group (a 31% decrease), whereas it stayed at the same level in the control group.

So what does the research by Hamazaki et al (2000) tell us? Taking DHA and the effects of it therein may be applied to people under psychological stress.

That was research from 2000. Let’s run through another study, this time more recently from 2024.

Reddan et al (2024) Study

Reddan et al (2024) recognized that while there’s research that long chain n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) supplementation benefits mood, the extent that a single high dose of n-3 PUFA can affect moods hadn’t really been examined much. So, they decided to investigate whether a single dose of a DHA-rich powder affected self-reported moods in middle aged men during elevated cognitive demand. Here’s how the study went:

• Reddan et al (2024) conducted a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial with a balanced crossover design; 29 healthy middle aged men were given a powder (mixed into a meal) containing 4.02 grams DHA and 720 mg EPA or placebo in random order on 2 different testing dates, separated by a washout period of 4-10 days.
• Participants completed mood assessments before and after completing 2 cognitive tests batteries at baseline and again 3.5-4 hours following the consumption of DHA/EPA or placebo.
• While completion of the cognitive test batteries increased negative mood, differing effects for alertness and stress were evidenced after taking the DHA-rich powder compared with the placebo.
• Although alertness decreased when finishing the cognitive batteries, alertness was higher in the men that took the DHA-rich powder compared to those who didn’t. Further, stress was lower in those that had the DHA-rich powder  than those who had the placebo.

The results from Reddan et al (2024)’s pilot study reveal that a single high dose of DHA-rich supplementation can help control stress levels and fatigue during mentally taxing situations.

So like Hamazaki et al (2000), what does Reddan et al (2024) tell us? DHA rich foods or supplements can aid in lowering or keeping stress at bay. If you mitigate stress, not only do you lower cortisol levels, but you sleep better.

If you sleep better, your body heals better….and if you heal better, your system is less in “survival mode” aka your sympathetic nervous system isn’t needlessly triggered, meaning your parasympathetic nervous system can kick in more, keeping you in a healthy, relaxed state. You’ll remember I did a deep dive into the importance and functions of the sympathic and parasympathetic nervous systems in the SUPP UP. No Bull Workouts for Better Sex guide.

How to Tweak Your Fish Oil Intake for High DHA

Did you notice something in the studies? If you’re already sold on how high levels of DHA can be beneficial, you might notice that finding fish oil supplements that actually contain high levels of DHA can be a challenge, especially at the levels participants had in the studies I mentioned.

You might also be wondering what’s a good baseline level of high DHA to have, considering Hamazaki et al (2000) and Reddan et al (2024) ranged from 1.5 to as much as 4 grams per dose. In my opinion, if you workout consistently and you’re mentally taxed daily, shoot for 2 grams of DHA balanced with a healthy dose of EPA (more or less 300-400 mg).

I’ll give you a heads up – there is some info floating around the internet that will tell you taking high doses of DHA thins blood, even peddled by some health professionals. However, PhD nutritionists have confirmed this is only if you take insanely high levels of DHA and EPA – we’re talking 10+ grams of the stuff. No one’s going to be taking anywhere near that dose; 2 grams max of DHA and around 400 mg max EPA per day is more than enough for any stress, physiological or psychological, that gets thrown your way.

If you can’t find a fish oil with those exact specifications, or if you want to dial up/down how much DHA/EPA you take tailoring it to your needs, buy them separately and just increase/decrease how many soft gels you take. While I rarely give my opinion on brands because quality can change at any time, there are a few consistently solid ones out there, one good brand being NOW. They have DHA 1,000 mg soft gels and EPA 360 mg soft gels available.

Most importantly, this post wouldn’t be complete without mentioning that it’s always good to get your fats from whole foods first.

Here’s the top 5 fish to get DHA/EPA from and how much you’ll get per 100 gram serving:

DHA/EPA per 100 gram serving from fish

1. Mackerel – 4,580 mg DHA/EPA (combined) per 100 g. They’re also high in B12 and selenium. I’ve made some of my best gains eating mackerel.
2. Salmon – 2,150 mg DHA/EPA (combined) per 100 g. Research shows that salmon when eaten regularly also reduces risk of heart disease, dementia, and depression (Jang et al, 2020; Chaves et al, 2022; NIA, 2023)
3. Herring – 2,150 mg DHA/EPA (combined) per 100 g. Like mackerel, also a great source of B12 and selenium.
4. Anchovies – 2,053 mg DHA/EPA (combined) per 100 g. Anchovies have a really strong taste, so you may end up eating less of these per serving. They’re a great source of selenium and niacin.
5. Sardines – 982 mg DHA/EPA (combined) per 100 g. Because they’re so small, you’ll probably want to bump up consumption to about 150 g for 1,463 mg DHA/EPA. Also a great source of B12, vitamin D, and selenium.

Last but not least, and though it’s not a fish it’s derived from one: cod liver oil. You’ll get a solid 2,438 mg of DHA/EPA (combined) per tablespoon. This is probably the most practical option if you don’t live in a seaside town or have the cash to front for quality fish. Brands are taking shortcuts with this long tested, commonly known household oil though – check the ingredients list and make sure it doesn’t have crap fillers or mystery oil labeled simply as ‘fish oil’. You also want to make sure it’s ethically sourced and has quality triglycerides.

So, now you understand how much DHA to take and some solid sources to get it from. This brings us to another important question – when are cortisol levels at their highest? If you understand the timing of this, you know the best time to take DHA to make it the most effective.

Peak Cortisol Levels

In the morning, cortisol levels peak and then taper off throughout the day. That’s fine, if the levels are in healthy ranges. However, if you’ve been training for a while now you know that cortisol levels surge during and after hard workouts, which affects muscle protein synthesis negatively. Additionally, if you experience mental stress or overtrain, cortisol will remain high throughout the day and night – this is something you want to avoid.

And yeah, you can always make sure that your workout nutrition (pre, intra, and post) is on point to get a handle on cortisol surges, but if you’re training hard or you’re training hard and are mentally taxed outside of your workout, your body will need that extra boost. DHA in fish oil will help control the spike in cortisol, if you take it at the right time.

The Best Time to Take DHA

The best time to take DHA / fish oil is when you head to bed. You can also take it at dinner, but just before bed is best as this will help you reduce the surge of cortisol levels at night and, consequently, reducing those cortisol levels will help you sleep. This is especially helpful when you’ve trained hard, because when you take DHA / fish oil at night, you’ll help your body keep peak morning cortisol levels at bay, meaning muscle protein synthesis won’t be hampered. Additionally, muscle tissue won’t be used to raise glucose levels.

Taking your DHA at night will also help with inflammation after a hard workout; while EPA has been traditionally considered a more potent anti-inflammatory fatty acid than DHA, other studies suggest that DHA has a potent anti-inflammatory effect, possibly more potent than that of EPA (see Fard et al, 2019, 4.3.1).

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – nutrition is so important, but often so overlooked.

That’s all folks.

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References

1. Bafkar, N. et al. (2024). Efficacy and safety of omega-3 fatty acids supplementation for anxiety symptoms: a systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. BMC Psychiatry, 24(455). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12888-024-05881-2
2. Barbados, P. et al. (2013). Fish oil supplementation reduces cortisol basal levels and perceived stress: A randomized, placebo-controlled trial in abstinent alcoholics, Mol. Nutr. Food Res, 57(6), pp. 1110-1114, https://doi.org/10.1002/mnfr.201200676
3. Bradbury, J. et al. (2004). An adaptogenic role for omega-3 fatty acids in stress; a randomised placebo controlled double blind intervention study (pilot) [ISRCTN22569553]. Nutrition Journal, 3(20) https://doi.org/10.1186/1475-2891-3-20
4. Chaves, R. d. C. S. et al. (2022). Consumption of Omega-3 and Maintenance and Incidence of Depressive Episodes: The ELSA-Brasil Study. Nutrients, 14(15), 3227. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu14153227
5. Clerici, L., et al. (2025). Gut Microbiome, Diet and Depression: Literature Review of Microbiological, Nutritional and Neuroscientific Aspects. Current Nutrition Reports, 14(30), https://doi.org/10.1007/s13668-025-00619-2
6. Fard, S. G. Et al. (2019). How does high DHA fish oil affect health? A systematic review of evidence. Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition, 59(11), pp. 1684-1727, https://doi.org/10.1080/10408398.2018.1425978 
7. Hamazaki, T., et al. (2000). Anti-stress effects of DHA. BioFactors (Oxford, England) 13(1-4), pp. 41–45. https://doi.org/10.1002/biof.5520130108
8. Larrieu, T., & Layé, S. (2018). Food for Mood: Relevance of Nutritional Omega-3 Fatty Acids for Depression and Anxiety. Frontiers in physiology, 9(1047), https://doi.org/10.3389/fphys.2018.01047
9. Laye, S. (2010). Polyunsaturated fatty acids, neuroinflammation and well being. Prostaglandins, Leukotrienes and Essential Fatty Acids, 82(4), pp. 295-303, https://www.plefa.com/article/S0952-3278(10)00050-5/abstract
10. Miller, A.H. et al. (2009). Inflammation and Its Discontents: The Role of Cytokines in the Pathophysiology of Major Depression. Biological Psychiatry, 65(9), pp. 732-741, https://www.biologicalpsychiatryjournal.com/article/S0006-3223(08)01532-1/fulltext
11. NIA. (2023). What Do We Know About Diet and Prevention of Alzheimer’s Disease?. https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/alzheimers-and-dementia/what-do-we-know-about-diet-and-prevention-alzheimers-disease
12. Reddan, J.M. et al. (2024). From ocean to emotion: a pilot study exploring acute mood effects following consumption of a DHA-rich powder compared with placebo in middle-aged Australian men. British Journal of Nutrition, pp. 1–11. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0007114524002204
13. Shi Z. et al. (2019). Fish oil treatment reduces chronic alcohol exposure induced synaptic changes. Addiction Biology, 24, pp. 577–589, https://doi.org/10.1111/adb.12623.
14. Wu, A. et al. (2015). Curcumin boosts DHA in the brain: Implications for the prevention of anxiety disorders. Biochimica et Biophysica Acta (BBA) – Molecular Basis of Disease, 1852(5), pp. 951-961, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbadis.2014.12.005
15. Zhang, B., Xiong, K., Cai, J., & Ma, A. (2020). Fish Consumption and Coronary Heart Disease: A Meta-Analysis. Nutrients, 12(8), 2278. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu12082278 

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