Spend enough time on the wellness side of TikTok, and there’s a good chance you’ll hear about cortisol. Specifically, the idea that your body should have a lot less of it.

Cortisol is known as the “stress hormone” because one of its biggest responsibilities is helping your body respond to stressful situations. According to many wellness influencers, you can blame “high” cortisol levels for a host of vague health issues including trouble sleeping, muscle stiffness, bloating, facial swelling, brain fog, the list goes on.

Enter: “cortisol-reducing” supplements, recent additions to the wellness industrial complex that often claim to “balance” your body’s cortisol levels to reduce the physical and mental effects of persistent stress. They’re usually made from a combination of different herbs, vitamins, and minerals, and you can find them everywhere from the TikTok store to the shelves of your local health food store. The basic idea: You will feel calmer, happier, and healthier when you take one of these pills, powders, or tinctures regularly.

At a time when the world seems particularly chaotic, the appeal of a quick solution to combat stress – and the potential problems it could trigger – is self-explanatory. But is it even possible to significantly change your cortisol levels with a supplement? We tapped the experts and dove into the science to uncover the truth behind this trend.

How does cortisol affect your body and should you even worry about having high levels?

Cortisol’s reputation as a stress hormone makes it seem like the bad guy. In reality, “cortisol is essential for life” Rekha B. Kumar, MDendocrinologist and associate professor of clinical medicine at Weill Cornell Medical College in New York, tells SELF. Your adrenal glands (which sit above each of your kidneys) produce the multitasking hormone, and its functions include maintaining healthy blood sugar, metabolism, blood pressure, sleepand more.

Most famously, cortisol is a key player in your body when things start to go wrong emotionally. Or physically. “Say you had to run away from a bear,” says Dr. Kumar. “You see the bear, your cortisol goes up and says to your brain, ‘Hey! Make this person react, move, leave!’ non-essential functions like digestion, all of which should help you fight or escape a threat.