CRACKING THE CORTISOL CODE

How Justin Hai and Rebalance Health Are Reshaping Hormone Wellness

COURTNEY MCGEE

2025

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In a world increasingly overrun by stress, sleep deprivation, and hormonal imbalances, one wellness innovator is rewriting the rules of health from the inside out. Justin Hai, the CEO and founder of Rebalance Health, is leading a regenerative health revolution—one rooted in the science of cortisol, the body’s primary stress hormone.

Based in Boulder, Colorado, Rebalance Health isn’t just another supplement company. It’s a mission-driven enterprise that Hai says was born out of both scientific curiosity and deeply personal experience. “Rebalance is a cortisol company,” Hai told TereZa Hakobyan-Lolli and Anthony Lolli, Editors-in-Chief of longevity and wellness platform Biohack Yourself, in an interview for the influential upcoming women’s health documentary, “sHEALed.” “We support cortisol throughout the day and night because it's the master hormone. If you can manage cortisol, you can help the body function as it’s meant to.”

The sHEALed Documentary is the sister documentary to Biohack Yourself, which became a massive success after exploding on the scene in December 2024 and ignited a firestorm of interest in information focused on health and longevity. Biohack Yourself features 114 prominent and respected high-profile politicians, doctors, bestselling authors, Ph.D.s, M.D.s, scientists, chemists, inventors, biotech investors, and world-renowned academics. Stemming from the success of Biohack Yourself, TereZa Hakobyan-Lolli and Anthony Lolli have grown Biohack Yourself Media to become the number one resource for health news, publishing over 500 articles ranging from breaking news to peer reviewed content.

A Hormonal Awakening

Hai’s journey into the world of cortisol began with a simple supplement request related to skincare. But as his team dug deeper into hormonal science, a surprising discovery shifted the company’s focus entirely. “Every cell in the body has a cortisol receptor,” he explained. “No other hormone behaves that way. Yet cortisol often gets a bad rap.”

This revelation led Hai down a rabbit hole of endocrinology, where he consulted with OBGYNs, naturopaths, and Chinese medicine practitioners. The turning point came when he realized that cortisol not only disrupts sleep—but also dictates the production of every other major hormone during deep sleep. “You only get 60 to 90 minutes of deep sleep a night in a seven-to-eight-hour sleep window,” he noted. “If you interrupt that, your body forfeits hormone production. That’s when everything starts to fall apart.”

From Theory to Therapy

Recognizing that managing cortisol could unlock better health, Hai and his team devised a novel, three-part supplement system designed to track and support cortisol's natural rhythm: high in the morning, lower in the afternoon, and minimal at night.

The key innovation? Delivery. “Most supplements don’t actually get absorbed,” Hai explained. “They’re destroyed in the stomach. We chose sublingual lozenges—the same delivery method the FDA recommended for zinc during COVID. It allows the ingredients to bypass the digestive tract and get into the bloodstream effectively.”

The Female Factor

Women, Hai discovered, were especially responsive to the Rebalance formula. What started as a unisex supplement soon evolved into a more tailored system after feedback poured in from female users.

“Women were calling us saying their hot flashes were gone, their brain fog had lifted, and they had more energy,” said Hai. The response was so overwhelming that Rebalance conducted a pharmaceutical-grade IRB study with over 100 women. The results were astonishing: a 100% efficacy rate and an average reduction in menopausal symptoms by 80%.

Rebalance reformulated its product to include calming adaptogens like Bacopa and oat straw to better support the female nervous system, which Hai calls “far more highly wired than men’s.” He noted that women are often more attuned to hormonal shifts, while men don’t recognize issues until symptoms like erectile dysfunction or hair loss become apparent.

A Mission That Turned Personal

The most powerful catalyst for Hai’s mission, however, came not from the lab, but from home. Just months after launching the company, Hai’s wife was diagnosed with Cushing’s disease—a condition caused by excessive cortisol production. Already dealing with a traumatic brain injury and hypothalamic damage from a college accident, her health deteriorated rapidly.

“She couldn’t sleep, couldn’t eat, was in constant fight-or-flight,” Hai said. “I thought I was going to lose her.” Traditional medicine failed to help, pushing Hai to double down on his research and perfect a formula that could calm the body enough to allow for healing sleep.

“There was no room for compromise—on ingredients, on delivery, or on results. I had to make something that worked, because her life depended on it.”

Sleep: The Regenerative Superpower

At the heart of Hai’s philosophy is a reverence for deep sleep. “Sleep isn’t optional—it’s regenerative,” he emphasized. “If you’re not sleeping, you’re not making the hormones you need to function. You can’t biohack your way out of that.”

Indeed, many of Rebalance Health’s success stories stem not from exotic ingredients or high-tech gadgets, but from simply helping people get the sleep their bodies crave. Hai shared that men using Rebalance often report naturally doubling their testosterone levels—simply by sleeping better.

Hormones, Not Hype

With hormone replacement therapy (HRT) becoming more accepted for women after years of stigmatization, Hai believes it’s time to take cortisol just as seriously. But his goal isn’t replacement—it’s regulation.

“Support it. Manage it,” Hai said. “If cortisol is elevated, your body won’t produce other hormones properly. But if you calm it down, your natural hormone production can return.”

Hai also highlights that menopause isn’t a disease—it’s a life stage. But today’s fast-paced, high-stress lifestyles are exacerbating symptoms. “Women today are doing more than ever before. That compounds cortisol levels, which prevents sleep, which prevents hormone production. That’s why menopause is hitting harder than ever.”

Action Items for Better Hormonal Health

From his years of research and lived experience, Hai offers several clear recommendations for supporting hormone balance:

Prioritize Deep Sleep: Aim for at least 7–8 hours of uninterrupted sleep nightly. This is when your body regenerates and produces key hormones.
Support Cortisol’s Natural Rhythm: Avoid late-night screens, stressful conversations, or heavy meals right before bed. These raise cortisol levels and impair sleep.
Use Smart Supplementation: Choose supplements with proven delivery systems—like sublingual lozenges—over pills or gummies that often don’t absorb effectively.
Limit Alcohol and Refined Sugar: These not only raise cortisol but also interfere with sleep quality and gut health.
Practice Daily Regulation: Include moments of calm throughout the day—meditation, walks in the sun, or simply breathing deeply can help keep cortisol in check.
Listen to Your Body: Especially for women: tune in to the subtle shifts. “You know when something’s off,” Hai said. “Your body is wise.”

A Vision for the Future

As Hai looks to expand Rebalance Health, he remains grounded in a simple truth: “We’re humans. We need to sleep. We need to eat. We need to move. But we also need to adapt to the modern world we’ve built around us.”

By helping people understand and manage their cortisol, Hai isn’t just selling a product—he’s offering a pathway back to balance.

And in a world out of sync, that may be the most radical act of wellness yet.

Check here for information about the upcoming spring 2025 edition Biohack Yourself Magazine, where the team at Biohack Yourself Media dives deeper into their insights on biohacking, longevity and cutting-edge wellness strategies. Biohack Yourself Magazine is the first peer-reviewed longevity publication with international distribution across the U.S. and Canada, bringing science-backed health optimization, functional medicine and performance-driven breakthroughs to a broader audience. Pick up a copy at major retailers, including Barber & Noble, Books-A-Million, Publix, Kroger, Indigo/Chapters, and select fitness gyms and pharmacies.