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Is There Such Thing As Good Stress? Scientifically, Yes

From the time you wake up racing the clock to get ready for work, until the day's end when you scroll through the latest news, you might face any number of ups and downs that could trigger stress, or what scientists call the "fight or flight" response from your sympathetic nervous system. Even when the feeling is fleeting — the dash to make the bus or a big meeting — it causes the release of the stress hormones adrenaline, noradrenaline, and cortisol, which ready you for action.

Your heart beats faster with stronger contractions; your muscles tense; you breathe faster; and your blood pressure goes up as certain blood vessels dilate to boost circulation. And when the stress passes — phew, you made it to your bus seat — your body readily returns to its normal state as the parasympathetic nervous system gives the all clear to turn off the stress hormones and switch to "rest and digest" mode.

The Important Role of Stress

Stress has mostly become a dirty word in modern times, synonymous with a feeling of mental overload and anxiety, but if you think of it in the framework of its evolutionary purpose, you can come to regard it more as a tool than an albatross. "It's really about how we personify the stress and how we allow our body to react," says Heather Moday, MD, author of The Immunotype Breakthrough: Your Personalized Plan to Balance Your Immune System, Optimize Health, and Build Lifelong Resilience. "Obviously there are things that happen to us that we can't necessarily control, and we have this sympathetic stress response — that evolutionary response that, before we even really cognitively think about it, we jump out of the way of a car for example."

It's our later response that significantly dictates whether the stress hormones that come to our rescue stay elevated or not, notes Dr. Moday. And the good news, she says, is "we have much more control over that later response."

How Stress Can Be Beneficial

"We misunderstand stress. We think stress is a bad thing and it's not necessarily," says Arielle Schwartz, PhD, a psychologist in Boulder, Colorado. "When our sympathetic nervous system or our fight or flight mode keys in, that's okay. It's going to simply mobilize us through the world — and we need that." In other words, whether you want to go for a job interview or get on your yoga mat, there are any number of occasions when you need that sympathetic nervous system response to kick in. "We don't want to just be in a parasympathetic state all the time," says Schwartz. "It would actually not facilitate optimal health."

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You may be surprised to learn that the body naturally secretes the stress hormone cortisol throughout the day, with levels peaking at around 7 a.M. To help you tackle your to-dos and then declining until hitting a low point at midnight. In between, we can experience surges of cortisol in response to various mental or physical challenges. Exercise, for example, is perceived by the body as stress, but it is essential for our well-being in countless ways. Such acute bouts of stress actually help strengthen our body and immune system.

And the mere fact of having a lot of pressures to field does not fate us to a state in which anxiety remains humming on high. "There are many people out there who might have a really stressful life but they don't worry about it. They tell themselves, I'm going to manage it. It's going to be fine," says Moday. That mindset can check our body's stress response and make us more resilient.

When Anxiety Is Ongoing

What we want to avoid is the chronic kind of stress wherein the cortisol surge continues indefinitely, the type that comes from constant worry or tension. "It's the hormone release that really causes the damage or the changes that occur to the body over time from stress," explains Moday. Although cortisol acts as an anti-inflammatory in the body in small doses, it becomes a different story when levels stay elevated for long periods. "It flips: Cortisol actually starts down regulating some of our good immune responses," she says. The negative trickle-down effects on our health are wide-ranging. Luckily, the tools to cope with and counteract stress are also in your hands.

A version of this article appeared in our partner magazine, How To Beat Stress: The Ultimate Guide To Feeling Happier, in 2022.

Stress Can Speed Aging, But Recovery Can Slow It Again: Study

April 25, 2023 – Measuring biological aging has become so precise with DNA-based technology that researchers showed that trauma or stressful life events can rapidly speed up the pace of aging. But they also found that recovery from the experience can return aging to its baseline.

This is one of the first studies to show that aging doesn't have to happen in one direction. It may be too early to shred your AARP membership card, but the evidence in mice and humans looks promising. 

"People just assumed that as you get older, your biological age goes with it. And that is correct, but there are fluctuations," said James Patrick White, PhD, co-senior author of the study and an assistant professor of medicine at Duke University in Durham, NC. 

Even though we all go through stressful events, its effect on aging can change rapidly. 

"You might be stressed out, you might have some trauma, you might have whatever your stressor is that'll accelerate [your aging]," said White, who is also a senior fellow in the Center for the Study of Aging at Duke. 

"The question was always: Well, are you stuck there? And we're showing this is not the case. You can reverse back a little bit once that stressor is removed," he said.  

The study was published online April 21 in the journal Cell Metabolism. 

Turning Back the Clock

White, co-senior author Vadim N. Gladyshev, PhD, and their colleagues found that pregnancy, getting a hip fracture, and having severe COVID are traumatic or stressful enough to speed up aging. In contrast, having elective surgery did not speed up aging in the short term.

The idea that aging is not a one-way street comes in part from mice experiments. Joining two mice together – one young and one old – so they share the same blood circulation is a technique called parabiosis. The technique has been around for decades. But now, "the novelty here is one we show epigenetic acceleration. The young mouse gets older, the old mouse gets younger. And the cool thing is that when we then separate the mice and take away the old blood, the young mouse reverses that accelerated aging back to its chronological age," White said.

The research was possible because of advances in measuring DNA methylation. Investigators can now look at individual sites on DNA where methylation predictably occurs over time. The sensitivity of these second-generation "DNA methylation clocks" has increased to the point where they can show changes in biological aging measured in days or weeks.

White and colleagues used blood samples from older patients before emergency hip surgery, the morning after, and 4 to 7 days into recovery. They found significant increases in biological age markers. "Remarkably, this increase occurred in under 24 hours, and biological age returned to baseline 4 to 7 days post-surgery," the researchers noted. 

They found that there weren't any significant changes in biological age markers linked to elective colorectal surgery in other patients.

Not All Stress Is the Same

In general, the aging process for people returns to its normal baseline after a stressor is removed. But there can be differences between people, with some returning to their former chronological age completely, some partially, and others not at all. 

"That opens up the question of, 'Why?'" White said. 

As an example, when they compared people who recovered from severe COVID, aging tended to rebound more among women than men. The reason is unknown and could be examined in future studies.

Resilience also counts. 

"I would imagine if you can't cope with something and the stress stays up, you're going to accelerate biological aging and open yourself up to age-related issues, probably sooner than somebody that can recover," White said. 

Another unknown is whether psychological and physical stress contribute equally to this aging acceleration. 

Aging Not a 'Nonstop Kind of Decline'

"I do see this as a breakthrough," said Florence Comite, MD, a Yale-trained precision medicine doctor and founder of the Comite Center for Precision Medicine & Health in New York City, when asked to comment. 

"I myself have always believed that aging doesn't happen in a steady state of decline," she said. There are a lot of issues that are going on under the surface, she continued, including changes in muscle, hormones, metabolism, and the way the body puts down visceral fat into different organ systems. Family history and genetics can also alter aging. 

Comite thinks of aging "as more of a stop/start kind of thing … not a steady, nonstop kind of decline." 

"I think that this will give us an opportunity to dig deeper," she said. "It's just going to be the beginning of blowing the field open."

Comite co-authored a 2022 study that looked at DNA methylation and COVID. Results showed people over 50 years old were more likely to have faster biological aging with COVID than younger people.

Overall, the finding that people can reverse a negative effect of stress or trauma is positive. 

"We have a lot more reserve than we think we do or give ourselves credit for," White said. 

Interventions to turn off the acceleration of aging linked with stress or trauma would most likely work for people with chronic disease, chronic effects of disease, serious infections like COVID, or even cancer, Comite said. But they would be unlikely to help people dealing with the general stress of everyday living, she said. 

In the future, the technology also could be used to see how well anti-aging drugs work. 

Stress Management: 8 Lifestyle Changes To Follow Which May Help You Sleep Better

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With no work-life balance and never-ending working hours, we are leading an unhealthy lifestyle that can have adverse effects on our health. It not only affects our physical health but also has an impact on our mental health which may lead to an increase in anxiety, stress and may even disturb our sleep cycles. Lack of sleep can have a significant impact on our overall health and well-being. 

However, the good news is that by following some simple lifestyle changes we can improve the quality and quantity of our sleep and can help reduce stress and promote better sleep naturally. By incorporating these changes into your daily routine, you can achieve a more restful and rejuvenating night's sleep, and wake up feeling refreshed and energized.

Here Are 8 Lifestyle Changes To Help You Sleep Better And Reduce Stress Set a Consistent Sleep Schedule: 

Establishing a regular sleep schedule can help regulate your body's internal clock and improve your overall sleep quality. Try to go to bed and wake up at the same time every day, even on weekends.

Also read: International Dance Day 2023: Check 10 Health Benefits Of Dance

Create a Relaxing Bedtime Routine: 

A relaxing bedtime routine can help signal to your body that it's time to wind down and prepare for sleep. Try incorporating activities like reading, taking a warm bath, or practicing gentle stretching or yoga.

Reduce Screen Time Before Bed: 

The blue light emitted by electronic devices like smartphones, tablets, and computers can interfere with the body's natural sleep-wake cycle. Try to avoid using electronic devices for at least an hour before bedtime.

Practice Mindfulness Meditation: 

Mindfulness meditation is a powerful tool for reducing stress and improving sleep. Simply find a quiet place to sit or lie down, focus on your breath, and allow your thoughts to come and go without judgment.

Exercise Regularly: 

Regular physical activity can help reduce stress, improve mood, and promote better sleep. Try to aim for at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise most days of the week.

Eat a Balanced Diet: 

A healthy, balanced diet can help improve sleep quality and reduce stress. Try to eat plenty of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean protein, and limit your intake of caffeine, alcohol, and processed foods.

Limit Caffeine Intake: 

Caffeine is a stimulant that can interfere with sleep quality and exacerbate stress. Try to limit your intake of caffeine, especially in the afternoon and evening.

Create a Relaxing Environment:

Your sleep environment can have a big impact on your sleep quality. Try to create a relaxing, comfortable sleep environment by keeping your bedroom dark, quiet, and cool.

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