Tag: stress

Stress and the Digestive System

You don’t need a PhD in physiology to know that stress can be hard on the stomach. We’ve all done our own experiments on the subject, intentionally or not. Remember how you felt the last time you spoke in public? Those butterflies weren’t in your head. The impact of stress on the stomach goes far…


De-Stress Your Diet

There’s no question that what we eat affects our mental clarity. There’s no other way to say it: If you’re powering through your day with sugar-laden toaster pastries, after-lunch doughnuts, and caffeinated sodas loaded with high fructose corn syrup and artificial colorants, you’re hobbling your brain. Consider this: A 2019 study of 1,209 older adults…


Overwhelm: The Survival Guide

Feeling overwhelmed with work and personal tasks is one of the biggest problems that the people I work with are facing. It turns out our lives can be pretty overwhelming. There’s so much to do, never enough time to do it, and who knows what we should be focusing on? We’re always behind, barely treading…


Athletes Use Stress to Boost Their Well-Being—and You Can Too

Almost everyone wants to know how to reduce stress. After all, stress can have many negative effects on both our physical and mental health. An increasing body of evidence shows that changing the way we think about stress might actually better help us manage it. Not only can this improve our well-being, including our mental…


Hormone Havoc: Chronic Stress & Adrenal Burnout

The adrenal glands (AKA the stress glands) may be small, but they have a big purpose. These endocrine glands are located on top of each kidney and are quite useful when a flight-or-fight situation arises. However, our bodies can start to experience hormonal havoc when that same surge of the flight-or-fight response occurs several times…


Midlife Brings Challenges with Stress, Sleep, and Happiness

Fewer than one-fifth of Americans say they actually experienced a midlife crisis. And yet there are still some common misunderstandings people have about midlife. I study midlife, and especially how people in this stage of life experience sleep and stress. In my research, I have also found that midlife brings both opportunities and challenges. Are We There Yet?…


Managing The Stresses And Anxieties Of Peer Pressure

It can be very difficult to be yourself while others get on your case.As a result, here are eight tips on how to manage the stresses and anxieties of dealing with peer pressure from others. 1. Know where you stand on a certain issue: Ask yourself if you are willing to do something that your friends…


Screens and Stress Culprits Behind American Sleeplessness, Experts Say

The bright lights and work demand of modern life create a hidden sleep crisis that impacts Americans in countless ways, experts say. During the age of COVID-19, sleep issues have gotten worse. Most adults need seven to nine hours of sleep each night, but one in three Americans gets fewer than seven hours in a…


Manage Stress and Build Resilience

It’s hard to avoid stress. Work, money, current events, and the hassles of everyday life are just a few of the things that can cause stress. Long-term, or chronic, stress is linked to several health conditions like heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, depression, and anxiety. It’s important to learn how to manage stress so…


Why You Should Understand ‘Allostatic Load’

Are you stressed? The word “stress” can be ambiguous. In the functional medicine world, the wear and tear on the body is referred to as “allostatic load.” This load is the sum total of all sources of stress in our lives and their impact on the brain and body. Homeostasis and Allostasis Homeostasis and allostasis…