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Melatonin & the Stress Response
Acute or chronic stress can trigger an overactive sympathetic nervous system, resulting in high oxidative stress. The immune system functions at its best in the parasympathetic state so when it switches to a sympathetic state, the body is vulnerable to disease. Chronic release of hormones such as cortisol, catecholamines and neuropeptides due to stress also…
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Driver of Physical Responses to Emotional Stress Discovered
A research paper published in 2020 in the journal Science has identified the DP/DTT-to-hypothalamus circuit, a neural circuit that drives physical responses to emotional stress. The dorsal peduncular cortex (DP) and the dorsal tenia tecta (DTT) are areas of the prefrontal cortex. The study was led by Professor Kazuhiro Nakamura and Designated Assistant Professor Naoya…
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Researchers Find a Connection Between Stress and Allergies
A recent study published in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences has discovered a hormone that may be responsible for increased allergic reactions. Lead researcher Mika Yamanaka-Takaichi, a graduate student of the Department of Dermatology, Osaka City University, spotted a recurring theme in her patients that led her to the research. Yamanaka-Takaichi found that many…
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Does Mindfulness Really Help with Stress?
According to recent research, dispositional mindfulness may not affect people during the experience of active stressors, solely their perspective of the experience afterward.
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Nutrients Depleted When You Are Stressed (and What to do About It)
It is almost an understatement to say that 2020 has been a stressful year. A pandemic, financial worries, and an inflammatory political drama have all significantly increased the stress we are dealing with every day. You might find yourself emotionally and physically exhausted by these demands.
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Rituals are Life Hacks for Stress Reduction
For many, having to quarantine has produced anxiety. One finding in a recent paper published in the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society suggests this could be due, in part, to the fact that our human rituals, like weddings, parades, and funerals, have been canceled. Dimitris Xygalatas, Assistant Professor of Anthropology at the University of…
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Could Mindfulness Be the Missing Link?
Mindfulness helps people regulate their emotions, reducing pain and negative thinking, concludes a new study, even after very basic training in mindfulness.
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Nature’s Role in Lowering Stress
A recent paper published by the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences studied how people’s stress levels were affected by both the scent and virtual reality scenes of nature highlighting the science behind the health benefits of nature. 154 participants took part in the study in which they visited one of three virtual environments: a forest,…
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May is Mental Health Awareness Month | Plus 3 Key Tools to Thrive
May is Mental Health Awareness Month, both in the US and UK, drawing attention to the importance of mental health in all areas of life. The event is a step in removing the stigma surrounding mental health, so that people can reach out and get the much-needed help they require.
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9 Natural Ways to Keep Calm
Did you know there is a human need for certainty? Your brain craves it; and the lack of predictability right now can easily lead to stress, panic or even boredom. This can cause us to reach for our cell phones to get answers.