Tag Archive for: stress

Just Breathe

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As I was lying there before my colonoscopy, waiting for the drugs to kick in to put me in la-la land during the procedures, I used a form of the technique used in this study of dealing with stress: rhythmic beathing. First, the paper.

Researchers recruited 27 graduate students to participate in a clinical trial to test two types of deep breathing in stressful situations. The only issue they cite was that they had no male volunteers, so the results may apply only to women (but probably not, in my opinion). They tested heart rate via electrocardiogram (EKG), electroencephalogram (EEG), as well as verbal responses. The EEG gave the researchers the chance to see the responses in specific areas of the brain. While complex in interpretation, they were able to identify areas associated with stress and relaxation.

They used two different breathing techniques. The fast response was a quick 1 second in and 1 second out. The slow technique was 3 seconds in and 3 seconds out. The key to both was belly breathing where you expand your belly as you breathe in. The slow technique reduced heart rate more than the quick breath technique.

Why would slow belly breathing impact heart rate and brain activity? It may be the impact on the vagus nerve, which slows down both breathing and heart rate. No matter how, slow rhythmic breathing in stressful situations works.

The specific technique I use is sometimes called box breathing: 4 seconds in, a 4-second hold, 4 seconds out, and another 4-second hold. There are many permutations taught in everything from yoga classes to mental coaching programs; when you’re not in a critical stress situation, it can help you focus your thoughts.

Whichever method you prefer, slow breathing techniques can help relieve stress and anxiety.

One More Thing

It would be irresponsible of me not to tell you about the classic way to deal with the physical and mental response to stress: regular aerobic exercise. Exercise trains the autonomic nervous system (ANS) that controls hormone release as well as resets the tone of the ANS. Briefly, your heart rate is controlled by both the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system; the sympathetic wants to speed things up while the parasympathetic says to relax. The balance between them is called tone. Exercise sets the tone lower so when you’re exposed to stress and anxiety, your body can deal with it better. Your body can be trained to deal with stress by moving more—and that’s in addition to all the other benefits.

What are you prepared to do today?

        Dr. Chet

Reference: Nature. Scientific Reports. (2025) 15:841

Living with Stress and Anxiety

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“May you live in interesting times.” —Ancient Chinese Curse

Paula got that message in a fortune cookie many years ago, and she thinks it has proven to be true. Interesting is one thing, but with all that goes on in our lives, it can be downright stressful; I got stressed just trying to find out who actually said that quote. There are several theories, but no one really knows for sure.

I just had an endoscopy/colonoscopy last week. The most difficult part? It wasn’t the prep, which stresses out many people—it was the potential results that stressed me out. I had three polyps last time and was diagnosed with Barrett’s esophagus. Were things better or had they progressed? The results turned out fine with a couple of polyps removed, but that didn’t reduce the anxiety of waiting.

We live in stressful times. The price of food—heck, the price of everything. Proposed healthcare cuts: you find out that your healthcare plan just increased your annual contribution before insurance kicks in just when you need a new roof or car repairs. And then there’s the whole issue of politics and most likely hundreds of other scenarios in our lives. You can just feel your heart rate and blood pressure rise. Who knows what else is going on that may be damaging your body, from your brain to your kidneys? We try to shield our kids, but they have their own stressors, as well as picking up on adult anxiety.

A recent study tested a theory of how to deal with this stress and anxiety. I’ll cover that on Saturday. Hang in there until then.

What are you prepared to do today?

        Dr. Chet

Worst Stressor: Split Decision

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I intended to talk about the single most negative stressor that we face as we age, but I couldn’t pick just one. When I say stressors, I mean things we have to deal with every day, not a singular event such as an auto accident. Smoking would be the easy choice, but it doesn’t impact as many people as it used to. Here are my two choices.

Too Much Weight

Someone asked me a simple question before an Insiders Conference Call: if you could do one thing differently when you were young to improve your health, what would it be? Without hesitation my answer was I would have gotten to a normal body weight and maintained it. Being overfat impacts you as soon as you try to get out of bed: you have to overcome gravity. And it doesn’t stop there.

Every system, every organ, and every cell in your body is impacted by excess fat. Some effects are worse than others, but every cell is impacted in some way. If you can avoid gaining the weight to begin with, that’s ideal. If you’re like me and you didn’t, it’s a lifetime challenge to get to a normal weight and maintain it. I’m still working at it.

If you’re still a youngster in your 20s, 30s, or 40s, don’t postpone weight loss. Do whatever it takes to get to a normal weight (short of drug abuse or eating disorders), then develop a healthy lifestyle to keep your weight down. Even if you’re older, you can still lose weight just as my mother-in-law did in her 80s.

Chronic Pain

There are some people who don’t know what it’s like to face pain every day, but the majority of people face the daily challenge of having their lives impacted by pain as they get older. It may be joint pain in the knees. Lower back pain afflicts many. It may be nerve damage from prior accidents. But as we age, pain is the stressor that may be present all day, every day.

There is no magic wand for this stressor. For some people, if they didn’t have to think about pain, they could do so much more. Instead, it’s trying to find the right everyday changes that can make life bearable.

The Bottom Line

I think you can understand why it was a split decision. In addition, these two stressors affect each other: being overfat can make the pain worse, and having pain can prevent us from exercising to help with weight loss. It doesn’t mean there are no stressors of aging we can deal with—there definitely are. That’s what we’ll talk about in my upcoming program Aging with a Vengeance.

On next week’s Insiders Conference Call, I’ll talk more specifically about the stressors of aging and what we can do about them. Become an Insider by 8 p.m. Wednesday, December 14, and you can join the Insider call at 9 p.m.

What are you prepared to do today?

        Dr. Chet

The Best Stressor

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Stressors aren’t all the same; they can be positive and they can be negative. I’m going to begin with the single most powerful positive stressor: exercise. It’s not just one type, such as aerobic exercise or strength training. It’s all of them, and there are specific negative stressors that specific types of exercise can address. But no matter what body system or organ you examine, exercise has a beneficial effect.

Can too much exercise cause problems? Yes, but overdoing most positive things can yield negative results. With only 10% to 15% of the U.S. population exercising enough to do themselves any good, we have a long way to go before we have to worry about the majority of our fellow citizens.

I can’t remember who said it, but this quote sums it up quite well: If you’re not exercising regularly, you’re dying prematurely. There are hundreds of types of exercises to address many specific issues, but start with a walk. Right now. That most important muscle, your heart, will love you for it. Saturday, on to the most negative stressor.

What are you prepared to do today?

        Dr. Chet

The Stress Response

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Anyone who studies the stress response will be familiar with the general adaptation syndrome (GAS) that’s depicted in the graphic. The response was developed by the Canadian scientist Dr. Hans Selye over years of experiments; his research focus was the hormonal response to chronic stress. To promote his adaptation concept, Dr. Selye was just as good a marketer as he was scientist. Although we know a lot more today about the hormonal and neural responses to stress, the GAS still applies to chronic stress for the most part.

Stress, both acute and chronic, is going to happen—it’s inevitable. What matters is how we respond to stress. After 35 years as an exercise physiologist, I know there are two ways to prepare for stress of all kinds: exercise and mental preparation.

Exercise

Like the concept of fighting fire with fire, you can fight stress with exercise, which is a stressor. If you examine the hormonal and neural response to exercise, it’s the classic response. (If you want to read more about the particulars of the stress response, please go to reference 1.) What makes exercise different is that we can increase our resistance because we control the amount and intensity of that stress; or in terms of the GAS graphic, we can gradually move that white line up higher.

The side benefit is that it can help when we are exposed to other types of stress as well. For example, while we may still be disrupted by the hustle and bustle of the holidays, it will not have the same impact on our immune or cardiovascular system. There’s no better way to be prepared to deal with stress than regular exercise, and it helps to prepare your mind as well.

Mental Preparation

There are dozens of ways to prepare your mind for how you respond to the stress of life; there are courses to take, books to read, positive affirmations to say, and other techniques such as prayer and meditation. But here’s the thing: you never really know how you’ll respond to stress until you’re exposed to it. There’s a big difference between someone taking your parking space and getting a cancer diagnosis. One is over in a few seconds while the other may alter your life in many ways.

The way your mind responds will also be impacted by prior experiences, both positive and negative. You have to call upon how you responded in the past to know the best way to respond when you face the same or similar stressors. It would certainly help if you had some warning when the stressors would show up.

Aging Causes Stress

Aging is one of the major stressors we face. To get an idea, read the material in the second reference. Near the end of the article, you can read the impact of aging on every organ and system in the body. We can’t stop aging, but we can prepare for it. Remember what I said about when stressors would show up? We have a pretty good idea when that will happen with aging, so we can work to reduce the impact on our bodies. That’s what Aging with a Vengeance is all about. In the next few Memos, I’m going to tell you those areas I think we can impact the most as we age.

What are you prepared to do today?

        Dr. Chet

References:
1. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK541120/
2. https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/004012.htm

Here Comes the Stress

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We’ve entered the stress zone for many people: the holiday season, the hustle, the bustle, the people, the shopping, even in the cyber age. But mostly, it’s the people. There seems to be so many of them, and they all seem to congregate wherever you’re going. What seemed so exciting when you were a child isn’t as exciting as an adult.

Here’s a little secret: the time of year doesn’t really matter. Stress will always be there. It just seems worse this time of the year as we bounce from one holiday event to another. In reality, it’s not the stress; it’s how we respond to it that can impact us. And impact us it does, from the nervous system, the endocrine system, the cardiovascular system, and on and on.

What can you do about it? Beginning on Saturday, I’m going to spend some time explaining what the stress response is and how you can deal with it. But something you can do right now is very simple. Take a deep breath in, a real deep breath, and let it out. Do that two or three times. It can reset the vagus nerve and give you some instant relief.

What are you prepared to do today?

        Dr. Chet

Distress Is Normal!

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We’ve experienced ever-present stress over the past three years, from pandemics to politics to prices of just about everything. It hasn’t slowed down, and that can take its toll—if you let it. Am I saying that stress is normal? I already said that in the last Memo. The objective is to train the body to adapt to stress.

I’m not going to review the entire general adaptation syndrome, but put simply, you expose yourself to a planned stressor, such as exercise, to train the body to adapt to the hormones released during stress. That way the body is trained to respond to stress hormones when you’re exposed to other types of stress.

The Stress Response

The most extreme yet common example of the stress response I can think of for almost everyone would be this: did you ever almost have a car accident? I mean within seconds, you’d have been severely injured and maybe dead. Remember that first minute afterward? If you had sensors to test yourself, your heart rate and blood pressure would be sky high. You’d be breathing heavily. You’d most likely be shaking. All the hormones that caused those reactions would still be coursing through your body; it would take time for your body to normalize. That’s the extreme, fight-or-flight, type of stress response.

When you exercise regularly, you train your body to deal with that hormone surge, although the results aren’t as extreme as when you’re exposed to life-threatening stress. How you respond is at least partially in your control.

Dealing with Stress

I interviewed psychologist Evan Parks again to ask him how a person can deal with the anxiety caused by today’s stress. Here are his recommendations:

  • Stand outside your body and take a survey of what’s going on. Is there anything you attribute the symptoms to? Are you feeling stress in response to something specific, or is it just a general feeling of anxiety?
  • Does talking about it with a spouse or a friend help clarify things for you?
  • Can you center your thoughts from doom and gloom to a realistic perspective by prayer or meditation?

If these steps help, great. If not, it may be time to seek professional help.

Psychology isn’t my area of expertise. You can hear the interview in Straight Talk on Health on drchet.com if you’re an Insider or Member; it will be posted no later than Monday. Dr. Evan Parks does a great job of explaining all of it in more detail.

The Bottom Line

Distress is normal, so you’d better get used to it. One way to do that is to use a positive stressor such as exercise to help you prepare your body. Yes, eating a better diet and eating less may help as well. Use planned distress to your advantage by preparing your body for the unpredictable stress of today’s life.

What are you prepared to do today?

        Dr. Chet

Living in Anxious Times

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A psychologist I’ve interviewed on my local radio show on WGVU-FM, the Grand Rapids NPR affiliate, called me recently to talk about a wave of anxiety that seems to be impacting people: increased visits to doctors and ERs for chest pain, headaches, high blood pressure, and many more symptoms that don’t have a physiological explanation. Without a physical explanation, the symptoms may be our response to the stressful times in which we live.

Think about it. Things seem to be out of control. We’re exiting a pandemic that has changed the way society interacts. On top of that, every day there seems to be another major act of violence, such as the one recently in my home town of Buffalo, NY. Inflation is talked about incessantly. Supply chain issues are having serious effects on our lives—there’s nothing more serious than being unable to feed your baby. If we’re on social media, we can’t escape it. The stress of life is having an impact on every single one of us.

I think what’s happened over the last few decades, at least in the U.S. and Canada, is that we’ve come to believe that a happy life is one free of stress. We’ve gotten to believe that those stress feelings are not good. Is stress bad? I’ll discuss that as well as how to cope with stress on Saturday.

This month’s Insider Conference Call is tomorrow night. The call is where you can get your product and health questions answered. I’ll have a research topic or two that I’ll talk about, and then it’s on to your questions.

What are you prepared to do today?

        Dr. Chet

P.S. A reminder that the Optimal Performance Program has gone digital: you can you can buy and download the four audios and the workbook. My keystone energy-building, weight-management, and fitness product is still available as CDs and a bound workbook, but if you are more accustomed to listening to MP3s and you don’t like paying for shipping, this deal is for you. I’m introducing the download version only for only $29.95; Member and Insider discounts apply. Regardless of age or current fitness level, you can achieve Optimal Performance. Get your copy today!

Reducing COVID-19 Stress

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On the way to the studio yesterday to record my radio show Straight Talk on Health, an Insider asked me about how to assess a hotel for whether he should stay there or not. Then last night, I heard an interview with David Ropeik, author of the book “How Risky Is It?”

After thinking about it, the common theme is that the risk presented by the COVID-19 virus has us in a constant state of stress. Should we go on a trip or not? Do we continue the book club meetings or go to swim class? Can we get enough toilet paper—something we seem to be obsessing about?

We are facing something that’s unseen. We don’t know exactly who has the virus or whether they’re infectious. We can do only what we can do. Wash your hands. Clean surfaces regularly. Cough or sneeze into your elbow. Those things we can control and so we should. What we should not do is worry about them. Impossible, you say? I know it’s difficult, but here’s the deal: worry leads to stress, and stress has a negative affect on the immune system. Just when you need your immune system to be at its optimal level, the stress causes it to be compromised. That’s not helping you get ready in case you’re exposed, and many of us will be. It’s our immune system that will determine how our body responds.

Control what you can, chill out, and take your supplements. Do things you can do at home that relax you and make you feel happy, whether it’s reading, sorting through your closet, watching a movie, or video calling your grandkids. Take a nap, pet your dog, do some yoga—never tried yoga? Now you’ve got time.

That’s the best advice I can give you to keep your immune system strong.

What are you prepared to do today?

        Dr. Chet

Nothing Else Matters

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“Where health is at stake, nothing else should be considered.”

            Jane Austen’s Emma

Health today is a serious matter. My observation is that we spend a lot of time worrying, maybe even obsessing, about our health; this is not to be confused with disease. If we have a serious medical condition that requires treatment, we’re right to be concerned. But even our treatment and recovery can be impacted by excessive worrying. It’s our attitude toward health that can be improved. For that, we’re going to visit Jane Austen’s novels.

I recently read an article by the author of “The Jane Austen Diet.” He talked about the health nuggets in Austen novels that are often overlooked. Three things caught my attention: the Austen approach to food, exercise, and self image.

The characters and heroines in Austen’s novels seemed to enjoy their food. While the diet was heavy in meats and vegetables, the focus was to enjoy the company of others while eating and not allow one’s feelings to dictate how much one ate. Can we say that today? We worry about the carb count or the fat grams. Stress causes many people to eat more, sometimes a lot more, than they otherwise might. Enjoy a meal with others can be a rare event. How many of our meals happen in our cars as we hustle from one place to another?

The message seems to be to slow down and enjoy food. Food is not just to nourish our body; it should nourish our souls as well.

What are you prepared to do today?

        Dr. Chet

Reference: https://wapo.st/2UeaSiZ