Chronic Stress: Follow These Simple Steps to Take Back Control

Mark Hyman

Nov 25, 2024

Episode description

Chronic stress isn’t just an inconvenience—it’s a silent killer affecting your health in ways you might not realize. In this episode of “The Doctor’s Farmacy,” I revisit conversations with Dr. Rangan Chatterjee and Dr. Elissa Epel to uncover the truth about stress, its surprising connections to diet, and actionable strategies to combat its effects. Whether it’s balancing your blood sugar, improving your heart rate variability, or creating restorative daily habits, these insights will empower you to take control of your health.

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Full-length episodes of these interviews can be found here:

Is There An Antidote To Stress?

How Chronic Stress Creates Hormonal Havoc

How To Reduce The Harmful Effects Of Chronic Stress

Which diet really gives you the best shot at optimal health? On Wednesday December 4th, Mark Hyman, MD will answer that question during The Diet Wars, a LIVE digital experience. Joined by Dr. Gabrielle Lyon, they’ll break down the science, debunk the myths, and share their expert perspectives to help you make the best choices for your health. Find out more and get tickets now at https://www.moment.co/markhyman

This episode is brought to you by Seed, ButcherBox, and Essentia.

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Mindsip insights from this episode:

Cultivate positive emotions to enhance mitochondrial activity

Research shows that waking up and going to bed with more positive emotion is linked to higher mitochondrial activity, which is the source of your cellular energy.

#mitochondria

#mood

Identify weekly stress triggers using heart rate variability data

By using data like heart rate variability (HRV), you can identify a specific trigger point in your week that causes a cascade of negative behaviors like drinking alcohol or eating poorly.

#HRV

#stress

Eliminate sugar and processed foods to reduce physiological stress

Eating sugar and processed foods raises your cortisol and stress hormones, causing physiological stress even if you are not mentally stressed.

#nutrition

#stress

Reduce sugar intake to lower stress hormones

Studies on children show that eating high-sugar foods like oatmeal, compared to an omelet with the same calories, can dramatically increase stress hormones like adrenaline and cortisol.

#cortisol

#sugar

Reframe trauma by understanding personal meaning

Trauma is not what happens to you, but rather the meaning you make from what happens to you, which explains why people have different biological responses to the same event.

#emotion

#trauma

Utilize adaptogens to modulate stress response

Adaptogenic herbs like rhodiola, ashwagandha, and cordyceps, as well as mushrooms like chaga and reishi, can help modulate the body's stress response.

#adaptogen

#stress

Recognize 'rest' state as low-grade chronic stress

What we perceive as our normal, relaxed baseline state (termed 'Yellow Mind') is often a state of low-grade chronic stress that we carry unconsciously.