A Cute Stress // Acute Stress
Since April is Stress Awareness month, we are exploring the idea that some stress can be beneficial to you. Up front, I should specify that this type of stress is not the hair pulling kind you feel when you’re working twelve hour days ahead of a deadline (that’s right, nobody is claiming those are good for you). Here’s a quick primer on some stress definitions:
Acute stress: this is an event that spurs your body’s fight or flight response for a short period of time. Activated by hormones, your sympathetic nervous system kicks in and triggers the release of adrenaline and cortisol, amongst other things. This results in elevated heart rate, blood pressure and breathing. After some 20-60 minutes, the parasympathetic system takes over, releasing “calm down” chemicals designed to return the body to its resting state. Our bodies stop clenching; heart rate, digestive functioning, and hormonal levels return to normal (this process is known as the relaxation response).
Chronic stress: the state when stress is administered with such a high frequency that your body can’t naturally let the relaxation response kick in. If we live in fear of losing our jobs, are in a position of financial hardship or experience unstable living conditions, this is the type of stress we experience, and this one comes with a myriad of health complications.
Now for the plot twist: research over the last few years points towards the idea that some acute stress is good for us. Meet hormesis, defined as an adaptive response of cells and organisms to moderate (usually intermittent) stress. This is precisely how vaccination works. Numerous studies have borne out that hormetic stressors can produce stress resilience, the ability for a quick recovery and the rejuvenation of cells and tissues. It’s the epitome of the adage “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger”.
Some examples of hormetic stressors associated with disease prevention and longevity are High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT), cold plunges and intermittent fasting. These techniques are all well and good, but before you go ordering an ice bath off Amazon, consider this:
Researchers have found that eating “phytochemicals” found in plants and fungi activate the same cellular processes as caloric restriction, fasting, and exercise and can improve health and longevity, meaning eating fruit and vegetables (the darker the better) can have hormetic effects. Crossword puzzles also count as hormetic stressors. The mild feeling of annoyance as you wrack your brain for that last lingering word is actually helping you to build resilience.
Whether HIIT or cold showers are more your speed when it comes to building up “distress tolerance”/resilience and aging better, I am simply here to deliver the following message:
The more hard stuff we do, the more hard stuff we CAN do.
