Chronic psychological stress
Toxins · Lifestyle
Critical priority
Bottom line
Read Off Label rates Chronic psychological stress a CRITICAL avoidance priority (8.6/10) based on strong evidence of strong harm magnitude and very high prevalence exposure prevalence.
Like sleep, listed as a 'toxin' because the physiological consequences are well-characterized and measurable.
The intervention here is reducing exposure, not adding a compound.
What this is
Like sleep, listed as a 'toxin' because the physiological consequences are well-characterized and measurable. Telomere shortening (Epel 2004) was a landmark finding for biological aging effects. Chronic stress is arguably more actionable via behavior change than many chemical exposures on this list and has larger effect sizes.
Mechanism
Sustained activation of HPA axis; chronically elevated cortisol; sympathetic predominance; shorter telomeres (Epel 2004); systemic inflammation; immune suppression; accelerated biological aging
Dose & route
Meditation/mindfulness; CBT; social connection; exercise; psychotherapy for trauma; time in nature
Citations
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15574496/
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28759712/
- https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8219790/
- https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT02602535
Links go to the source. If a link is dead or you want something re-checked, let me know.
Common questions
- How harmful is Chronic psychological stress?
- Chronic psychological stress is rated CRITICAL avoidance priority (8.6/10) on the Read Off Label scale, derived from strong evidence of strong harm magnitude and very high prevalence exposure prevalence.
- How does Chronic psychological stress cause harm?
- Sustained activation of HPA axis; chronically elevated cortisol; sympathetic predominance; shorter telomeres (Epel 2004); systemic inflammation; immune suppression; accelerated biological aging
- How do you reduce exposure to Chronic psychological stress?
- Like sleep, listed as a 'toxin' because the physiological consequences are well-characterized and measurable.
This is an independent synthesis of published research by a non-clinician. Scores are opinions supported by citations, not prescriptions. See the full disclaimer and methodology for how this score was produced and what it does and doesn't mean.