Hello there and welcome to my 114 th blog,
Longevity has become one of my recent interests.
I wrote a blog in 2021 about this and how we can aim to achieve optimum longevity. I mentioned the Blue Zones and common traits these zones have which seem to lead to a longer and healthier life. I have continued in my exploration of this increasingly large landscape and whilst listening to a podcasts a couple of weeks ago, I stumbled across the concept of hormesis.
Now, perhaps some of you have heard and are familiar with this word, and the phrase hormetic stress. I was not.
Here, I feel that some context may be required.
It’s not brain science that stress is not good for us. Stress causes emotional issues, physical problems, cognitive difficulties, and behavioral troubles.
However, what if I were to say to you, that stress can actually be a very positive and good thing for your overall health and wellness? I can even verify that this is based on sound scientific research.
Recent research has shown that short, intermittent bursts of certain stressors can actually trigger a cascade of cellular processes that may enhance your overall health, slow the ageing process, and even make you more resilient to future stress, both physical and mental. This is hormesis. The dose makes the poison.
Wow! How cool is this!.
Here, I feel we need to chat about chronic stress. There is no question that the harms of chronic stress caused by things like an unsustainable workload, poor or difficult relationships, lack of sleep, or financial hardships can wreak havoc on your life, and this is very different from hormetic stress. Let me explain.
When your body encounters a source of stress, it releases a flood of hormones that help you to react to the threat. With short term sources of stress, hormetic stressors, these hormones can boost your energy supplies and help your body repair its tissues. However, chronic and long-term stressors expose you to excess hormones which are no longer beneficial and could disrupt your body’s processes, putting you at risk of many health problems.
What are hermetic stressors?
- Exercise.
High-intensity interval training (HIIT) which is characterized by intermittent bursts of all out effort for about 30 seconds followed by 15 seconds of rest, is one of the most efficient ways to experience hormesis.
During these intense bursts, your muscles are briefly starved of oxygen (hypoxia) causing free radicals to be produced which then stimulate the production of mitochondria. Mitochondria are responsible for producing the energy our cells need to function. This is so good because as you get older, you tend to lose mitochondria which leaves you tired and without energy. So, by stimulating this mitochondrial biogenesis, you can enhance your overall health. You are also activating the fast-twitch muscles which may be beneficial for longevity.
Any exercise that challenges you, whether it’s an intense spin class, a run, or a boxing workout are all good choices. Keep the balance by alternating these with slower, restorative workouts like yoga and muscle building workouts like strength training. I am going to try to incorporate this into my jogging and walking by trying a few bursts of sprinting during the exercise.
- Extreme temperatures
-Heat
Saunas, hot baths, working out on a warm day or even taking a hot yoga class are all ways to reap the benefits of heat. Sauna use has been associated with reduced all causes of the mortality rate. Periodic heat exposure can boost the expression of heat shock proteins in the body which may help strengthen the immune system and promote longevity. It may be time for me to head to the local gym and hit the sauna. I have always found the European ones a little unnerving as everyone is naked and sometimes there are not separate ones for boys and girls. Not my vibe, I am afraid.
-Cold
Ice baths, cold showers or even spending time outside when it’s cold can be beneficial. Regular cold exposure has been shown to boost levels of certain immune cells, some of which play a role in killing virally infected cells and cancer cells which may boost our life span. it can improve your mood, reduce pain and inflammation, and improve your metabolism. I have regular cold showers in the summer and am aiming now to start my winter ones with cold and then go for the warmth. I am often the one in very cold swimming pools, but that because my youth swimming training was mostly done in freezing pools.
Both heat and cold exposure have also been associated with the mitochondrial biogenesis as described above.
- Hypoxic breathing practices
While more definitive research is needed in this area, holding your breath for as long as is comfortable regularly, may be a good way to experience intermittent hypoxia.
Breathwork has become a big part of my life Recently I was introduced to 4-7-8 breathing technique. A breathe in for 4, a hold for 7, and then a breath out for 8. I use this exercise frequently, and often double the in, hold, and out breath, increasing the hypoxic time. It makes me feel amazing, honestly.
These breathing practices increase the amount of oxygen available for your body to use which has so many benefits. This may enhance your athletic performance, mental cognition, and body composition as well as reduce your cardiovascular disease, to name a few.
- Phytonutrients
Your healthy hermetic stress response can actually be activated by the taking in of phytonutrients. How easy and fantastic is this! Let us have a look at the much maligned (my words) broccoli. Broccoli contain glucosinolates which are thought to activate beneficial detoxification enzymes. Turmeric containing curcumin, berries and wine, allicin from garlic, and even green tea, can all have huge benefits in activating your healthy hermetic stress response. It would also seem that plants exposed to more stress in their environment will produce higher levels of these beneficial compounds. Generally, brightly coloured plants have the most phytonutrients.
- Intermittent fasting
When you embark on fasting, especially intermittent fasting, your body is placed into a perceived state of stress due to temporary nutrient deprivation. To make this quite complicated process a little simpler, what happens is that fasting inhibits a cellular process, which then triggers a cellular cleanup known as autophagy (literally self-eating), which may contribute to better cellular health and longevity. I have written a blog about fasting, and I know of a number of folks who have benefited from this.
- Mentally stimulating and challenging activities
Learning new skills, engaging in challenging mental work, and being very busy can also constitute hermetic stress. Various cellular pathways can be stimulated, which is so beneficial. I do all of this. Neuroplasticity may be promoted which is the ability of the nervous system to change its activity in response to stimuli.
How can these hermetic stressors benefit you?
- It may help you cope with more severe stress
It would appear that exposing yourself to more moderate stressors or high stressors for a very short period of time, could help you more effectively manage more extreme stress. The reason for this is that hermetic stress triggers the activation of hermetic pathways in the brain that helps neurons cope with more severe stress. A great example that illustrates this pretty well, is working out in the gym. Initially it is horrible, but quite soon you are able to deal with heavier muscular strains.
- It can boost confidence
Whether you are standing under icy water for sixty seconds, running very fast, or trying to fit in too much in one day, these feats are a test of your endurance, and may therefore give you a sense of accomplishment.
- It may improve physical performance
By consistently challenging our bodies through physical activity, we can improve our strength, endurance, and overall fitness.
- Cognitive function may be enhanced
Studies have shown that regular exercise can boost memory and learning (we have chatted about this before), while intermittent fasting has been associated with increased neurogenesis (the growth of new brain calls).
- You may live longer
This goes back to the reason for my writing this blog. The cellular pathways, described above, that are activated can benefit and slow the ageing journey, build resilience, and reduce inflammation.
- Inflammation may be reduced
Chronic inflammation is a huge contributor to many diseases. Hormetic stress may help to reduce this inflammation by activating various anti-inflammatory pathways and promoting the production of protective molecules like heat shock proteins.
- Cellular health may be enhanced
Hormetic stress can stimulate the body’s natural repair processes, such as autophagy and DNA repair, as already mentioned. This helps to maintain overall cell health and to protect against age related damage.
Before you embark on any of these hermetic stressors, please consult your practitioner if you have any medical ailments.
I really hope that you find the right amount and type of stress that pushes your body just beyond its comfort zone, your “sweet spot”, and that you can really benefit from this easy practice of hormesis.
Wishing you a wonderful week ahead.
With thanks to Stephanie Eckelkamp, Ice Barrel and Harley Therapy.