Can You Reverse Aging from Stress?

Chronic stress affects your physical and mental health in many ways. In one survey, 46% of people said they overeat or eat unhealthy foods when stressed, 29% drank more alcohol, and 16% smoked more. Over half of adults said stress made them more depressed, and 61% felt more anxious.¹

Stress does more than ruin your day—it can speed up aging and cause health problems like heart disease, a weak immune system, and memory issues. As you get older, stress also increases your risk of high blood pressure, diabetes, and cognitive decline.^{2, 3}

It doesn’t have to be that way! By incorporating stress-management techniques and making informed lifestyle changes, you can reduce or even reverse the harmful effects of stress that accelerate aging.

How Stress Ages You 

Chronic stress speeds up aging by affecting your telomeres, which are like the protective tips on your shoelaces, but for your DNA. When telomeres get too short, cells can’t divide properly and either die or malfunction. Normally, this happens with age, but stress accelerates the process. Stress chemicals wear down telomeres faster, leading to quicker aging and higher risks of diseases like heart disease, diabetes, and cancer.^{4, 5}

Stress also causes chronic inflammation, unlike temporary inflammation from acute stress.⁶ This persistent inflammation can damage tissues and organs, contributing to conditions like arthritis, heart disease, and Alzheimer’s disease.⁷

Oxidative stress is another factor. Stress increases free radicals, which damage cells and DNA. This speeds up aging and can lead to diseases like Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and cancer, as well as physical conditions like cataracts and atherosclerosis.⁸

Hormonal imbalances from stress impact aging, too. Chronic stress keeps cortisol levels high, disrupting your body’s natural cycle. This leads to weight gain, weakened immunity, impaired brain function, and higher blood-sugar levels, increasing your risk of insulin resistance.^{9, 10}

Long-term stress weakens your immune system, making you more prone to infections and illnesses. This hampers your body’s ability to repair and regenerate cells, accelerating aging and reducing resilience against age-related health issues.^{11, 12}

How You Can Reverse Age-Related Stress 

Stress impacts both mental and physical health, speeding up aging and increasing disease risk. However, the right strategies can help you reverse age-related stress, boost your health, and age powerfully.

Manage Stress With Smart Diet and Lifestyle Changes

How you eat, move, and rest can significantly impact the stress that ages you. A diet rich in high-quality protein is a powerful way to manage stress. Protein helps repair muscles, counteract muscle loss from stress, and build brain chemicals that regulate mood. Aim for 30-50 grams of protein per meal and at least 100 grams daily from sources like pastured poultry, wild-caught fish, and grass-fed beef.^{13, 14} 

Key nutrients also play a role in managing stress:

• Antioxidants like vitamins C and E protect cells from damage.¹⁵ 
• B vitamins maintain energy levels and support brain function.¹⁶ 
• Minerals like magnesium and zinc lower stress and keep cells healthy.^{17, 18} 
• Adaptogens like ashwagandha and rhodiola help your body adapt to stress.¹⁹
• Herbal supplements such as turmeric and ginseng support healthy aging and reduce stress.^{20, 21} 

Resistance training is another excellent way to fight stress. It lowers stress hormones, increases muscle mass, and improves bone density. It also supports heart health and metabolism. ^{22, 23}

My Resistance Training Cheat Sheet provides everything you need, including home gym essentials, an 8-week workout plan, and a progress tracker to monitor your sets, reps, and weights with each workout. 

Quality sleep is crucial for reducing stress’s negative impacts.^{24, 25} Aim for 7-9 hours of uninterrupted sleep each night to get those benefits. Establishing a regular sleep schedule, creating a relaxing bedtime routine, and ensuring a comfortable environment can significantly improve sleep quality. Research shows that taking melatonin can slow aging and help you sleep better.²⁶

Practice Mindfulness Techniques

Incorporating mindfulness techniques like meditation into your daily routine can effectively manage age-related stress. Meditation calms your mind, lowers cortisol levels, and reduces stress. Regular practice also enhances mental clarity, concentration, and emotional stability.²⁷ Dr. Joe Dispenza’s meditations are my favorite way to fit this stress-managing method into my daily routine.**

Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT), or tapping, is another effective method for releasing negative emotions and stress. EFT improves emotional health and boosts overall vitality by tapping on specific pressure points.²⁸ Its simplicity and ease make it a convenient anti-aging tool for quick stress relief anywhere.

The next time you feel stressed, take a deep breath! Deep breathing activates your parasympathetic nervous system (part of your body’s nervous system that helps calm you down after stress), helping you relax and lowering your heart rate and blood pressure. It also improves mental clarity and focus, making it easier to handle stress.^{29, 30} 

Cultivate Social Connections and Support Systems

Strong social connections are linked to longer, healthier lives.³¹ Positive relationships provide emotional support and a sense of belonging, making it easier to share burdens and feel less isolated. 

Friends and family offer comfort and understanding, helping you feel more stable and resilient during stressful times. Social support also builds resilience by providing different perspectives and solutions to problems, enhancing your ability to cope with challenges. Maintaining social connections also benefits your heart health and boosts your immune system.³²

The Best Tools and Tips for Aging Powerfully

Aging powerfully and maintaining a youthful appearance require more than just good genes—you need effective strategies. I created Inner Wellness, Outer Beauty: Your Anti-Aging Cheat Sheet to share the powerful tools and techniques I use to fight aging from the inside out. This guide includes top recommendations for anti-aging foods, essential supplements, exercise routines, and lifestyle strategies that help you look and feel younger. Incorporating these anti-aging practices into your daily routine can enhance your vitality, maintain a youthful glow, manage stress more effectively, and embrace a healthier, more vibrant life.

Get your FREE copy of Inner Wellness, Outer Beauty: Your Anti-Aging Cheat Sheet here.

References:

1. Mental Health Foundation: Stress: Statistics
2. Mayo Clinic: Chronic stress puts your health at risk
3. Science Direct: Poor health, stress in 20s takes toll in 40s with lower cognition 
4. Lee J, Pellegrini MV. Biochemistry, Telomere And Telomerase. [Updated 2022 Dec 11]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2024 Jan-. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK576429/
5. NY Times: Link Between Long Telomeres and Long Life Is a Tall Tale, Study Finds 
6. Liu YZ, Wang YX, Jiang CL. Inflammation: The Common Pathway of Stress-Related Diseases. Front Hum Neurosci. 2017 Jun 20;11:316. doi: 10.3389/fnhum.2017.00316. PMID: 28676747; PMCID: PMC5476783.
7. Cleveland Clinic: What Is Inflammation? Types, Causes & Treatment
8. Pham-Huy LA, He H, Pham-Huy C. Free radicals, antioxidants in disease and health. Int J Biomed Sci. 2008 Jun;4(2):89-96. PMID: 23675073; PMCID: PMC3614697.
9. American Psychological Association: Stress effects on the body
10. Joseph JJ, Golden SH. Cortisol dysregulation: the bidirectional link between stress, depression, and type 2 diabetes mellitus. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 2017 Mar;1391(1):20-34. doi: 10.1111/nyas.13217. Epub 2016 Oct 17. PMID: 27750377; PMCID: PMC5334212.
11. Cleveland Clinic Health Essentials: Stress Sickness: Stress and Your Immune System
12. MedlinePlus: Aging changes in immunity
13. Stokes T, Hector AJ, Morton RW, McGlory C, Phillips SM. Recent Perspectives Regarding the Role of Dietary Protein for the Promotion of Muscle Hypertrophy with Resistance Exercise Training. Nutrients. 2018 Feb 7;10(2):180. doi: 10.3390/nu10020180. PMID: 29414855; PMCID: PMC5852756.
14. Harvard Health: Nutritional psychiatry: Your brain on food
15. Mayo Clinic: Add antioxidants to your diet 
16. WebMD: Health Benefits of Vitamin B Complex
17. Cuciureanu MD, Vink R. Magnesium and stress. In: Vink R, Nechifor M, editors. Magnesium in the Central Nervous System [Internet]. Adelaide (AU): University of Adelaide Press; 2011. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK507250/
18. Medical News Today: Zinc: Benefits, sources, and side effects
19. Healthline: Can You Take Rhodiola and Ashwagandha Together?
20. Healthline: 7 Proven Health Benefits of Ginseng
21. Bielak-Zmijewska A, Grabowska W, Ciolko A, Bojko A, Mosieniak G, Bijoch Ł, Sikora E. The Role of Curcumin in the Modulation of Ageing. Int J Mol Sci. 2019 Mar 12;20(5):1239. doi: 10.3390/ijms20051239. PMID: 30871021; PMCID: PMC6429134.
22. Strickland JC, Smith MA. The anxiolytic effects of resistance exercise. Front Psychol. 2014 Jul 10;5:753. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2014.00753. PMID: 25071694; PMCID: PMC4090891.
23. Smart TFF, Doleman B, Hatt J, Paul M, Toft S, Lund JN, Phillips BE. The role of resistance exercise training for improving cardiorespiratory fitness in healthy older adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Age Ageing. 2022 Jun 1;51(6):afac143. doi: 10.1093/ageing/afac143. PMID: 35737600; PMCID: PMC9220026.
24. Brinkman JE, Reddy V, Sharma S. Physiology of Sleep. [Updated 2023 Apr 3]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2024 Jan-. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK482512/
25. Sleep Foundation: Mental Health and Sleep 
26. Martín Giménez VM, de Las Heras N, Lahera V, Tresguerres JAF, Reiter RJ, Manucha W. Melatonin as an Anti-Aging Therapy for Age-Related Cardiovascular and Neurodegenerative Diseases. Front Aging Neurosci. 2022 Jun 3;14:888292. doi: 10.3389/fnagi.2022.888292. PMID: 35721030; PMCID: PMC9204094.
27. Mayo Clinic: Meditation: A simple, fast way to reduce stress
28. Blacher S. Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT): Tap to relieve stress and burnout. J Interprof Educ Pract. 2023 Mar;30:100599. doi: 10.1016/j.xjep.2023.100599. Epub 2023 Jan 14. PMID: 36687311; PMCID: PMC9840127.
29. Better Health Channel: Breathing to reduce stress
30. Scientific American: Proper Breathing Brings Better Health
31. Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health: An active social life may help you live longer 
32. Umberson D, Montez JK. Social relationships and health: a flashpoint for health policy. J Health Soc Behav. 2010;51 Suppl(Suppl):S54-66. doi: 10.1177/0022146510383501. PMID: 20943583; PMCID: PMC3150158.

*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food & Drug Administration. Products mentioned are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. The views in this blog by JJ Virgin should never be used as a substitute for professional medical advice. Please work with a healthcare practitioner concerning any medical problem or concern. 

**I couldn’t make it without supportive relationships, and I bet you feel the same! That’s why my team and I offer you products and services we believe in. If you happen to purchase something I recommend here, I may receive some kind of compensation. However, I only bring you partners whose content and core values will serve you with the same commitment to excellence my team and I strive for every day. Please be in touch with any concerns.