Stress Archive

A 2025 study found that chronic stress is associated with higher stroke risks among women under 50, but not in men.

The purported health benefits of cold plunges include less stress, better sleep, and enhanced immunity, but the evidence is thin. While the practice may ease muscle soreness after intense exercise, it may have detrimental effects on gains in muscle power and strength. Because the shock of cold water on the skin can raise heart rate and blood pressure, people with cardiovascular disease (especially heart rhythm abnormalities) should avoid the practice.

A 2024 study indicated that adults 65 and older with major depression are more likely to exhibit risky driving behaviors such as speeding, hard braking, and hard cornering.

People trapped in catastrophic thought patterns are convinced everything is awful and won't improve, which creates a constant sense of helplessness, anxiety, and stress. One way to stop this doomsday thinking is learning how to mentally pivot. Mental pivoting is the action of consciously deciding to deflect thoughts when they arise, so they don't fester and grow. By doing this, people can feel more in control of invasive thoughts when they arise.

Researchers have found that the risk of death due to Alzheimer's disease is markedly lower in taxi and ambulance drivers compared with hundreds of other occupations. And the reason could be that these drivers develop certain structural changes in their brains as they work.

A 2024 study of more than 32,000 depression-free women who were followed for 14 years found that those who ate the most weekly servings of citrus (six or more) had a 22% lower risk for developing depression, compared with those who ate the least citrus.

In a 2025 study of about 2,000 people (average age 80) who were followed for seven years, about a third developed dementia or mild cognitive impairment. Being socially active seemed to delay that diagnosis for about five years.

In a 2025 Harvard study of more than 133,000 people followed for four decades, those who ate the most red meat each day (a quarter-serving or more) had a 13% higher risk of developing dementia later in life, compared with people who ate the least.