So this is the million dollar question! Can we find a way to reverse the ageing process? There’s an enzyme that can protect our telomeres, but too much of it exposes us to certain cancers.
The approach being taken in science is one of maintenance- to preserve the length you have through a range of lifestyle factors.
So interesting. But what about the situations that I used to find stressful that I don't find stressful anymore but are I guess might be perceived by most people as stressful. Things like giving a lecture.
So this is where things get interesting! If we use the skydive 🪂 analogy to mean lecturing (probably some real life parallels!) it’s possible a few things are happening. 1. You’re familiar with the stress response and you notice it less. The cortisol provides adrenaline that makes your delivery of the lecture engaging! 2. You have established routines around your lecturing, this buffers the stress response, so less cortisol is required because those routines have become comforting. 3. Lecturing might elicit fewer physiological stress responses than jumping out of a plane in the first place!
It’s nuanced, practice and routines will undoubtedly reduce our stress response - at least the response that we notice! Cortisol is there doing the job it’s supposed to.
Another thing to consider is that we wake up with more cortisol than we go to sleep with. It’s called the cortisol awakening response. Our cortisol rises to literally get us up and get us going.
This is why, in chronically stressed people it’s harder to get out of bed in the morning or get going.. when we are chronically stressed our cortisol response becomes blunted. It stops working as effectively.
This is really compelling research explained very clearly. So is the length change in telomeres permanent? Or can you reverse this with a longer period of relaxation?
So this is the million dollar question! Can we find a way to reverse the ageing process? There’s an enzyme that can protect our telomeres, but too much of it exposes us to certain cancers.
The approach being taken in science is one of maintenance- to preserve the length you have through a range of lifestyle factors.
So interesting. But what about the situations that I used to find stressful that I don't find stressful anymore but are I guess might be perceived by most people as stressful. Things like giving a lecture.
So this is where things get interesting! If we use the skydive 🪂 analogy to mean lecturing (probably some real life parallels!) it’s possible a few things are happening. 1. You’re familiar with the stress response and you notice it less. The cortisol provides adrenaline that makes your delivery of the lecture engaging! 2. You have established routines around your lecturing, this buffers the stress response, so less cortisol is required because those routines have become comforting. 3. Lecturing might elicit fewer physiological stress responses than jumping out of a plane in the first place!
It’s nuanced, practice and routines will undoubtedly reduce our stress response - at least the response that we notice! Cortisol is there doing the job it’s supposed to.
Another thing to consider is that we wake up with more cortisol than we go to sleep with. It’s called the cortisol awakening response. Our cortisol rises to literally get us up and get us going.
This is why, in chronically stressed people it’s harder to get out of bed in the morning or get going.. when we are chronically stressed our cortisol response becomes blunted. It stops working as effectively.
This is really compelling research explained very clearly. So is the length change in telomeres permanent? Or can you reverse this with a longer period of relaxation?