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Older adults who regularly spend time with family and friends may have bigger brains to show for it, a new study suggests. Healthy brain aging is a complex matter, and researchers are still trying to understand which factors keep the mind sharp and which ones feed declines in memory and thinking. But a number of…

Paying attention to stressful thoughts may help you reduce them. Mindfulness-based stress reduction is a strategy that involves becoming more self-aware of stress-provoking thoughts, accepting them without judgment or resistance, and allowing yourself the ability to process them (23Trusted Source). Training yourself to be aware of your thoughts, breathing, heart rate, and other signs of…

Depending on the intensity of exercise, it can increase or decrease cortisol. Intense exercise increases cortisol shortly afterward but will decrease a few hours later. This short-term increase helps coordinate growth of the body to meet the challenge. Additionally, the size of the cortisol response lessens with routine training (19Trusted Source). Regular exercise has been shown…

Prioritizing your sleep may be an effective way to reduce cortisol levels. Chronic sleep issues such as obstructive sleep apnea, insomnia, or shift work have been associated with higher cortisol (8Trusted Source). One review of 28 studies in shift workers found that cortisol levels were higher in workers who slept during the day (night shift…

Over the last 20 years, studies have increasingly revealed that moderate to high cortisol levels may lead to an array of health issues, such as (3Trusted Source, 4Trusted Source, 5Trusted Source, 6Trusted Source): Chronic disease. Long-term increased cortisol may increase your risk for high blood pressure, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, osteoporosis, and other chronic diseases. Weight gain. Cortisol may…

Cortisol is a stress hormone the adrenal glands release. It helps your body deal with stressful situations, as your brain triggers its release through the sympathetic nervous system — the “fight or flight” system — in response to many different kinds of stress (1Trusted Source, 2Trusted Source). While the short-term release of cortisol can help you…