Science and Health

Here’s How Stress Impacts Us at a Genetic Level and How to Address It with Lifestyle Changes.

Stress exposure can modify DNA methylation, leave a long-lasting impact on our genetic profile, and impact our health and longevity.

Less Spoken Aspect of Stress

Possibly your perceptions, beliefs, and views on stress will change after reading this article. I look at the genetic aspect, which is less spoken about.

Readers wonder why I write a lot about stress. I write about stress because it matters for our health, well-being, longevity, creativity, productivity, and relationships.

My goal in this article is to focus on the less known and less vocal aspects of stress based on my reviews and experience.

This piece is not a scientific paper, but the ideas are backed up by science, even though the body of knowledge is still limited and rising slowly.

Thus, I’d like to create awareness of my best knowledge and experience.

People usually perceive stress as a psychological construct.

Yet it has a physiological, biological, chemical, and electrical effect on the body affecting the mind. So stress is psychosomatic, affecting both the body and mind.

Purpose and Inspiration of the Article

Readers who notice my emphasis on my metabolic and mental health articles wonder how stress as a mental entity affects the body and brain physiologically.

Some readers even wonder how childhood traumas can increase stress in adulthood and cause more emotional problems.

The answer those these questions is broadly related to our genes.

Thus, I decided to pen this article to briefly explain the impact of stress at the genetic level without going into scientific details.

I also provide a broad perspective on stress, highlighting the importance of micro stressors forming chronic stress and affecting our physiology and psychology.

In addition, based on my experience, I offer 12 proven takeaway points to satisfy the needs of my readers.

Brief Introduction to DNA Methylation

The critical aspect of stress is the methylation of DNA which can change gene expression.

First, let me explain DNA methylation without going into the scientific details. However, without having a basic knowledge of chemistry, biology, and genetics, it is difficult to understand the methylation process for DNA.

I only give a mental picture of the genetic effects of stress so that readers can visualize it within a stress management context.

Most straightforwardly, methylation is a biochemical process referring transfer of atoms from one molecule to another. Its opposite is demethylation.

The easiest way to understand it is by using a metaphor.

Methylation and demethylation resemble the on and off a switch for electricity.

In my article’s context, DNA methylation is adding methyl groups (containing a carbon atom surrounded by three hydrogen atoms) to a DNA molecule to create an action.

This simple yet powerful process enormously impacts our biology, changing our genes positively or negatively. For example, DNA methylation can repress gene transcription.

Gene transcription refers to copying a segment of DNA into RNA.

These two constructs differ based on functionality, structure, location, and type of sugar they use.

As it is beyond the scope of my article, interested readers can learn about the difference between DNA and RNA at this educative link.

In short, physical and psychological stress can change our DNA and RNA. However, we can affect our genes with lifestyle choices especially using the power of mind that I touch on in the takeaway section.

A Perspective on Stress from Epigenetics’ Angle

As documented in the body of knowledge, the way our genes express themselves might contribute to the formation of various diseases or prevent the body from disease occurrences.

For example, we might have a specific gene that might create a particular type of disease if activated. However, if the body finds ways not to activate that specific gene, the risk of the genetic disease reduces.

Likewise, activating some good ones like SIRT genes via lifestyle habits can bring healing benefits to the body that might increase our longevity.

For example, I deliberately use dry saunas, cold exposure, trampoline, autophagy, time-restricted eating, and ketogenic diets for ketosis to activate healing genes.

There are many factors activating genes. Most of them are related to our lifestyle. One of the critical ones is stress which is the goal of this article.

Scientific studies indicate that our exposure to stress through DNA methylation can alter gene expression that might lead to specific diseases.

Several studies investigated early life stress (such as in childhood), leaving a long-lasting impact on DNA methylation that carries to adulthood.

Leveraging this critical finding in scientific studies, I’d like to focus on effective stress management.

Importance of Stress Management

World Health Organization classified stress as the health epidemic of the 21st century for valid reasons.

In this modern world, we feel more stressed than our ancestors, who had fewer opportunities to cope with stress.

This simple observation shows the importance of our genes and the reptilian brain (primitive part) for managing stress.

But unfortunately, the neocortex struggles with old programming despite the scientific and technological progress we made.

As a psychosomatic process, stress management requires a holistic approach to get desired outcomes.

For example, chronic stress adversely affects both physical and mental health. But, more importantly, toxic emotions can ruin our health and well-being.

Paradox of Cortisol

The primary stress hormone, cortisol, creates a paradoxical situation for humans. This wonderful hormone that keeps us alive can also ruin our health.

Without the help of cortisol, the human body cannot handle never-ending internal and external stress.

Naturally, the body controls the cortisol hormone tightly and releases the required amount for survival.

However, innately, the more pressure the body gets, the more cortisol it releases. The goal is the body’s survival, coded in the primitive brain and genes.

Even though the body uses it as an essential hormone to manage stress, its excessive amount, like the sugar paradox, is seen as toxic.

Therefore, elevated cortisol levels pose significant health risks, as I explained in an article titled Optimize Cortisol to Melt Belly Fat and Keep Lean Muscles with Three Tips.

Cortisol also creates a paradoxical situation making us feel good when released, so we overlook our stress and continue putting more pressure on the body and brain. Workaholics and over-ambitious people are prime examples.

What are we missing about affecting our genes?

Recognizing significant stressors such as physical pain or emotional stress from grief and anger might be easy for many of us. So we take precautions to manage stress.

However, minor (micro) stressors fall into our blind spots as we do not immediately feel their impact. As a result, they remain unaddressed and keep accumulating.

Nevertheless, each micro-stressor makes an impact on the genetic level, changing the gene expressions. Therefore, I started this article by introducing DNA methylation to create awareness.

Possible Solutions to Address Micro Stressors

I am not a stress management expert. However, I understand the impact of stress on the brain and body. Micro stressors accumulate at a genetic level and turn into chronic stress if not addressed.

Through my observations and experimentations, I managed my stress effectively, healing my entangled health issues in my younger years, giving me nightmares mainly caused by chronic stress.

I firmly believe that every disease on earth has a connection with chronic stress. I am not the only one who has this belief, as many distinguished scientists also hold this perspective.

Anyone doubting this perspective might check a brief presentation by Dr. Gabor Maté titled Shocking Truth About Stress and gain insights.

As Dr. Maté articulates and is well documented in the body of knowledge, stress has three components. We can recognize the stressors, especially coming externally with various senses and feelings they create

However, there are various internal stressors too that we might not easily recognize unless they give us pain signals.

Scientists also documented the outcomes of stress using hormones, neurotransmitters, defense systems, cardiovascular systems, microbiota, and genetics.

However, the third component of stress, known as “stress response,” is an individual matter. Scientists and healthcare professionals cannot do much about this component apart from guiding and giving helpful medication to reduce the effects.

So stress management is the responsibility of individuals with help from qualified healthcare professionals, carers, and loved ones.

In a nutshell, changing our perspective on stressors and providing a more supportive response can significantly impact the effects of stress at the genetic level.

Takeaways to Manage Micro Stressors

Based on my experience, apart from healthy lifestyle habits like restorative sleep, good nutrition, movement, rest, and fun, I share 12 takeaway points.

I successfully use them to manage micro stressors in my life and maintain my health.

They are common sense and can be customizable.

1 — Mindfully observe minor stressors.

2 — Understand the stress triggers timely. Give names to them in your own words.

3 — Learn about three universal threats causing stress to humans.

4 — Take timely actions such as rest and taking breaks from stressful situations to balance hormones and neurotransmitters.

5 — Use the breath to respond to minor stressors. Timely breathing exercising can reduce the effects of

6 — Consider creative self-talk as a response to stressors. I provided a sample self-conversation method in this article.

7 — Make the mind believe that everything is under control when you sense stress triggers especially emotional ones.

8 — Consider meditation or other mindfulness practices like praying to connect with the higher self.

9 — As micro stressors might also be triggered from childhood traumas, consider psychotherapy to address them timely.

10 — Enrich relationships with flexibility, understanding, empathy, and compassion.

11 — Most notably, practice self-love (self-compassion) and forgive your mistakes to reduce emotional burden.

12 — Finally, never be shy to seek help when needed.

I hope you can customize these takeaway points to suit your needs.

Final Words

Stress is inevitable in our lives. We need stress to survive and grow.

However, when stress accumulates and turns into chronic stress, it can ruin our lives by reducing our quality of life and shorting our lifespan.

We need to be extra careful with emotional stress, which looks like a more significant part of the iceberg in energy deficiency.

I explained the importance of energy efficiency for the body and brain in an article titled Five Steps to Mental Clarity for Busy People.

Emotional stress (toxic emotions) affects our mental health, physical health, work performance, creativity, productivity, and relationships.

Thus, by increasing awareness of micro stressors with mindfulness practices and managing them effectively on time, we might prevent their accumulation and reduce the effects before they turn into chronic stress.

So the bottom line is not to underestimate the significance of minor stressors in our lives.

One of the best tools for me to manage stress, especially at work, is entering a flow state while creating. Other techniques I learned are slowing down and achieving more with less effort.

They are sustainable stress management solutions that I want to share with my readers. But, I also refrain from unnecessary stress creators. For example, a deliberate social media fast significantly reduced my stress.

Thank you for reading my perspectives. I wish you a healthy and happy life.

As a new reader, please check my holistic health and well-being stories reflecting my reviews, observations, and decades of experiments optimizing my hormones and neurotransmitters. I write about health as it matters. I believe health is all about homeostasis.

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