Stress has the potential to disrupt your DNA.

How do you handle stress?

When you encounter a traffic jam, do you get angry at other drivers or bang on the steering wheel? In moments of conflict, do you feel the urge to lash out?

Moreover, when your supervisor reprimands you, do you experience a surge of anger as you seethe internally?

These behaviors are all signs that stress is negatively impacting your overall well-being.

In addition to affecting your mood, stress also harms the genes within your cells. This recent discovery has significant implications...

We have grown so accustomed to daily stress that it may seem like a normal part of life. However, research now shows that this constant pressure can deeply penetrate your cells and actually change the behavior of your genetic material.

If left unaddressed, this could result in weight gain and the onset of serious illnesses.

Studies on these genetic changes now focus on what are known as epigenetic effects – how stress doesn't alter your basic DNA but influences the functioning or "expression" of genes.

Your genetic material doesn't work in isolation, and your health destiny isn't predetermined. The events in your life and your lifestyle choices have a strong impact on how genes perform their functions.

For instance, research from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem shows that stress directly affects the functions of microRNA within your cells.

Initially, microRNA were believed to be "junk" DNA – genetic material passed down through generations that had lost its original purpose, similar to items stored in basements or garages that haven't been used for years.

However, it is now understood that microRNA play a role in processes that can lead to insulin resistance and metabolic issues contributing to weight gain.²

These changes in gene expression can also impact your immune system and its ability to fight off illnesses.

Research from the University of California, San Diego suggests that stressful events trigger epigenetic effects that alter the functions of innate immunity (the body's general anti-disease response system) and adaptive immunity (cells specialized to combat specific disease threats).

In their studies, the researchers found that stress-induced immune responses resembled those seen in individuals infected with disease-causing microbes.³

Scientist Nadejda Beliakova-Bethell points out, "The immune response to stress is similar to the response to pathogens," warning that prolonged stress can increase susceptibility to illnesses.

"...[C]hronic stress or infection leads to immune system exhaustion, reducing its effectiveness in responding to new stressors or pathogens," she elaborates.

She further explains that ongoing stress accumulates negative effects over time, impacting your body similarly to how constant illness would wear it down.

Managing Stress

One effective approach to reduce stress is to include short daily mindfulness sessions, incorporating activities such as yoga, gentle stretching, meditation, and listening to soothing music. A study at the Wexner Medical Center at Ohio State University found that about two months of mindfulness training using these methods helped alleviate chronic stress among surgical intensive care unit staff.⁴

Research, combined with evidence suggesting that meditation can bring about epigenetic changes that reduce inflammation in the body⁵, emphasizes the importance of controlling stress before it takes control of you.

Your local YMCA may provide inexpensive – or free – classes on stress reduction techniques like these. Additionally, there are numerous yoga classes available nowadays.