Feeling wired but tired? Gaining weight around your middle no matter what you do? Lying awake at 3 a.m. with your mind racing through tomorrow’s to-do list? If any of that sounds familiar, your stress hormone may be working overtime. Fortunately, learning how to lower your cortisol levels doesn’t require a complete life overhaul. Small, science-backed tweaks can bring this powerful hormone back into balance and curb the risk of health problems in the process.

What is cortisol?

Cortisol is a hormone produced by your adrenal glands that helps regulate how the body handles stress, among other key functions, explains Eve Elizabeth K. Pennie, MD.

In an ideal rhythm, cortisol rises in the morning to help you wake up and dips at night so your body can rest. “In healthy amounts, cortisol regulates blood sugar levels, blood pressure, metabolism, immune function and even memory,” says resilience expert Eva Selhub, MD, founder of Resilience Experts. The trouble starts when cortisol stays high around the clock.

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Weight Loss

Here’s Why You’re Really Gaining Weight and How to Shed Those Pounds

“If you’ve ever stepped on the scale and wondered, ‘Why am I gaining weight so fast?”, know that you’re not alone,” assures Sean Bourke, MD, Founder and Chief Medical Officer of JumpstartMD. “Unexplained weight gain is more common than you might think, and the causes go way beyond eating too much or not moving enough.”  […]

What causes high cortisol levels?

Several everyday factors can keep your levels elevated, Dr. Pennie says, including chronic stress that keeps the body in “fight or flight” mode, poor sleep or overnight shift work, long-term use of corticosteroid medications, hormone conditions like Cushing syndrome and obesity or poorly controlled diabetes.

Women over 50 are especially vulnerable. As estrogen and progesterone decline during menopause, “the HPA axis, the brain’s stress command center, becomes more reactive and slower to reset,” Dr. Selhub notes. That’s why mild stressors can suddenly leave you wired or wiped out.

High cortisol symptoms you need to know

When cortisol stays high, the consequences pile up. “Chronic elevation increases the risk of hypertension [high blood pressure], type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis and depression,” Dr. Pennie warns. 

Common symptoms of high cortisol include:

• Weight gain around the midsection (the dreaded “cortisol belly”)
• Facial fullness, often dubbed “moon face” 
• Fatigue
• Anxiety
• Thinning skin
• Memory issues
• Sugar cravings 
• Frequent infections

The benefits of getting cortisol back in balance? Better sleep, steadier mood, easier weight management, sharper focus, stronger immunity and a lower risk of chronic disease. In other words, more of the calm, capable you.

How to lower cortisol: 7 simple strategies

Ready to start feeling less stress and more joy? Here’s how to lower high cortisol levels naturally:

Prioritize sleep

Aim for seven to nine hours nightly to restore your body’s natural cortisol rhythm, Dr. Pennie advises. Struggling to drift off? A JAMA Internal Medicine study found that jotting down tomorrow’s to-do list for five minutes before bed helped stressed adults fall asleep faster.

Take micro breaks

You don’t need to splurge on a week at the beach (as lovely as that sounds). “Take micro breaks. Stand up and get some fresh air, because we know sitting all day is horrible for us,” says registered dietitian Dawn Jackson Blatner. Even 60 seconds outside listening to birds can reset your nervous system.

Move your body 

Regular physical activity like brisk walking, cycling and other moderate exercise help regulate stress hormones and reduce cortisol. Bonus: a study in Appetite found that a 15-minute walk curbs cravings for sugary treats. Skip daily intense HIIT sessions, which can backfire and spike cortisol further.

Try mindfulness or tapping

Research in Frontiers in Psychology shows meditation, yoga and deep breathing significantly reduce stress. Don’t love sitting still? Try a tapping technique to help lower cortisol. “You go through a short series of movements, tapping on yourself on the acupuncture points, which can alleviate anxiety and high cortisol quickly,” says Wynne Brown, MD, medical director of integrative medicine at Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist.

Eat blood-sugar-friendly meals

A balanced diet rich in fiber, protein and healthy fats prevents the crashes that trigger cortisol spikes. And here’s permission to indulge: British researchers found that eating 25 grams of dark chocolate daily for four weeks dropped cortisol by 29 percent. One tasty way to get your mood-boosting protein fix: Pure Protein Ammmaze Blackout Cake Protein Bars.

Get outside

A Japanese study showed spending time in nature lowers cortisol in as little as 15 minutes. And enjoying three nature breaks of about 20 to 30 minutes weekly produced significant drops within eight weeks.

Stay connected

Loneliness is one of our biggest health crises, Blatner says. “You want to do fun things with friends, family, it could even be a pet. The bottom line is that social connection” keeps cortisol levels in check, she reveals.

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How to lower cortisol with natural supplements

Certain supplements can support your cortisol-lowering efforts, too. Dr. Selhub recommends:

• Magnesium (200 to 400 mg of glycinate or citrate nightly)
• L-theanine (200 to 400 mg daily)
• Omega-3s (1 to 2 grams of EPA + DHA)
• Vitamin C (500 to 1,000 mg) 
• Ashwagandha (300 to 600 mg for short-term use, about 8 to 12 weeks)

Always check with your doctor first, and if symptoms persist, ask about a saliva, blood or 24-hour urine test to pinpoint your cortisol pattern. With small daily shifts, calmer days—and a happier, healthier you—are well within reach.

Ready for more inspiration? Subscribe to our YouTube channel for video podcasts, health tips and uplifting stories designed for women 40, 50, 60 and beyond.

For people living with treatment-resistant PTSD, the search for relief can feel endless. A recent study suggests a tiny implant that stimulates the vagus nerve — paired with talk therapy — may deliver something rare in this field: lasting improvement that holds up six months after treatment ends.

Every participant in the small first-in-human trial lost their PTSD diagnosis. The findings, while early, are now pushing researchers to design a larger, controlled trial.

How vagus nerve stimulation works for PTSD

The 2025 study, published in Brain Stimulation, followed nine people with moderate to severe treatment-resistant PTSD. Each received a standard 12-session course of prolonged exposure (PE) therapy combined with vagus nerve stimulation, or VNS.

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Researchers used a next-generation miniaturized device. An implantable pulse generator was placed inside a silicone cuff on the left cervical vagus nerve. During therapy sessions, an external power and communication module sat over the implant inside a soft cloth collar, wirelessly powering the device — which meant no implanted battery was required. A smartphone controlled the stimulation and recorded audio for at-home exercises.

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Unlike medications that continuously alter brain chemistry, the stimulation was delivered only at key moments. Brief bursts were timed to coincide with imaginal exposure exercises, when participants revisited traumatic memories, and in vivo exercises, when they confronted real-world situations tied to trauma-related fear.

Scientists believe the approach works by engaging neuromodulatory systems in the brain — particularly pathways involving norepinephrine and acetylcholine, neurotransmitters tied to attention, memory consolidation and neuroplasticity. Activating those pathways may reinforce the learning that happens during exposure therapy, helping patients form new emotional associations with traumatic memories instead of reliving them as immediate threats.

What the PTSD study found

The results were striking for a trial of this size.

“VNS therapy resulted in significant, clinically-meaningful improvements in multiple metrics of PTSD symptoms and severity compared to baseline (CAPS-5, PCL-5, and HADS all p < 0.001 after therapy). These benefits persisted at 6 months after the cessation of therapy, suggesting lasting improvements. All participants showed loss of PTSD diagnosis after completing treatment. No serious or unexpected device-related adverse events were observed,” the study said.

Assessments were performed before therapy, one week after, and at one, three and six months following the final session.

Researchers also pointed to a broader track record for the technology. VNS has been FDA approved for major depressive disorder since 2005, and thousands of people have already received conventional VNS implants for MDD. That history, the authors noted, “highlights the appetite for implanted neuromodulation approaches for serious psychiatric disorders.”

Why the findings come with caveats

The authors were direct about the limits of the trial.

“Two major limitations of this study merit consideration: the single arm design and open-label implementation of VNS therapy,” the study reads. With no sham-stimulation control group, and with outcomes drawn largely from self- and clinician-administered surveys, the design leaves room for bias. Prolonged exposure therapy alone is also known to help some patients, and the authors said they “cannot conclusively ascribe benefits to the addition of VNS.”

They argue the results “should be evaluated in a more rigorous double-blinded, placebo-controlled crossover study design that directly compares active and sham stimulation with PE.”

Future work, the team wrote, should expand the sample size and explore biomarkers that could help tailor stimulation to individual patients.

What this means for PTSD treatment going forward

The trial is part of a wider push to develop therapies that target the body’s stress-response systems. A separate clinical study of 63 veterans with a history of PTSD examined the Apollo Wearable System, a device that delivers gentle vibroacoustic stimulation and was studied for its effect on heart rate variability, a marker of autonomic nervous system function.

That wearable operates differently from an implanted vagus nerve stimulator and was not designed to treat PTSD symptoms directly. But together, the research reflects growing recognition that PTSD affects not just psychological processes but the biological systems behind stress, arousal and emotional regulation — and that targeting those systems may open new doors for patients who have run out of options.

Feeling stressed, anxious or overwhelmed? Have you tried turning to ghosts, zombies and aliens for help? Yes, a surprising solution may be watching a scary movie! It sounds counterintuitive, but experts reveal that horror films (like Backrooms and Obsession), thriller novels and even roller coasters can powerfully reset your nervous system and melt away tension, making you more resilient in the future. Here, the science and startling health benefits of getting scared.

How safe scares reset your nervous system

Here’s what happens: First, the brain simulates a danger, and then the body responds. “After the original danger is over, we’ve now created an experience of relief,” explains Sam Zand, DO, a certified psychiatrist and the CEO at Anywhere Clinic. Why this matters: “This contrast can be very regulating for some people and can also be seen as a form of a controlled-stress type of workout for your nervous system.” In short: A quick scare can reset our nervous system back into the preferred “rest and digest” setting. This happens anytime we move through the activation-and-recovery cycle.

“Horror movies are a means through which the brain gets to experience a ‘safe threat,’” adds Carolina Estevez, PsyD, at Soba treatment center. It’s often called “recreational fear” or a “safe-threat workout.” She explains, “Many individuals find this to be a healthy way for them to develop skills to regulate their emotions.”

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What happens when you get scared

What really happens in the brain and body during a horror movie or while walking through a haunted house, for example? Follow this step-by-step process to understand the biology at play:

Step 1: Jump scare

“The initial shock from a jump scare causes an instant reaction of fear in the viewer’s brain,” explains psychiatrist Lauren Grawert, MD, clinical advisor of The Garden Recovery & Wellness. “The ‘fight or flight’ response is triggered almost immediately through the rapid detection of a perceived threat by the brain’s amygdala.”

Step 2: Hormone release

This leads to the release of stress hormones like adrenaline and norepinephrine into the bloodstream.

Step 3: Recognition

“In a matter of seconds, these hormone releases increase the viewer’s heart rate, blood pressure and state of alertness,” Dr. Grawert explains. “Their pre-frontal cortex—the area of the brain responsible for decision-making—recognizes there is no real danger. The viewer’s body is physiologically aroused but intellectually knows it is safe.”

Step 4: Reward of relaxation

The reward system in the brain kicks in, “leading to increased levels of dopamine, which can lead to positive emotions including feelings of excitement and relief,” says Dr. Grawert.

Yes, the benefits of getting scared are real

“Horror movies are one of my favorite examples of the brain doing something completely counterintuitive,” says Jessica Meers, PhD, a licensed clinical psychologist and founder of Houston-based Rhythm Wellness. “People are always surprised by the science behind something they assumed was just a guilty pleasure.” But research shows experiencing fear in a controlled way can lead to improved mood.

How? It’s a tug of war between the reflex and the rational parts of your brain. “That tension between ‘my body thinks I’m in danger’ and ‘my brain knows I’m not’ is where the magic happens. You get the full experience of fear, then the immediate relief of safety,” explains Meers. A good scare is essentially a workout for your threat response system with all the benefits, none of the actual danger. Some instant health benefits you can expect:

• Energy boost
• Sharper alertness and focus
• Deep relaxation and calm
• Increased vitality

And when you routinely practice safe-threat workouts, you build resilience to stress and master your fears. The same can be said about cold plunging, visiting saunas or intermittent fasting—activities researchers call “eustress” or healthy stress on the body that makes it stronger.

Who can benefit from safe scares?

“For a lot of people who struggle with anxiety, this is a good way to experience and release excess tension,” says Dr. Zand. “When we’ve been able to control how we’ve interacted with a scary situation, we’ve shown ourselves our ability to deal with fear.”

And while streaming a movie alone at home works great, there’s an added bonus in a theater. “The social aspect of watching horror movies may enhance both bonding and shared regulation of emotion,” Dr. Zand adds.

Why women especially benefit from horror movies

The payoff may be especially big for some. “For women, I think this matters in a way that doesn’t get enough attention,” says Meers. “So many women I work with carry a constant hum of anxiety, the mental load, the hypervigilance, the sense of never fully being off duty.” She adds, “That post-scare glow is real. Dopamine, endorphins and, if you’re watching with someone else, oxytocin too,” adds Meers. “Your nervous system just sprinted and cooled down in ninety minutes. That’s not nothing.”

And Dr. Grawert says, “Horror movies can provide women with a sense of control over their fears, enhance their perception of self-efficacy and provide them with an opportunity for social catharsis.”

Smart tips for maximizing your scare benefits

For best results, consider these details:

Find your “optimal scare zone.” Research in the journal Psychological Science found that the best scares hit a sweet spot—thrilling enough to get your heart racing, but not so intense they leave you traumatized. Find the level that feels good-scary to you.

Scares should be voluntary. The benefits only come if you are open to feeling scared. If you feel forced to watch a scary movie by other people, it could backfire.

It’s worth noting: “The experience of watching scary movies is not the same for everyone,” says Dr. Zand. “For people with a history of trauma, it may actually create more activation rather than relief.”

The bottom line on the benefits of getting scared

“Horror films are like roller coasters. Our heart races, our senses focus. They give us a safe experience where we expect an adrenaline jolt,” says Susan Hatters Friedman, MD, a forensic psychiatrist. “And can lead to relaxation when we get to the end!”

Reaching for your phone before your feet hit the floor feels harmless. A quick check of email, a scroll through headlines, a glance at overnight messages. But mental health experts say those first waking minutes shape your mood, focus and stress levels for the rest of the day—and that the cumulative toll of starting every morning on a screen can quietly reshape how your brain handles attention, comparison and decision-making.

Here’s what to know about why morning phone use matters and what experts suggest doing instead.

How morning phone use affects your brain and mood

The first 10 to 30 minutes after waking are a uniquely quiet window—a stretch of time when your thoughts are still self-directed and your nervous system hasn’t yet been pulled into the day’s demands. Picking up your phone collapses that window almost instantly, replacing internal grounding with external input. Mental health experts describe this as a lost “identity moment,” a missed chance to check in with how you actually feel before the world tells you how to feel.

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Katherine Brownlowe, MD, an associate clinical professor of psychiatry and behavioral health, told Real Simple that small shifts in this routine can have outsized effects.

“Decreasing smartphone use, especially first thing in the morning, helps make us more mindful and intentional,” Brownlowe said. “It decreases impulsivity and helps us feel motivated to persist in making healthy choices.”

Anxiety and “borrowed stress” before you’re fully awake

Phones introduce urgency before your mind has the context to sort it. Emails, Slack messages and news alerts all arrive with the same insistent ping, and your nervous system doesn’t distinguish between what’s important and what’s merely loud. The result is what some clinicians call “borrowed stress”—your body reacting to other people’s priorities before you’ve had a chance to set your own.

That early jolt of cortisol can color the entire morning, making it harder to feel settled even hours later. Over time, the brain begins to associate waking up with a low-grade sense of alarm.

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Fragmented attention and decision fatigue

Moving straight from sleep into a stream of apps, texts and feeds trains the brain into a reactive, scattered state. Attention is shaped by the first patterns you expose it to each day, and starting with rapid task-switching makes deep focus harder later—not as a matter of willpower, but of conditioning.

Every scroll, tap and swipe is also a micro-decision: what to read, what to ignore, what to respond to. By the time meaningful work begins, cognitive energy has already been spent. You start the day slightly depleted without realizing why.

Social comparison kicks in just as early. Social media surfaces other people’s productivity, appearance and success before your own sense of self is anchored, subtly shifting how you measure your own day.

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What Really Happens When Your Family Puts Phones Outside the Bedroom

If bedtime at your house involves a nightly negotiation over phones, you’re far from alone. A survey from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine found that 87% of Americans sleep with their phone in their bedroom — parents included. So before this turns into another lecture aimed at your teenager, think of it as a […]

The cumulative cost of a daily habit

A single morning of scrolling isn’t the problem. The concern is what happens when it becomes the default, repeated across months and years.

Maris Loeffler, MA, a family and marriage therapist, explained the long arc in an article from Stanford Lifestyle Medicine.

“The negative effects of screen time are insidious because you can’t see what’s happening in your brain as you’re staring at the screen,” Loeffler said. “If you scrolled on your phone in bed for an hour just one morning, the negative impacts would be minimal. But if it becomes a habit, day after day, month after month, this behavior can take a toll.”

How to break the morning phone habit

Experts emphasize that the goal isn’t simply removing the phone—it’s replacing the habit with something that actually serves you. Light exposure, hydration, journaling or a “brain dump,” gentle movement or stretching, and making coffee or tea without screens are all common substitutions that give the brain a calmer on-ramp into the day.

In an article for Verywell Health, Mark Gurarie outlined practical strategies for cutting back.

“Try no-phone zones: If your habit is to scroll in bed, keep your phone in another room or out of arm’s reach,” Gurarie wrote. “Get an alarm clock: Using a phone as an alarm increases your chances of checking it or scrolling mindlessly after you hit ‘snooze.’ Track your use: Check your smartphone for your usage statistics to track your progress. Take it step by step: Start small and work gradually until you change habits. You might start by stopping phone use in bed, then gradually add activities like showering, exercise, or breakfast before checking it.”

The through line from clinicians and therapists is consistent: the first hour belongs to you, and protecting it—even imperfectly—can change how the rest of the day feels.

Have you ever felt stressed so you reach for a quick treat—maybe a handful of your kids’ gummy bears or a bag of salty potato chips—just to try to feel better? We’ve all been there. But it turns out that junk food may contribute to a junky mood. Luckily, the opposite is true as well: Choosing to eat the right nutrient-rich foods can naturally boost feel-good dopamine chemicals in the brain to support a sunnier mood that lasts longer than a short-lived sugar high. It’s just a matter of knowing how to snack smarter. Here, experts explain the best “dopamine foods” (including rich chocolate!) to enjoy a brighter outlook today and into the future.

The powerful connection between food and mood

What you eat can truly transform how you feel for better or worse. Nutrition researcher Nicole Avena, PhD, finds that sugar and poor-quality carbs are associated with mental health declines. She cites research where people who consumed a processed food diet scored 40 percent higher on a depressive symptom scale compared to those who were assigned to a healthy, nutrient-dense diet. And another study found that drinking three cans of sugary soda a day is associated with as much as a 25 percent higher risk of depression. “We often use sugar to attempt to self-medicate our mental health issues,” Avena says, “but in reality, added sugar is often promoting mental unwellness.”

Then there’s the feel-good flipside: “From a psychiatrist and brain health perspective, nutrition can help support dopamine production and overall mood regulation,” confirms Simon Faynboym, MD, medical director and psychiatrist at Neuro Wellness Spa. What exactly is dopamine? It’s a happiness brain chemical that is important in motivation, focus and enjoyment and is heavily tied to our brain’s internal reward system.

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7 mood-boosting dopamine foods to add to your cart

Want to boost your levels of dopamine naturally through your diet? “The brain relies on nutrients like protein, omega-3 fatty acids, iron, magnesium and B vitamins to produce it,” reveals Dr. Faynboym. Here, some of the best dopamine-boosting foods you can buy at the grocery store:

Salmon for brain-loving omega-3s

Our brain loves healthy fats, especially omega-3 fatty acids. These fats are considered essential, which means we need them but our body can’t produce them, so we have to get them from food sources. To receive the most brain-boosting benefits, reach for wild-caught salmon. Other rich sources include fatty fish such as sardines and tuna, plus walnuts.

Eggs for dopamine-building tyrosine

“The body makes dopamine using nutrients such as amino acids, especially tyrosine,” explains counselor Jessica Tate, MS, LPCC-S, chief clinical officer at Milton Recovery. The good news: Tyrosine is found in satisfying foods such as eggs, turkey and chicken. “These lean protein sources provide amino acids used in neurotransmitter production.” Translation: Your morning scrambled eggs are actually supporting your brain’s ability to feel better for the rest of the day!

Chocolate for memory-enhancing flavanols

Here’s permission to indulge: Dark chocolate is rich in antioxidants called flavanols, which improve blood flow to the brain, support memory and enhance cognitive thinking. Look for dark chocolate varieties (rather than milk chocolate) that contain at least 70 percent cacao. That also usually means it will be lower in sugar so you’re only getting the brain-enhancing good stuff.

Greek yogurt for pure protein power

To get a healthy portion of the protein needed to make dopamine in the brain, try convenient dairy sources. “Greek yogurt or cottage cheese are high-protein options that are easy to use for breakfast or snacks,” recommends Tate.

Bonus recipe: Try whipping up a brain-powered parfait by combining Greek yogurt with blueberries, nuts and dark chocolate chips. It’s an easy dopamine dessert!

Bananas for mood-supporting B vitamins

This mood-lifting snack is as easy as they come: Bananas contain vitamin B6, which the body uses like a magic wand to convert amino acids into feel-good brain chemicals like dopamine. And the natural sugar and fiber in fruit helps, not hurts, the brain. Plus, banana’s magnesium helps neurons in the brain communicate dopamine’s signals more efficiently. Tate reminds us, “Bananas are convenient, affordable and a better sweet option than highly processed snacks.”

Blueberries for gut-healthy fiber

Scientists have discovered that up to 95 percent of our feel-happy hormones can come from our gut. That means fiber-rich foods that support the gut microbiome are ultimately good for the brain through what experts call the gut-brain pathway. Aim for fiber-rich dopamine foods like blueberries, beans and nuts in your diet. Another perk: Fiber also steadies blood sugar, helping prevent the energy crashes and mood dips that can follow.

Spinach for dopamine-supporting iron

Low iron levels can impair dopamine production in the brain. But eating plenty of iron-rich spinach can give the body what it needs to have a happier mood. Plus, spinach’s folate—another B vitamin—is known to boost neurotransmitters. No wonder Tate says, “Spinach, kale and broccoli are nutrient-dense vegetables linked with brain health.” Try adding a handful of fresh spinach to your morning smoothie or eggs—you won’t even taste it, but your brain will thank you!

Why long-term nutrition beats instant food pleasure

When using food to improve your mood, know that long-term strategies lead to more lasting benefits. It’s not just about eating one meal or one snack. “My grocery store list focuses less on instant dopamine and more on the foods that naturally support healthy dopamine production and steadier mood, energy and motivation,” Tate explains.

Lifestyle tips that amplify the benefits of dopamine foods

While eating foods to increase dopamine levels is powerful, layering them throughout your day with other healthy habits creates even more mood-boosting benefits. “A balanced diet combined with exercise, sleep, mindfulness and stress management can support proper dopamine increase and brain health over time,” Dr. Faynboym says.

Bottom line: “No grocery item works like a medication or instantly corrects mood, depression, ADHD or addiction-related symptoms,” Tate says. “However, a balanced diet built around protein, healthy fats, fiber and whole foods can support the brain much better than relying on sugar, ultra-processed foods or caffeine for short-term stimulation.” Starting with these seven dopamine foods will get your mood heading in the right direction. Give it a try for yourself and enjoy the feel-good perks that follow!

New research is making the food-mood connection harder to ignore. Studies published in 2025 and 2026 show that how your food looks, who you eat with and even what color your plate is can measurably shift how you feel. Here’s what the science says and what you can do about it today.

Does food presentation really affect how it tastes?

It does, and researchers can measure it. A January 2025 study by Salazar Cobo and colleagues, published in Food Quality and Preference and hosted by Wageningen University, found that food served on a large plate with high-stacked plating was liked best and triggered the most positive emotions. The same meal, presented differently, produced measurably lower satisfaction.

Plate color adds another layer. A 2025 study by Kuo and Huang in the Journal of Sensory Studies found white plates significantly enhanced perceived taste compared with black ones. The researchers found this isn’t just preference — it’s a measurable shift in how flavor registers. And it’s not only what’s on the table that matters.

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An October 2025 study published via the National Library of Medicine found warm white lighting at around 2700K — the cozy, amber tone you’d find in a relaxed restaurant — produced the highest levels of positive emotion and eating enjoyment in participants.

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Does Blue Calm You? Yellow Spark Joy? Here’s How Much (and Why) Your Home Color Affects Your Mood

Color your world.

Does eating alone affect your mood?

Research suggests it does, more than most people expect. A 2026 study by De Neve and colleagues in Scientific Reports, drawing on Gallup data from 142 countries, found that how often you share meals with others is as strong a predictor of wellbeing as income or employment status.

The World Happiness Report 2025 from Oxford’s Wellbeing Research Centre backed this up, finding that people who share meals regularly report significantly higher life satisfaction and lower negative emotions across every age group and culture studied. Solo dining in the US has climbed 53% over the past two decades, and the wellbeing gap is showing up in the data.

Wellness

10 Sneaky Causes of an Afternoon Slump + Easy, Natural Ways To Boost Your Energy

Symptoms like tense muscles or cravings can clue you into the hidden culprit — and the fast fix

Can the food-mood connection help you make better grocery choices?

Yes, and it starts before you even sit down to eat. Harvard Health’s nutritional psychiatry research shows the risk of depression is 25% to 35% lower in people eating traditional, colorful, whole-food diets compared to a typical Western diet heavy in processed foods. That’s not a small signal, and it starts in the cart.

A 2025 study in Frontiers in Nutrition found mindful eating was positively linked to better mood, with vegetables and fruits specifically associated with positive mental health outcomes. Researchers were careful to frame these as associations rather than guarantees, but the direction is consistent.

A practical framework that’s gained traction: the 6-to-1 grocery method, which structures your cart around six vegetables, five fruits, four proteins, three starches, two sauces and one fun item. It’s not a diet — it’s a way of shopping that naturally pulls toward the colorful, whole foods the research keeps pointing to.

What simple changes support the food-mood connection at home?

Small adjustments add up. Swap a dark plate for a white one. Switch your dining area bulb to a warm 2700K tone. Sit down to eat with someone when you can, even once a day. Build some color into your cart each week. And if you’re working on your energy throughout the day, here’s more on what drives the afternoon slump and how to beat it.

None of these require a new diet or a big investment. They’re adjustments to things you’re already doing like eating, shopping, sitting down for a meal. Research suggests it can shift how you feel in ways that are measurable and real.

If you’ve been dragging yourself through the day no matter how many hours you logged in bed the night before, you’re far from alone. Burnout has a sneaky way of catching up with us after 50, especially when career demands, caregiving and shifting hormones all hit at once. The good news? The right nutrients can help you feel more like yourself again—sometimes within days. We asked integrative medicine physician Taz Bhatia, MD, founder of the holistic health hub hol+ and author of The Hormone Shift, to share the supplements for burnout she most often recommends to women who feel completely tapped out.

Why burnout hits women so hard after 50

“Feeling exhausted no matter how much you sleep may mean that chronic stress has disrupted your HPA axis, the system that regulates your hormonal responses,” Dr. Bhatia explains. When that happens, energy, mood, focus and even digestion can all feel off at the same time.

Before reaching for anything in a bottle, Dr. Bhatia says the first step is always the basics: nourishing meals and real rest. She also recommends getting checked by your healthcare professional to rule out any underlying issues driving your fatigue, like thyroid trouble or anemia. Once you get the all-clear, supplements can gently help speed the rejuvenation process along to ease burnout naturally.

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Wellness

Stressed, Tired and Gaining Weight? Try These Cortisol-Reducing Supplements

When it comes to our health, there’s one thing we can all agree on: Stress is a major culprit behind everything from poor sleep to inflammation that can lead to chronic conditions like diabetes and heart disease. While there’s no magic bullet—or, more to the point, pill—that can erase the side effects of stress completely, […]

5 supplements for burnout and fatigue

To help clear symptoms of burnout like brain fog, tiredness and even trouble trouble sleeping, consider these natural supplements to support your body in the long term:

Vitamin B-complex

A stressed body burns through B vitamins quickly, and they’re essential for proper cell and brain function. “B-complex may help, especially if you’re tired and wired at the same time,” Dr. Bhatia says. Many women in midlife find a daily B-complex takes the edge off that frazzled feeling, which may improve your mental clarity.

CoQ10

Found in all your cells, coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) is a compound key to energy production—and natural levels tend to dip with age. A supplement can help boost cellular energy and even ease those notorious afternoon energy crashes that have you reaching for a third cup of coffee.

Ashwagandha

Called an adaptogen, this ancient herb helps you adapt and better handle physical and emotional stress, in part by reducing cortisol levels. According to Dr. Bhatia, consistent use can lead to increased focus and resilience within a few weeks by improving your body’s stress response, making it a favorite burnout supplement for women juggling demanding schedules.

L-carnitine

This amino acid helps shuttle fatty acids to “fuel tanks” inside your cells, where they’re converted into usable energy. The payoff is support for both mental sharpness and physical stamina—two things that often feel in short supply when burnout sets in.

Magnesium

“Low magnesium is common during burnout and can ruin sleep,” Dr. Bhatia notes. She suggests supplementing with magnesium glycinate, which is well-absorbed and easy on the stomach, to help ease burnout and support sound sleep. “Many women report more refreshing sleep within just a few days of starting it,” she adds.

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How to use supplements for burnout safely

Supplements aren’t a substitute for sleep, meals or medical care, but they can be a powerful boost for treating burnout when paired with the basics. Talk to your doctor before adding anything new to your routine, especially if you take prescription medications. Your doctor can also help determine the best dose for your body and your specific symptoms.

A final word: Once you start taking supplements for burnout, give it some time. Some women notice a difference in sleep quality within a few nights of beginning magnesium, while herbs like ashwagandha that help your body adapt to stress generally need a few weeks of consistent use before the benefits really show up.

“Be patient once you start,” Dr. Bhatia reiterates, “but know that addressing burnout at a nutrient level will help you feel better as quickly as possible.” That patience pays off in steadier energy, better sleep and the kind of clear-headed calm that makes everything in your day feel a little more manageable.

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Anxiety hits fast. The relief, until recently, did not. A growing body of research now shows that simple, free techniques like humming, gargling and splashing cold water on your face can quiet your nervous system within minutes by stimulating the vagus nerve, your body’s longest cranial nerve. 

Vagus nerve exercises have been named the number one wellness trend of 2026, and activation is now described as a data-backed strategy rather than a niche treatment. If you want to understand the bigger body-based picture behind why these work, this guide to somatic exercises covers the full framework.

How vagus nerve exercises work

The vagus nerve runs from the brainstem through the neck, chest and abdomen, connecting to your heart, lungs and gut. It’s the central highway of the parasympathetic “rest and digest” system, the counterweight to the fight-or-flight response that fuels anxiety.

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“Vagal tone” describes how efficiently the nerve does its job. Higher vagal tone means faster recovery from stress and lower resting anxiety. The encouraging part: It builds with consistent practice, much like cardiovascular fitness.

Wellness

Top Doc: Vagus Nerve Exercises Reverse Stress — And Taking *This* Many Breaths a Minute Is the Easiest Fix

A Stanford doctor says many of us go an entire day without taking a single deep breath

Why vagus nerve science is getting attention now

AnAugust 2025 randomized controlled trial published in Applied Sciences followed 18 elite athletes through four weeks of vagus nerve stimulation and found significant improvements in stress, cognitive anxiety, confidence and depression compared with controls. A separate 2025 study in Frontiers in Human Neuroscience found measurable changes in brain connectivity associated with vagus nerve stimulation in healthy adults, pointing to real physiological shifts even outside a clinical setting.

The vagus nerve techniques you can try right now

Most of these cost nothing, take under five minutes and can be done anywhere, at your desk, in your car or before bed.

• Cold water on the face: Splashing cold water on your face or wrists triggers the mammalian dive reflex, present in all air-breathing vertebrates.A study indexed in PMC found cold facial exposure produces immediate measurable drops in heart rate. Thirty seconds is enough to feel a shift.
• Gargling: The muscles at the back of your throat are innervated by the vagus nerve.According to Health Highroad, gargling hard enough to make your eyes water slightly engages the same reflex clinicians use to test vagal function. Three or four rounds of 30 to 60 seconds works well.
• Humming: Because the vagus nerve passes through the larynx and pharynx, humming mechanically vibrates it directly. That’s part of why chanting traditions across cultures consistently produce calming effects. Three to five minutes at a low, comfortable pitch is enough.
• Extended exhale breathing: Slow, lengthened exhales activate the vagus nerve within seconds, making this one of the fastest tools for an acute anxiety spike. The key is a longer exhale than inhale, not how deep the breath is.
• Aerobic exercise: This one works on a longer timeline. Research compiled by ScienceInsights suggests it takes roughly eight weeks of moderate to high intensity work to meaningfully shift heart rate variability, the standard measure of vagal tone.

Wellness

Studies Show Stimulating Vagus Nerve Reduces Stress: Here’s How To Activate Yours

Relieve tension with simple de-stressors.

What vagus nerve exercises can’t do

Stimulating the vagus nerve is not a standalone clinical treatment for complex psychiatric conditions. These are nervous system regulation tools, useful for taking the edge off acute anxiety and building resilience over time. They’re not a substitute for therapy or medication when those are needed.

The appeal is the accessibility. A 30-second face splash or two minutes of humming costs nothing, requires no equipment and works on physiology wired into your body for millions of years.

When someone tells you to “just take a deep breath,” the advice rarely lands, and new research suggests there’s a real reason why. A landmark 2026 clinical trial and a wave of breathwork apps are reframing breathing as something closer to a manual override for your nervous system, with measurable effects on anxiety that random deep breaths simply don’t deliver. 

If you’ve ever tried to inhale your way out of a panic spiral and felt worse, the science is finally catching up to what you already suspected. You can also learn more about how breathwork fits into the bigger picture of body-based stress relief here.

Why “just take a deep breath” often backfires

Generic deep-breathing advice gets handed out constantly without any instruction on pace, depth or pattern. Without that structure it can fall flat or even worsen panic. Breathing is the only autonomic nervous system function you can consciously control, which makes it a direct lever on your stress response. The catch is that most people have never been taught how to actually pull that lever.

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The difference between a random inhale and a structured breathwork practice is physiological. Slow, extended exhales activate the vagus nerve and parasympathetic nervous system within seconds, triggering measurable drops in heart rate, blood pressure and cortisol. A random deep breath simply doesn’t do that.

Wellness

Breathe In, Breathe Out: 5 Breathing Methods That May Ease Dry Eyes, Heartburn, and Brain Fog, Science Shows

A breath of fresh air for your health.

What new research shows about breathwork for anxiety

The strongest recent evidence comes from a January 2026 randomized controlled trial published in the Journal of Affective Disorders that tested Conscious Connected Breathwork over six weeks. The study produced an effect size of d = 1.44 for anxiety reduction, large by clinical standards, in the biggest RCT on this type of breathwork ever conducted. The breathwork group reduced anxiety scores by more than 10 points while the control group dropped under 2.

A 2025 narrative review published in PMC found that even a single two-minute slow breathing session increased heart rate variability, with larger effects specifically in women and older adults. A December 2025 trial in Scientific Reports following 404 adults over 29 days found the Wim Hof breathwork method produced greater momentary improvements in energy, mental clarity and stress handling than standard mindfulness meditation.

Worth knowing: an August 2025 review in MDPI found that while the nervous system is central to why breathwork works, protocols vary so widely that sessions under five minutes with no real structure were consistently less effective. Structure and length matter more than the name on the app.

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How breathwork apps stack up in 2026

The research has fueled a busy app market, and the better options are now built around specific goals rather than vague “calm” promises. Here’s what’s worth downloading:

• Othership: Music-driven and somatic-informed, with more than 500 sessions covering energizing and calming practices. $17.99 a month.
• Breathwrk: Goal-specific sessions for sleep, focus and calm, now included with a Peloton membership.
• Open: Uses real-time heart rate variability biofeedback through your phone’s camera, built on a neurobiology-informed approach.
• Pausa: Built by founders who experienced panic attacks, designed for people who don’t consider themselves meditators.
• Wim Hof Method app: The official app for the method studied in the December 2025 Scientific Reports trial.

Are celebrities using breathwork?

The practice has some well-known advocates. David Beckham has publicly said breathwork helped him manage OCD-related behaviors, and Gisele Bündchen is cited in the same reporting as a regular practitioner. Tracee Ellis Ross demonstrated breathing techniques on Instagram, calling them her personal stress-regulation tools.

Breathwork is one piece of a broader category of somatic exercises, body-based practices that work directly through the nervous system rather than through talk or thought. The advice to “just breathe” was never entirely wrong. It just needed a few more instructions.

We’ve all done it. A friend asks how we’re holding up after a hard week, and before we can even think, the words slip out: “I’m fine.” Maybe we add a brave smile, a “tomorrow’s a better day,” or that old standby —”everything happens for a reason.” But author Kate Bowler believes those tidy little phrases might be costing us more than we realize. In fact, she says our cultural obsession with staying upbeat could be the very thing standing between us and real, lasting joy.

Watch Episode 11 right here! ‘What Matters with Kate Bowler: Aching, Hoping & Finding Joy Anyway’

The hidden cost of always looking on the bright side

Bowler, who says she wrote the first history of positive thinking, has spent years studying America’s love affair with optimism. What she’s discovered may surprise you: relentless cheerfulness isn’t always the gift we think it is.

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“I wrote the first history of positive thinking,” Bowler said. “So I’m deep in the weeds of like, why is it that Americans are so obsessed with good vibes? Everything has to be great, crowding everything into the positive side of the spectrum.”

When life gets hard—and at some point, it does for all of us—that pressure to stay sunny leaves precious little room for honesty. And when our real feelings don’t fit the script, we tend to push them down rather than let them breathe.

“What really worries me about what might block our joy is that if we’re not allowing the reality of our situation to be processed be shared with our friends, we might, very likely feel like we can only script ourselves into saying things I’m great. Tomorrow’s a better day. God’s always closing door and opening windows,” she said.

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The Joy vs. Happiness Distinction: Kate Bowler Explains the Difference

If you’ve ever sat in a quiet moment of your life — kids grown, marriage shifting, career pivoting, or grief still settling — and felt a small voice ask, Is this it?, you’re not broken. You’re not ungrateful. According to Kate Bowler, you’re simply human. The five-time New York Times bestselling author, Duke University professor […]

The little white lies we tell the people we love most

If those phrases sound familiar, you’re in good company. They’re the comforting words we reach for when a conversation gets too heavy, when we don’t know what else to say, or when we want to spare someone we love from worry. But Bowler suggests they often keep us at arm’s length from the very people who want to be close to us.

“The reason that can block our joy is because we become very rigid in terms of our social scripts,” Bowler said. “We will lie to ourselves. We will usually lie to the people who love us.”

Bowler speaks from her own experience. During a serious illness, she found herself performing a version of suffering that felt easier for everyone around her to handle.

“I’ve always mostly lied to the people who love me best, as when I was sick, I basically was pretending to be starring in a reality show about a woman who gets cancer, but she’s pretty grateful,” she said.

She’s honest about why she did it—and her reasoning will sound familiar to any woman who has ever tried to protect her family from her own pain. “I felt that this awful thing was not just a devastation to me, but that it was really painful for the people I love, and that it would be easier for all of us if I seemed like I was grateful and learning lessons.”

When gratitude starts to feel like math homework

There’s a particular kind of emotional bookkeeping that comes with hard times. We’re expected to tally up the lessons learned, the silver linings spotted, the gratitude gained—as if we have to prove we came out ahead.

“It’s almost like you have to convince people that you haven’t been robbed, but that you were given back something in all you’ve learned,” Bowler said. “And that kind of math is really, is really painful for all of us, who, at one point or another in our lives will go through something difficult.”

A diagnosis. The loss of a parent. A grown child going through something heartbreaking. A marriage that ends, or a friendship that fades. The script tells us to bounce back quickly and find the meaning in it all. But performing recovery, Bowler says, isn’t the same as actually healing.

Wellness

A 200-Year-Old Philosopher's 3-Step Joy Formula Will Change Your Life

In a world overflowing with productivity hacks, wellness trends and apps promising happiness in 30 days, sometimes the wisest advice comes from a philosopher who lived more than 200 years ago. No subscription required, no checklist to download — just three simple ideas that fit on a sticky note and might change how you move […]

What honesty might do for your heart

So if forced positivity isn’t the answer, what is? Bowler’s gentle suggestion: a little more honesty, especially with the people closest to you.

“I think our obsession with acting happy will ultimately be a joy blocker, because it’ll make us very confused about frankly, what’s real and what’s not,” she said.

That confusion is the quiet cost of always saying “I’m fine” when we’re not. When we cover our struggles with rehearsed optimism, we lose touch with our own feelings—and we accidentally close the door on the comfort our loved ones long to offer.

A small invitation to be real

The next time someone you trust asks how you’re doing, consider letting yourself answer truthfully. You don’t have to share everything. You don’t have to wrap it up with a lesson. You can simply say, “It’s been a hard week,” and let that be enough.

The script is familiar and easy. But honesty, even when it’s messy, is where real connection—and real joy—actually live.

What Matters With Liz airs every Wednesday on YouTube, Spotify, Amazon Music and Apple Podcasts, with highlights and behind-the-scenes clips shared on Instagram and Facebook.

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