Hormesis describes the phenomenon that stress and toxins can have a positive effect on our body in small doses. Here you can find out what is behind the concept and how you can implement it in everyday life.
We usually associate stress with something negative. Because, of course, if we are under long-term pressure, are chronically stressed and regularly exceed our mental and physical limits, this will have a negative impact on our health. Chronic stress promotes high blood pressure and depressive states, for example, and leads to constant restlessness and exhaustion.
In the right “dose”, however, stress has exactly the opposite effect. It can then promote our health, strengthen our immune system and thereby make us more resilient. This effect is also known as hormesis.
What is hormesis?
In toxicology, hormesis describes the phenomenon that certain substances have a stimulating and positive effect in low doses, but have inhibiting or toxic effects in high doses. This is what Mark Mattson, Professor of Neurosciences at Johns Hopkins University, describes in a research report from 2008. Researchers in biology and medicine are taking this idea further: In these disciplines, hormesis describes the adaptation of cells and organisms to moderate stress.
So when cells come into contact with a toxin or a stressful situation, they get to know the potentially dangerous substance in a protected and time-limited framework. This allows them to develop defense mechanisms. If the same situation or the same substance recurs, our body is better armed and can implement the defense strategies it has already learned more quickly.
According to an article by scientist Dr. Elissa Eppel, who studies aging and metabolic processes at the University of California-San Francisco, says that so-called hormetic stressors can promote the ability to regenerate and lead to the rejuvenation of cells and tissues. Hormetic stressors are what Dr. Eppel as acute, intermittent stress factors of moderate intensity. They must therefore be limited in time and to a small extent and be interrupted by breaks for recovery. This is the case, for example, when we sit in a hot sauna at short intervals, take a cold shower for a few minutes or fast for a few days.
According to Eppel, it is even detrimental to our health if we lack such hormetic stressors. Then our cells could regenerate more poorly and rejuvenation processes in the body are thus held up.
Hormesis effects: sport, sauna, fasting and cold
(Photo: CC0 / Pixabay / Mariakray)
Hormesis initially sounds like a complex scientific concept. Biochemically it is. But in everyday life you can often expose yourself to situations in which your body is confronted with hormetic stressors:
- According to Mattson, sport is one of the most well-known examples of hormesis in everyday life. Excessive physical strain over a long period of time can promote injuries and stress tissue and joints. In moderation, on the other hand, exercise makes us more resistant to injuries and illnesses. Exercise also has positive hormetic effects on our nervous and digestive systems, says Mattson.
- The sauna is another application area of Hormesis. If we expose ourselves to high sauna temperatures for a long time, our body will suffer fatal damage. Short sauna intervals, on the other hand, stimulate our immune system, thereby strengthening the immune system and even helping against skin diseases and high blood pressure, according to the NDR. You can get more information on this topic here: Finnish sauna: That’s what makes it so healthy.
- At first glance, not eating seems anything but healthy. But the same applies here: Over a short period of time, fasting can have positive effects on our body. According to scientific findings, the reason for this is also based on the hormesis concept, reports the daily mirror. Because when we stop eating, autophagy occurs, according to a 2018 research report. This is a protective mechanism in our body that eliminates damaged cells, pathogens and faulty proteins. So there is a kind of “clean-up work”. You can find out more about this here: Fasting properly: Instructions and tips for healthy fasting.
- Even short-term exposure to cold can stress our body in a healthy way. Sebastian Kneipp’s water treatments, for example, are based on this concept. The medic dr. In an MDR article, Thomas Dietze explains that rinsing off with cold water and “treading” in cold water can stimulate blood flow and circulation and help with symptoms such as headaches, tiredness or heavy legs.
The following applies to all these applications of Hormesis: Pay attention to your body feeling. It tells you when the air in the sauna is too hot, the cold water is too intense or the sport is too strenuous and the positive effect of hormesis turns into negative stress. Especially if you are not used to sauna, cold cures, fasting and workouts, you should start slowly and plan regular recovery phases.
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