Why Stress Is Killing You (and How to Stop It)

Stress isn’t just in your head—it’s in your biology.

And if you don’t train your nervous system to cope, it won’t just hijack your mood or sleep - it may cut years off your life.

One major study found that chronic stress increases your risk of early death by over 40%. Another links it to accelerated cellular aging.

Fortunately, you don’t need a therapist or a prescription. You need better tools. And a daily routine to calm your body—before your brain spirals.

(P.S. We’ve linked our go-to tool below: Calm—it’s the app we’d start with.)

Quick Take:
🟠 Cost: Most tools are free or low-cost
🟢 Actionable: Science-backed tools anyone can use
🟢 Impact: High (if used consistently)

You can’t think your way out of stress. But you can breathe your way out.

Most people try to “calm down” using logic or willpower. But your stress lives in your nervous system, not your controllable mind.

Leading Neuroscientist and Longevity Researcher Dr. Andrew Huberman (our go-to on this topic) says the fastest path to calm is bottom-up control—using your body to regulate your brain.

Try this:

• Two short inhales through the nose

• One long exhale through the mouth

• Repeat 1–3x

That’s the physiological sigh—your built-in stress reset button.

It lowers cortisol and heart rate in seconds.

And it’s just the beginning.

Stack it with NSDR (non-sleep deep rest), cold exposure, and morning light to build true stress resilience.

Everyone feels stressed - but science can actually measure its damage.

From hormone disruption to heart disease to early death, the biological cost of stress isn’t just real—it’s massive.

And while meditation apps and breathing hacks might sound woo-woo, the data says otherwise.

Here’s what top researchers and neuroscientists like Andrew Huberman have found about the tools that actually reduce stress—and extend your healthspan.

Here’s your 4-step Stress Toolkit, backed by neuroscience:

1. Use a physiological sigh.
   Inhale through the nose twice (short-short), exhale once (long).
   Do 1–3 reps whenever stress spikes.
   

2. Do 1–5 minutes of NSDR daily.
   Use a guided protocol like listening to Calm’s NSDR to reset energy and attention.
   

3. Expose yourself to cold (yes, on purpose).
   Try 30–60 seconds of cold shower, or a cold plunge 2–3x/week.
   This improves stress adaptation via the sympathetic nervous system.
   

4. Get morning sunlight.
   10 minutes outside within 30 minutes of waking (no sunglasses). Regulates cortisol rhythm, energy, and sleep cycles.

Stress isn’t the enemy - dysregulation is.

And now you’ve got the tools to regulate your system, naturally.
Train your nervous system the way you train your muscles: consistently, and with intention.

To less stress,

Longevity Daily

P.S. If you want to implement all of this in one place, check out the Calm App. We use it daily—especially for NSDR.