How adding short bursts of stress to your day can help alleviate chronic stress

An ice-cold sea dip, sauna or even a HIIT class are reported to alleviate chronic stress

A cold shower could be just the ticket when it comes to stress reduction (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Chronic stress can be alleviated by introducing short bursts of stress to your body throughout the day, according to experts.

A growing body of research indicates that exposing yourself to brief moments of pressure, known as hormetic stress, can increase your ability to cope with physical, mental and emotional challenges.

A cold shower, sauna - or even a HIIT (high intensity interval training) class - are just some examples of how hormetic stress can be induced to create a sense of overall wellbeing.

Dr Elissa Epel, director of the ageing, metabolism and emotion centre at the University of California, has undertaken extensive research in this field.

Speaking to the Wall Street Journal, she said that practices such as taking an ice-cold bath can “create short-term spikes of biological stress followed by recovery, ease and deep restoration that is otherwise hard to get.”

She added: “These short periods of stress shock our systems at the cellular and molecular level, challenging our bodies to adapt to tough conditions and restore equilibrium.”

According to science, the physiological response to such shocks is one of survival, which basically tricks your body into a responsive, restorative state that serves to “sharpen” your cells.

Research suggests that the maximum length of time one should engage in such activities should not exceed 15 minutes, however.

And it’s important to note that hormetic stress is different to chronic stress, which can have a profoundly negative impact on our health and wellbeing, both physically and mentally.

But “brief intermittent, low dose stressors can lead to positive biological responses, improving resistance to damage”, writes Dr Epel.

Harvard geneticist Dr David Sinclair says that it’s important not to overdo it, however. “All of these things that we’re talking about - exercise, fasting, cold therapy, a sauna - it’s best to mix it up,” he tells Inside Hook.

“You don’t want to be constantly exercising, constantly hungry, or constantly at one temperature or another. You want to shock the body. Putting a few days of recovery in between makes a lot of sense.”