Studies show that drinking cocoa can help protect your heart from stress

Men’s health

28 science-based ways to relieve stress immediately

Take a study published last year in the journal Neurology: It found that in otherwise healthy middle-aged people, high levels of stress are associated with increased brain thinning and smaller amounts of crucial gray matter in the brain. The human stress response is designed to be acute (you know, to help you escape this tiger during the caveman̵

7;s days), not chronic, staying with you day in and day out. “Mix or alternate aerobics with strength training, stretching, flexibility and agility exercises to increase endorphins,” suggests Dr. Kathleen Hall, founder and CEO of The Mindful Living Network & The Stress Institute.