Issue No. 185: Stressed

Stress is wreaking havoc on our health.

• The APA’s 2022 Stress in America poll suggests the nation is in “survival mode.”
• 87% of US adults feel overwhelmed by constant crises over the past two years.
• More than 80% report negative emotions, like anxiety or anger, resulting from prolonged stress.

Fight-or-Flight

A survival mechanism, stress isn’t inherently bad. Facing a perceived threat, the body releases hormones like cortisol and adrenaline that trigger fight-or-flight mode.

But chronic stress—where we’re always on edge—is detrimental, contributing to hypertension, a weak immune system, and depression, among other ailments.

Prior to COVID, the World Health Organization called stress the “health epidemic of the 21st Century.” Reeling from the pandemic, many people have reached a breaking point.

• Drinking more to cope with stress, in 2020, US alcohol-related deaths increased 25% from the prior year.
• As stress-eating skyrocketed, US candy and chocolate sales jumped 15.9% between 2019 and 2021.
• 67% of Americans said the pandemic negatively impacted their sleep habits, and 42% reported unwanted weight gain.

Now, alongside the rise of digital mental healthcare, stress-specific solutions are trending up, fueling a category set to cross $20B by 2024.

Hone in. As wearables shift from activity tracking to health monitoring, brands like Garmin, WHOOP, and Oura are using HRV to decode nervous system function. Meanwhile, Fitbit recently filed a patent to detect and prevent “arousal events,” aka stress.

Stave off. Claiming to reduce or prevent stress, new devices are moving in. Apollo Neuro’s wristband relies on touch therapy. In one study, Cove’s headset curbed stress by 41%. And Embr Labs is pioneering thermal wellness as a means of wrist-worn stress management.

Hands-on. Beyond meditation apps, tech-enabled options like Core (acquired by Hyperice), Reflect, and Sensate offer hardware to optimize mindfulness. A different approach, Reveri and Mindset Health want to alleviate stress through self-hypnosis.

Chill out. From supplements to mood-boosting foods and functional beverages, calming consumables are big business. Building feel-good brands, Recess and beam use CBD, Kin Euphorics relies on adaptogens, while Cann adds THC. Showing promise, psychedelics could be next.

Test it. As DIY diagnostics boom, Everly Health and LetsGetChecked deliver at-home cortisol kits. Getting personal, Base’s stress test adds in-app tracking and recommendations. Elsewhere, Pardigm developed a smartphone-read saliva test to measure cortisol.

Patch up. As next-gen wearables take hold, bulky hardware could go by the wayside. Like glucose monitoring, sweat-sensing patches produce noninvasive cortisol readings. Still nascent, researchers are developing stretchable electronics and flexible biosensors as the smart skin market tops $16B by 2026.

More Than a Feeling

Still, as many can attest, stress management isn’t a perfect science. Hoping to change that, scientists, doctors, and tech’s top companies are developing new interventions.

iStress. Pushing further into healthcare, Apple partnered with pharma company Biogen and UCLA to track stress, anxiety, and depression using the iPhone. Accessing the camera, keyboard, audio sensors, and health data, researchers hope to interpret users’ emotions, detecting potential issues before they arise.

Talk to me. Establishing emotional biomarkers, AI voice analysis is gaining traction. For example, Amazon’s Halo wristband tracks voice tones to assess “energy” and “positivity.” Teaming with Ellipsis Health, Cigna launched a free tool to measure stress levels via voice recording. And Sonde Health offers a voice-powered journal for improving mental fitness.

Gut check. The gut microbiome plays a key role in the regulation of anxiety, mood, and cognition. Of note, after diet, stress exposure is the second-most important factor affecting gut health. Tapping live biotherapeutics, Seed Health is studying the gut’s impact on anxiety. Another approach, Kallyope is exploring the gut-brain axis.

Press play. A growing field, music therapy is being used to combat stress, with apps like sona touting music as medicine. Similarly, Spiritune takes a neuroscience-backed approach to regulating emotions. Meanwhile, Endel and SoundMind have raised funds to create “functional soundscapes.”

Under Pressure

Blurring the line between burnout and mental illness, the quest to alleviate stress is getting complicated.

Raising red flags, tech-enabled solutions pose privacy risks, as companies gain access to personal data from voice recordings and facial scans. Another hurdle, state-of-the-art solutions meant to improve access often create new barriers by charging a premium for service.

So, as the flurry of apps, tests, and wearables grows, we’re stressing about how we manage stress.

Back to basics. While the future of stress detection and prevention takes shape, let’s not lose sight of the tried-and-true—and often free—tactics at our disposal. From walking more to spending time in nature to investing in meaningful relationships, the science is on the side of simplicity.