Why stress is the first stage of dysfunction—and how to track and train your way out.

Stress is a Survival Tool—Until It Isn’t

Short bursts of stress help us perform. They improve focus, mobilize energy, and heighten our senses. But when stress becomes chronic, it rewires our biology in ways that are subtle, cumulative, and deeply damaging.

The World Health Organization now identifies chronic stress as one of the leading contributors to non-communicable diseases such as cardiovascular disease, Type 2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome, and depression. Renowned neuroscientist Dr. Robert Sapolsky, author of Why Zebras Don’t Get Ulcers, refers to chronic stress as “the ultimate mismatch disease”—a primal response system trying to survive in a modern world it wasn’t designed for.

Chronic Stress = The First Stage of Dysfunction

Before illness, there is imbalance. Before imbalance, there is stress.
And long before blood pressure, cholesterol, or A1c become problems—your body has been quietly signaling that something is off.

In fact, chronic stress often precedes the measurable markers of disease. As physician and longevity expert Dr. Peter Attia puts it: “Chronic inflammation and insulin resistance begin decades before the first heart attack.”

But how do we see it early enough to act?

📊 How We Measure the Biology of Stress

At Vitality, we use a triad of insight to assess your stress response:

Blood Markers (Internal Load)

These are objective indicators of how stress is impacting your cells, hormones, and inflammatory systems.

• hs-CRP (C-Reactive Protein): An early warning light for systemic inflammation. Even slight elevations (>1.0 mg/L) are linked to heart disease and autoimmune risk.

• Homocysteine: A byproduct of impaired methylation. High levels (>10 µmol/L) are linked to oxidative stress and vascular inflammation.

• Cortisol (AM value): Helps assess adrenal strain. Chronically elevated or flattened curves suggest HPA axis dysfunction.

• Vitamin D, B12, and Folate: Low levels impair immune resilience and your ability to detox stress hormones.

• Hormonal Markers (Testosterone, DHEA, Estrogen): Often drop with prolonged stress, affecting motivation, mood, and recovery.

💡 Chronic stress alters the HPA axis, your body’s central stress system, which directly affects these markers and downstream metabolic and immune function.

Biofeedback Tools (Real-Time Output)

As Dr. Andrew Huberman emphasizes in his work on the autonomic nervous system, tools like Heart Rate Variability (HRV) give us a window into how well the nervous system recovers from stress.

• Low HRV = Overactivation of sympathetic nervous system

• Trend tracking over time matters more than one-off readings

• Tools like WHOOP, Oura, and Garmin are useful—but should be paired with coaching and lifestyle interpretation

Subjective Insight (How You Feel)

You don’t need a lab to know you’re under stress—but a structured system helps. At Vitality, we encourage members to reflect on:

• Energy on waking

• Emotional volatility

• Cravings (especially sugar or caffeine)

• Sleep quality

• Training motivation

Our Daily Readiness Observation (DRO) captures these patterns and maps them to movement and recovery needs—turning subjective signals into action.

What You Can Do About It (That Actually Works)

You can’t eliminate stress—but you can improve your body’s capacity to adapt to it. This process is called allostatic resilience, and it’s measurable and trainable.

1. Improve Parasympathetic Activation

Chronic stress locks your body in “go mode.” You need dedicated practices to shift out of it.

• Breathing: 4-7-8 method, LSD breathing, or Huberman’s “physiological sigh”

• Still Sessions: Include sauna, red light therapy, PEMF, or guided recovery

• Nature exposure and sunlight (Huberman Lab Podcast: The Science of Natural Light)

2. Target Inflammation with Nutrition and Enhancers

• Omega-3s (Thorne Super EPA): Lower CRP and improve cognitive resilience

• Vitamin D + K2: Supports immune regulation and nervous system balance

• Methylation support (Thorne Methyl Guard): Helps regulate homocysteine and detox pathways

• Magnesium & electrolytes: Support nervous system recovery and reduce nighttime overactivation

💡 Dr. Mark Hyman notes that “you can’t out-supplement stress—but you can support the systems that stress depletes.”

3. Strength Train + Sleep Well

Strength training reduces cortisol over time, supports hormone regulation, and improves HRV. But it only works if paired with quality sleep.

• Aim for 7–9 hours, with focus on reducing wake frequency and improving deep sleep

• Track via Oura, Apple, WHOOP—or journal your sleep window, time to fall asleep, and wakeups

4. Retest Every 90 Days

Stress is dynamic. Your plan should be too.
With quarterly biomarker testing via Lifeforce, we can see if your supplement plan is helping—or needs adjustment.

From Dysfunction to Direction

Stress may be the earliest sign that your biology is off course. But it’s also your greatest opportunity to intervene—before illness ever arrives.

With the right data, daily strategy, and science-backed support, you can train your nervous system to bounce back faster, think more clearly, and age more slowly.

References & Supporting Sources

1. Chronic Stress and Disease Progression

   • World Health Organization. (2020). Stress and noncommunicable diseases. https://www.who.int

   • Sapolsky, R. M. (2004). Why Zebras Don’t Get Ulcers. Holt Paperbacks.

   • McEwen, B. S. (1998). Protective and damaging effects of stress mediators. New England Journal of Medicine, 338(3), 171-179. https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJM199801153380307

2. Inflammatory and Stress-Related Blood Markers

   • Ridker, P. M. (2003). C-reactive protein: a simple test to help predict risk of heart attack and stroke. Circulation, 108(12), e81-e85. https://doi.org/10.1161/01.CIR.0000093381.57779.67

   • Perła-Kaján, J., Twardowski, T., & Jakubowski, H. (2007). Homocysteine and hydrogen sulfide in health and disease. Amino Acids, 32(4), 329–335.

3. Hormones and Chronic Stress Impact

   • Tsigos, C., & Chrousos, G. P. (2002). Hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis, neuroendocrine factors and stress. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 53(4), 865–871.

4. Heart Rate Variability and Stress Adaptation

   • Shaffer, F., & Ginsberg, J. P. (2017). An overview of heart rate variability metrics and norms. Frontiers in Public Health, 5, 258. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2017.00258

5. Thought Leaders & Podcasts

   • Attia, P. (2023). The Drive Podcast: Chronic inflammation and longevity. https://peterattiamd.com/podcast/

   • Huberman, A. (2021–2024). Huberman Lab Podcast: Episodes on stress, HRV, recovery breathing, and sunlight. https://hubermanlab.com

6. Supplement Support for Stress & Inflammation

   • Calder, P. C. (2006). n−3 Polyunsaturated fatty acids, inflammation, and inflammatory diseases. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 83(6), 1505S-1519S.

   • Kennedy, D. O. (2016). B vitamins and the brain: mechanisms, dose and efficacy—a review. Nutrients, 8(2), 68.