How Stress Regulation Supports Brain Health as We Age

Dr. Jorina Elbers, MD, an integrative neurologist and Medical Director at the HeartMath Institute, joined our Livelong Women's Circle Studio Session to talk about what chronic stress does to the body, and why new research is connecting it to brain aging and Alzheimer's risk.

Elbers’ central message is that the long list of midlife symptoms many women are told are separate problems, such as brain fog, disrupted sleep, digestive trouble, anxiety, a racing heart, are often one thing wearing different masks. She says it’s nervous system dysregulation, and described the diagnostic frustration it creates: “It’s nervous system dysregulation when they’re all involved. It’s like playing whack-a-mole. You’re just trying to figure out which one to hit next, and they’re all present.”

She says that this dysregulation can be measured through heart rate variability (HRV), the natural variation in time between heartbeats. A higher number generally signals a more flexible, adaptable nervous system, though Elbers cautioned against comparing scores with others based on wearable brands:

As worth noting is that regulation isn’t the same as sitting still, says Elbers. It’s a rhythm of “rise and recover” that keeps the system flexible rather than flat.

The most concrete takeaway from the conversation was a specific technique: a 1-to-1 breathing ratio, with an equal count on the inhale and exhale (five seconds in, five seconds out, for example), paired with sustained attention on the heart. Elbers said this rhythm is what produces measurable “coherence,” and pointed to research linking it to lower levels of Alzheimer’s-disease-related proteins. And it doesn’t need to be long-lasting. While two minutes is too short to be effective, Elbers says three minutes is all you really need to bring your system into recovery. She just advises you do it multiple times throughout the day.

Elbers also demonstrated the pattern and what coherence looks like in real time, saying that it’s a tool we can use before a hard conversation, a medical appointment, or a stressful afternoon.

To learn more about HeartMath and the sensor that Dr. Elbers mentions, visit HeartMath.com.

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