Are you stressed? A nail test is coming to measure it and a method to overcome it.

If stress is constant, it risks becoming a disease, producing effects that in turn fuel the state of tension, triggering a vicious cycle. This is why experts at the Casa di cura San Rossore in Pisa, together with the University of Pisa, are working on a nail test that can measure chronic stress levels .

But how does stress work? What biological pathways does it activate in the short and long term? How can it be prevented and combated? And how should it be dosed? The facility's specialists have developed a dedicated multidisciplinary protocol and offer targeted advice—from anti-stress foods to the importance of exercise, meditation, and cultivating hobbies and friendships.

"Acute stress and chronic stress are two conditions in which the body reacts by releasing cortisol , a steroid hormone known as the stress hormone," the experts explain. "But while in acute stress, the released cortisol acts as a restorative agent, suppressing the inflammatory response and restoring the body's natural pre-stress state, in contrast, in chronic stress, where the body releases cortisol for prolonged periods, the hormone changes its function and becomes pro-inflammatory. This negatively impacts the body, creating a permanent inflammatory state, exposing it to serious risks and pathologies."

Endocrinologist Fausto Bogazzi recalls that "the World Health Organization defines chronic stress as a pre-pathological condition, like burnout. When we are subjected to excessive stress, an ancestral system present in animals and humans is activated, starting in the brain and leading to an accelerated heartbeat, increased blood pressure, and glucose levels. Activating this system in the short term helps us overcome difficulties." However, "prolonged stress, especially in stress-prone individuals, is responsible for complications that in turn contribute to further increasing the stressful situation: insomnia, anxiety, depression, hypertension, and even cardiovascular disease ."

"In this historical period, stress has become a constant companion for many of us," Bogazzi analyzes. "From work to personal relationships, our emotional and physical well-being are constantly put to the test in our daily lives. Today, the dangers are posed by stress in the workplace, financial deadlines, health worries, and even sports or school competitions, and therefore no one, not even children, escapes stress," the endocrinologist specifies, urging us to be aware of the problem and to recognize any stress in those around us.

The anti-stress protocol

The San Rossore Nursing Home, with Bogazzi, clinical psychologist Ciro Conversano, and a large multidisciplinary staff that includes medical director Giovanni Gravina and Simone Casarosa, director of the San Rossore Sport Village, has established an innovative protocol to address stressful conditions that jeopardize health and well-being. "It's important to embark on an integrated path to overcome or prevent stress," Bogazzi emphasizes. "The goal is to reduce the chronic inflammation caused by stress and responsible for complications, and develop greater resilience to it. It's necessary to focus on the crucial aspects related to stress: the gut, hormones, physical activity, nutrition, and mindfulness. Stressful events are part of everyday life, but we can learn to manage them and become stronger in the face of stress. It's important to identify the sources of stress and adopt the right strategies to protect our physical well-being, leading to a more serene life and improving our overall health. Valuable support in this regard is offered by multidisciplinary work involving specialists such as endocrinologists, nutritionists, sports coaches, and psychologists."

"Integrating natural anti-inflammatory elements, such as omega-3 fatty acids, into the diet," experts point out, "is a fundamental aid in preventing and managing chronic stress. Modulating the intestinal microbiota using specific anti-stress probiotics, regular physical activity, practicing mindfulness, and cultivating hobbies and interpersonal relationships complete the process."

Cortisol key to measuring it

"Regarding stress," the Tuscan specialists point out, "today it is crucial to complement the psychological assessment, which is performed through the use of specific questionnaires, with an objective measurement of chronic stress." A scientific study involving Bogazzi and Conversano, conducted by the University of Pisa, is moving in this direction. The study aims to provide a "verified and rigorous response to stress measurement in the near future." The project, according to the study, aims to measure, through nail examination, the permanence and level of cortisol in the body over months , and use this data as an indicator of chronic stress.

"Measuring the stress hormone," the researchers from the San Rossore Nursing Home conclude, "is a global necessity, considering how long-term exposure to an inflammatory condition can be detrimental to everyone's health. Therefore, the response from researchers at the University of Pisa will represent a key step in the prevention and treatment of all diseases triggered by a long-term inflammatory state due to stressful conditions."