Conversations with Friends: Ellen Vora, MD

1. With our recent launch of Serene State gummies, stress has been a big topic at Sakara HQ. What are some little-known ways that stress can affect us, inside and out?

One thing that people often don't realize is the way stress can suppress our immunity. When we're in a sustained, heightened state of stress, the body has to triage—it says, “for now, let's face the stressor, and then we can push off any housekeeping for later.” That includes mobilizing the immune system against foreign invaders. So we’re more prone to succumbing to a cold or a flu (among other things) when we're chronically stressed.

2. Can you share a bit about how women are uniquely affected by stress?

The delicate symphony of our menstrual cycles is also intertwined with our stress levels. If our bodies perceive that we're up against an acute stressor, it decides that this would not be a good time to conceive a child. So it has a way, through the HPAG axis and delicate hormonal cascades, to suppress ovulation. This has implications for our fertility, our cycle regularity, and even our mood and physical wellbeing.

3. What are three things we can all try today to lower our stress levels?

• Keep the phone out of the bedroom
• Set boundaries around media and news
• Earlier bedtime
• Epsom salt bath
• Spend more time unplugged and in nature
• Cry more to release pent-up stress
• Spend time with the people in your life who help your nervous system feel calm

(Sorry, I couldn't keep it to just three!)

4. One way we like to de-stress? A good laugh. What’s something that’s brought you joy, or even better, made you laugh out loud lately?

My nine-year-old daughter says the darndest things that have me laughing out loud regularly. Just this morning she ran into my bedroom to tell me, “Mom, I got my PhD.” I didn't know exactly what she meant, as I was barely awake. And then she translated it for me: “PHD: a perfect hair day.”