5 ms·

Curious – are there legitimate ways to measure stress?

koolba 6y ago
You could count the amount of hair loss or lack thereof. I bet hours of nightly REM sleep would be inversely correlated as well.
- raducu 6y ago
  I have terrible sleep, but my hours of REM sleep are fine. It's my deep sleep that's toast; also I get to the REM stage too quickly, I think it's supposed to be a sign of depression. So it's a bit more complicated.
- bbarnett 6y ago
  There is nothing wrong with hair loss, it is perfectly natural, even when young and it doesn't mean you are getting old, not even a little bit, it even can look good, OK?
  - koolba 6y ago
    I never said it’s not natural or that there’s anything wrong with it. It’s known to be associated with stress so barring other known factors, if you suddenly start losing your hair then stress could be a cause. In contrast to long term loss, short term loss from stress tends to be reversible if it’s caught early enough.
    - bbarnett 6y ago
      I know, just shaking my fists at the sky with my hair loss, no worries.
throwaway_isms 6y ago
cortisol levels can be tested
thatcat 6y ago
only short term via cortisol, long term burnout is as mysterious as it is destructive
- raducu 6y ago
  I guess I'll check it out. I'm 37 and I think my room started having the old person smell.
  - hobofan 6y ago
    That might also be something less dramatic. After a year of mostly staying at home, I had the same feeling, but in the end I think it was mostly stank from some of the more extreme diets I had in recent times. Now that the weather allows for full days of ventilation again (combined with baking soda) that smell was pretty quickly gone.
sradman 6y ago
Heart Rate Variability (HRV), a relatively new feature in wearables with optical heart rate monitors, is a good proxy for stress. Some years ago, IBM did a study that found that HRV in newborns served as an early warning system of illness. Athletes have long used this measure to determine when off days are needed.
bregma 6y ago
Stress is measured in metric units of "handwaves." One handwave (Ɦ)is 1 angst (å) per second.

You could count the amount of hair loss or lack thereof. I bet hours of nightly REM sleep would be inversely correlated as well.

raducu 6y ago
I have terrible sleep, but my hours of REM sleep are fine. It's my deep sleep that's toast; also I get to the REM stage too quickly, I think it's supposed to be a sign of depression. So it's a bit more complicated.
bbarnett 6y ago
There is nothing wrong with hair loss, it is perfectly natural, even when young and it doesn't mean you are getting old, not even a little bit, it even can look good, OK?
- koolba 6y ago
  I never said it’s not natural or that there’s anything wrong with it. It’s known to be associated with stress so barring other known factors, if you suddenly start losing your hair then stress could be a cause. In contrast to long term loss, short term loss from stress tends to be reversible if it’s caught early enough.
  - bbarnett 6y ago
    I know, just shaking my fists at the sky with my hair loss, no worries.

throwaway_isms 6y ago

cortisol levels can be tested

thatcat 6y ago

only short term via cortisol, long term burnout is as mysterious as it is destructive

raducu 6y ago
I guess I'll check it out. I'm 37 and I think my room started having the old person smell.
- hobofan 6y ago
  That might also be something less dramatic. After a year of mostly staying at home, I had the same feeling, but in the end I think it was mostly stank from some of the more extreme diets I had in recent times. Now that the weather allows for full days of ventilation again (combined with baking soda) that smell was pretty quickly gone.

sradman 6y ago

Heart Rate Variability (HRV), a relatively new feature in wearables with optical heart rate monitors, is a good proxy for stress. Some years ago, IBM did a study that found that HRV in newborns served as an early warning system of illness. Athletes have long used this measure to determine when off days are needed.

bregma 6y ago

Stress is measured in metric units of "handwaves." One handwave (Ɦ)is 1 angst (å) per second.