Watchman News

Have you been getting enough sleep lately? According to the latest statistics gathered by the National Sleep Foundation, six out of 10 adults in America don’t get enough sleep. Furthermore, almost half of all adults have trouble staying asleep three or more nights per week.1

Simply put, sleep deprivation is a serious yet growing health concern. In previous articles, I have discussed how it can affect different aspects of your health, such as overall shorter life expectancy and deteriorating eye health. Now, new research shows that it also affects another foundational aspect of your health, namely your gut. Specifically, your gut’s self-repair mechanisms become disrupted when you don’t get enough sleep.2

But that’s not all. Additional research shows that sleep deprivation affects the actual bacteria living in your gut. When the balance of the microbiota is disrupted, your risk for various metabolic and cardiovascular diseases goes up.

Sleep Loss Hits Your Gut Repair System Faster Than You Expect

In a study published in Stem Cell, researchers set out to determine how even brief periods of sleep deprivation affect the repair capabilities of intestinal stem cells (ISCs).3 For context, ISCs live deep inside the crypts along your small intestine and act as the body’s internal construction crew. When they falter, the entire lining loses its ability to regenerate.4

Using a mouse model, the researchers created a controlled setup of acute sleep deprivation and then examined structural changes in the gut, stem cell activity, and the signaling pathways that either protect or damage gut repair.

• Even a short window of sleep deprivation impairs ISC function — This results in altered gut architecture, which matters because your gut lining replaces itself roughly every three to five days, and intestinal stem cells drive that turnover.5

When those foundational cells lose function, the gut’s absorptive surface shrinks, the barrier weakens, and your digestive stability drops. Specifically, the study documented shorter villi, reduced crypt depth, and loss of Paneth cells, which are specialized cells that help defend your gut against harmful microbes.

Villi are the small hairlike projections that increase surface area for nutrient absorption. As expected, when they shorten, your ability to absorb nutrients drops.

Meanwhile, Paneth cells release antimicrobial compounds that protect you from harmful bacteria and losing them weakens your intestinal defense. If you have ever noticed sudden bloating, loose stools, or abdominal discomfort after a night of poor sleep, this offers a strong, probable reason why those issues manifested.

• The damage begins inside a specific region of the brainstem called the dorsal motor nucleus of the vagus (DMV) — The DMV helps regulate digestion through the vagus nerve. When you lose sleep, this region becomes overactive and sends too many signals to your gut, releasing excess acetylcholine — a chemical messenger that tells cells to switch on. That surge overstimulates specialized gut cells called enterochromaffin cells, which then release large amounts of serotonin.

While serotonin normally helps coordinate digestion, too much of it overwhelms nearby ISCs by activating certain receptors. Instead of supporting repair, this overload acts like a stress signal, triggering oxidative damage inside the stem cells. As that stress builds, your gut’s ability to repair and maintain its lining begins to weaken.

• The researchers observed a clear decrease in stem cell proliferation — ISCs exposed to the sleep-disrupted environment entered a state of diminished activity that directly contributed to the smaller crypt-villus structure. Your crypts house the stem cells, and if crypt depth decreases, the stem cell population becomes more vulnerable to further stressors like alcohol, ultraprocessed foods, and infections.

Published literature reviewed within the paper compared different variables to map out exactly how this chain reaction unfolds. In one example, when vagal signaling was blocked, the gut damage was sharply reduced. When researchers blocked serotonin signaling at a particular receptor, oxidative stress inside the stem cells decreased.

The findings show how interwoven your brain and gut truly are. The DMV responds to your sleep patterns, circadian rhythm, and daily stress exposure. When sleep becomes fragmented, the DMV begins sending distorted messages through the vagus nerve. This distorted communication causes the gut to suffer the consequences.

Sleep Deprivation Leads to Further Dysbiosis in Your Gut

In a related study published in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences, researchers examined how sleep deprivation reshapes the gut microbiome and why these shifts drive digestive problems and body-wide inflammation. Pulling from a mix of human and animal research, they mapped out a full picture of what happens inside your gut when your sleep habits aren’t optimal.6

Rather than focusing on gut structure, which the first featured study covered, this study concentrated on other aspects such as microbial balance, barrier function, immune activation, and chemical messengers that determine how healthy — or inflamed — your digestive system becomes.

• Sleep loss shifts the microbiome into a pattern associated with digestive distress, weight gain, and reduced microbial diversity — All of these issues point to a gut environment under strain. These findings matter because your microbiome helps regulate inflammation, digestion, mood, and metabolic health. When sleep deprivation disrupts that ecosystem, the effects ripple across your entire body.

• Sleep deprivation lowers levels of beneficial gut bacteria, including Akkermansia, Bacteroides, and Faecalibacterium — These microbes are known for strengthening the gut barrier and producing short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) such as butyrate, acetate, and propionate that support colon health.

These compounds calm inflammation and help nourish the colon lining. In fact, increased levels of butyrate “have been found to be negatively correlated with cognitive impairment and neuroinflammation,” the researchers reported. At the same time, sleep-deprived animals showed increases in bacteria linked to digestive irritation and immune activation.

• Sleep-deprived animals produce fewer goblet cells — These are cells that create mucus along your intestinal lining. Mucus acts as the gut’s protective coating, keeping irritants and microbes from coming into direct contact with your gut wall. Without enough mucus, the lining becomes more exposed and more reactive.

• Microbial shifts do not require long-term sleep deprivation — In other words, even short-term sleep disruption altered the microbiome composition, reduced SCFA levels, and triggered inflammatory patterns within hours to days.

• Sleep deprivation triggers the TLR4-NF-kappa B pathway, which acts like a molecular alarm system — According to the paper, sleep deprivation increases intestinal permeability, allowing endotoxins to enter the bloodstream and trigger this pathway. Now, TLR4 is a receptor that detects these bacterial fragments, and NF-kappa B is a genetic switch that turns on inflammation.

Once activated, immune cells release cytokines such as tumor necrosis factor (TNF), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and interleukin-1 (IL-1), which drive digestive discomfort and body-wide inflammation.

• Changes in secondary bile metabolism occur due to sleep deprivation — Secondary bile acids, which form due to interaction between intestinal bacteria and primary bile acids, help prevent harmful bacteria from taking over, so losing them weakens your natural defense system. This shift reduces colonization resistance, meaning your gut becomes easier for inflammatory or pathogenic microbes to inhabit.

• Gene expression disruptions occurred within the context of gut function — The microbiome follows a daily rhythm, and when sleep cycles break down, microbial activity becomes irregular and mistimed. When sleep patterns return to normal, gut function improves:7

“It has been shown that melatonin, a hormone that plays a key role in maintaining the circadian rhythm, can effectively reverse harmful SD [sleep deprivation]-induced effects,” the researchers noted.

Correct Your Sleep Habits with These Strategies and Get Proper Rest

The findings are clear: Having your sleep constantly disrupted undermines your health in different ways, and this includes your gut. Considering this, optimizing your sleep habits requires a multifaceted approach to maximize results. Here are my recommendations:

1. Step outside early to reset your body clock — Your brain needs a clear morning signal that the day has begun, and outdoor light provides it. Getting sunlight within the first hour after waking anchors your internal timing system (circadian rhythm) and sets the schedule for melatonin production later that night. If you miss this window, your clock drifts, and bedtime slides later even if you feel tired.

Just 10 to 20 minutes of natural morning light gives your brain the cue it needs to place sleep in its proper slot.

2. Create an inviting environment in your bedroom that signals sleeping time — Your brain sleeps best when your environment tells it the world is quiet and safe. A cool, silent, and fully dark room supports that message.

Use blackout curtains or an eye mask and remove glowing electronics from your room. Shut off Wi-Fi, keep your phone out of reach, and avoid charging devices near your bed. These changes lower nighttime stimulation and silence cues that keep your nervous system on alert when it is supposed to ease into rest.

In addition, minimize artificial light exposure after sunset. Once the sun goes down, indoor lighting and screens work against your sleep rhythms. Artificial light suppresses melatonin production and tricks your brain into thinking the day isn’t over. So, after sundown, dim your environment, avoid overhead lighting, and turn off screens at least an hour before bed to let your brain transition into nighttime mode.

3. Practice proper sleep posture — The very form your body takes while sleeping also influences the overall rest you’re getting. If you fall asleep in an uncomfortable position, you’ll eventually wake up due to the low levels of stress that’s keeping your nervous system up.

To ensure continuous, deep sleep, get a high-quality pillow that supports the natural curvature of your neck while keeping your spine neutral. This reduces muscular tension, allowing your body to completely relax.

4. Stick to a predictable sleep schedule — Going to bed and getting up at the same time every day teaches your brain when to power down. Staying up late and sleeping in — even on weekends — throws off that rhythm. Consistency strengthens your natural sleep drive and improves your ability to fall asleep naturally.

5. Other tips to help you create a proper wind-down routine — When your brain runs wild at night, the groundwork usually starts earlier in the day. Too much stimulation, back-to-back tasks, and late-evening mental effort push your nervous system into overdrive.

Build short breaks into your day, move your body regularly, and avoid heavy cognitive work close to bedtime. When your nervous system gets recovery during daylight hours, it no longer demands attention once you’re trying to sleep. For more practical strategies to get restful sleep every night, read “Top 33 Tips to Optimize Your Sleep Routine.”

Frequently Asked Questions About Sleep Disruption and Its Effects on Digestive Health

Q: How does sleep deprivation damage the gut lining?
A: Even short-term sleep loss triggers hyperactivity in a brainstem region called the dorsal motor nucleus of the vagus (DMV), which sends abnormal signals through the vagus nerve to the gut. This causes a surge of serotonin that creates oxidative stress in intestinal stem cells (ISCs) — the cells that rebuild your gut lining every three to five days. The result is impaired nutrient absorption and gut defense.

Q: How does poor sleep change the bacteria living in your gut?
A: Sleep deprivation reduces beneficial bacteria like Akkermansia and Faecalibacterium, which maintain the gut barrier and produce anti-inflammatory short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs). Meanwhile, inflammation-linked bacteria increase. This imbalance happens surprisingly fast, with microbial shifts appearing within hours to days of disrupted sleep.

Q: Why does poor sleep lead to body-wide inflammation, and not just digestive problems?
A: Sleep deprivation increases intestinal permeability, allowing bacterial fragments to leak into the bloodstream and activate the TLR4-NF-κB inflammatory pathway. This triggers release of pro-inflammatory cytokines, meaning a sleep-deprived gut contributes to systemic inflammation and raises the risk of metabolic and cardiovascular diseases.

Q: Does the timing of sleep matter, or just the total hours?
A: Timing matters significantly. Circadian misalignment from irregular bedtimes, shift work, or late-night screens produced some of the strongest inflammatory and metabolic disturbances — even when total sleep hours were adequate. Your gut microbiome follows a daily rhythm synced to your sleep cycle, so irregular timing throws it out of sync.

Q: What are the most effective strategies for protecting sleep and gut health?
A: Get outdoor sunlight within the first hour of waking, keep your bedroom dark and electronics-free, avoid screens after sunset, maintain a consistent daily sleep-wake schedule, and manage daytime stress through regular movement and built-in breaks.

A New Series of Health Insights Is on the Way

WICHTIG

A New Series of Health Insights Is on the Way

Our team has been working behind the scenes to prepare new research and practical health
strategies for our readers. While we finish preparing what’s coming next, we invite you to
explore one of the most-read articles from our library below. See exactly what’s changing →

Water is an important building block of life. Without it, human life would cease to exist. That said, not all water is created equally.

In an interview with Isabel Friend for The Water Is Life podcast, Tyler LeBaron, Ph.D., founder of the Molecular Hydrogen Institute, shares how molecular hydrogen works to benefit your health in different ways. I encourage you to listen to the entire episode, as it contains many nuggets of wisdom about this fascinating subject. I’ve summarized the most pertinent points below.1

From Alkaline Believer to Hydrogen Researcher

LeBaron begins his interview with Friend by explaining how he got into molecular hydrogen. He was fascinated by health, reading every naturopathic book he could find. Upon encountering the concept of hydrogen water and its potential for optimizing human health, everything clicked for him.

• A curiosity for wellness — LeBaron’s journey into molecular hydrogen started at a young age. He developed an interest in naturopathic topics, like iridology. As his thirst for knowledge grew, he began to discover many fascinating notions about health and the human body. One thing he learned about was the concept that the body is slightly alkaline.

“And so, it’s important to have an alkaline pH. And again, this was — we’ll go into the science later on, but this is my understanding at the time. And I first came across alkaline water and I was like, ‘That’s so perfect’ because that’s exactly what we need. So, this is right after I basically got out of high school, and it just made a lot of sense to me.”

• Like other pioneers, there was initial pushback — As a university student, LeBaron brought these ideas to his professors, who quickly challenged the premise:

“[O]n the one hand they were kind of dismissive and like laughing about it. But on the other hand, they were helpful. And it would explain, ‘Well, this is the reason why alkaline water alone wouldn’t benefit your body, basically.’

You know, yes, it’s true that the body needs to have a slightly alkaline pH, but the body already can do that really well by regulating the kidneys, by breathing, and water alone does not have the buffering capacity or the alkalinity needed to maintain this pH.”

• The eureka moment — LeBaron’s biochemistry professor pointed him toward molecular hydrogen as the real bioactive agent in these waters.

“[I]t was actually my biochemistry professor at the time when we were reviewing an article together on molecular hydrogen that can be dissolved in the water, where he said, ‘Tyler, I think there’s something here.’

When he said that, that’s when I was like, ‘Wow, this is what I’m missing. This is what I need to research.’ And as I’ve continued research in molecular hydrogen, whether it’s dissolved in water or inhalation as you’re doing right now, just the hydrogen molecule is really so amazing. But you can just dissolve it into water. And so now my passion has continued expanding upon hydrogen in all its different forms and modalities and the benefits of water in general.”

What Happens When People Start Drinking Hydrogen Water?

LeBaron frames the benefits of hydrogen that he has dubbed the Four H’s. The detailed explanations are below:

• Hydrogen — Many products labeled “hydrogen water” don’t actually contain enough H2 to be therapeutic by the time you drink it. According to LeBaron:

“[N]umber one, hopefully that there’s hydrogen gas present in the water because that’s not always the case. There are some products that are often promoted as hydrogen water or can have hydrogen water. But by the time somebody ingests it, the concentration of molecular hydrogen is very low.”

• Health — Once people become interested in hydrogen water, they often ditch soda, alcohol, or junk food. Thus, their health improves subconsciously:

“They’re also learning about health in general. And they’re starting to make changes, dietary changes. Maybe they’re stopping drinking so many soda or energy drinks or alcoholic beverages or other things that are very damaging for them. So, they improve their health. And obviously, as you improve your health and make those major lifestyle changes, then that’s going to provide a lot of benefits, right?”

• Hydration — Just drinking more water — especially clean, filtered water — makes a big difference to your health, LeBaron says:

“A lot of people, they probably don’t drink enough water, right? When you’re slightly thirsty you’re probably a little bit dehydrated. And so, by just drinking more water and preferentially water instead of an alcoholic beverage or a sugary drink or something, right? That’s going to be better for you as well.”

• Hype — Belief in a new remedy can trigger physiological changes. LeBaron explains the thought process behind this phenomenon:

“[H]ype has reference to the placebo effect which is actually extremely powerful and really amazing. And it’s not sometimes people think that the placebo effect is just — it’s only something that you think in your mind something is happening, but it’s not really happening.

Or they think, ‘Well, I don’t believe in it. And so therefore the placebo effect won’t help me’ or something. But actually that’s not true. The placebo effect has a true physiological biological basis.”

The Science Is Catching Up — Human Trials Show Real Results

While testimonials and anecdotal reports are helpful, science helps solidify and confirm the claims. And now, LeBaron is sharing the latest updates in this regard.

• Hydrogen water benefits rheumatoid arthritis — One of the most powerful studies came from a placebo-controlled, crossover trial on early-stage rheumatoid arthritis. Participants drank hydrogen-rich water for a few weeks. Even better, some of the participants had their condition go into remission:2

“[F]or the first four weeks, they would drink hydrogen water or placebo water, and then they would have a washout period of, say, four weeks, and then they would switch and then they would drink hydrogen water or placebo water and they had these subjects with rheumatoid arthritis and those with early-stage rheumatoid arthritis.

[S]ome of them entered into remission of the condition. So, they didn’t have that disease score high enough to even satisfy the requirement to say they had the disease, and their symptomology went down a lot. The oxidative stress went down a lot. So that was very impressive.”

• Your metabolic health also benefits from hydrogen water — LeBaron also shares a study that he conducted with other researchers, a six-month, double-blind, randomized trial of 60 people with metabolic syndrome.3 The participants drinking hydrogen-producing tablets saw improvements in different biomarkers, such as blood sugar levels, cholesterol ratio, inflammatory markers, oxidative stress, and reduction in body mass index (BMI).

• Blood lipid profiles are also better — LeBaron mentioned that molecular hydrogen benefits your blood lipid profiles.4 He noted:

“Sometimes, some clinical studies will show some pretty prominent effects. But when you look at the meta-analysis with an additional statistical power on it, you don’t really see statistically significant effects anymore because everything’s kind of averaged out. But in this case, there was still a statistically significant benefit showing that hydrogen had the suggested to have improvements with blood lipid profiles.”

A Deeper Dive Into the Functions of Hydrogen

LeBaron has extensive knowledge of molecular hydrogen. Below, he explains how it works and how it supports your health in different ways:

• Hydrogen gas is selective in how it interacts in the body — It only targets the most dangerous free radicals, like hydroxyl radicals, and leaves helpful signaling molecules alone. LeBaron explains:

“[H]ydrogen is a very stable molecule. And so, it can’t easily react with very many free radicals. It can only react with radicals that are extremely dangerous and harmful and oxidative, such as the hydroxyl radical. And that’s what makes it a selective antioxidant. And also, because it is so small and its physical chemical properties, it makes it largely biologically inert.”

• On a deeper level, H2 acts like a messenger — It can influence gene expression and protein signaling, and even the behavior of microRNAs:

“So, it has a pleiotropic effect that influences gene expression, protein phosphorylation cascades. MicroRNA, which we published on as well. All of those together is what allows it to have critical downstream effects that, later on, have very important health beneficial effects, okay? So, it’s not again, it’s not a strong potent drug like that, but its benefits for the energy production like you’re talking about with the mitochondria.”

• Hydrogen supports energy production — LeBaron touches upon the impact of molecular hydrogen in the context of mitochondrial health:

“[M]olecular hydrogen has been shown to maintain the mitochondrial membrane potential. It can also help prevent the opening of this mitochondrial — there’s a pore or a protein channel that causes the gradient to be lost.

And it prevents that from opening prematurely when things that can be compromised during times of pollutions or ischemic reperfusion or like just damage that can happen like during a stroke or something or other types of closings of the blood vessels. So, hydrogen can do all these things as well as it can activate PGC-1 to increase PGC-1α, which is a marker of mitochondrial biogenesis.”

How to Incorporate Molecular Hydrogen Into Your Routine

All that said, I highly recommend consider adding molecular hydrogen into your regimen because of its benefits and relatively safe profile. I’ve interviewed LeBaron myself, and here are our recommendations on how to take advantage of this revolutionary particle:

1. Consider daily supplementation — While not everyone may need it, the potential benefits and lack of side effects make hydrogen a low-risk, high-reward option.
2. Choose the right delivery method — Hydrogen-rich water, particularly from tablets, offers a convenient and effective way to supplement.
3. Timing matters — Consume hydrogen-rich water immediately after preparation to ensure maximum benefit.
4. Embrace other healthy habits — Hydrogen therapy is most effective when combined with a healthy diet, regular daily movement, and other positive lifestyle factors.
5. Stay informed — As research in this field continues to evolve, staying up-to-date with the latest findings can help you optimize your use of hydrogen therapy.

Less Is More When It Comes to Benefits

Given the benefits of molecular hydrogen, it’s tempting to constantly do it and think you’re always maximizing the benefits. However, our discussion yielded an important takeaway — molecular hydrogen therapy works better when it is pulsed. In other words, you’ll get diminishing returns when you always do it.

• Pulsing recommendations — Here are some recommended strategies to effectively use molecular hydrogen:

◦Drinking hydrogen-rich water at specific times during the day is more effective than sipping it constantly.
◦Short sessions (1 to 3 h) of hydrogen inhalation may be preferable to longer (20+ h), continuous exposure.
◦Allowing at least some hours without hydrogen supplementation could possibly enhance your body’s response when it’s reintroduced.

• Additional words of caution — LeBaron noted that one problem in molecular hydrogen therapy is measuring the concentration of hydrogen in water or gas. That said, he uses gas chromatography to record accurate figures during his research.

This means that for those using molecular hydrogen at home, you’ll need to be cautious about product claims. The most reliable way to verify claims is to cross-reference methods verified in clinical trials. These include certain hydrogen-generating tablets that have been shown to produce therapeutic levels of hydrogen.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About Molecular Hydrogen

Q: What led Tyler LeBaron, Ph.D., to research molecular hydrogen?
A: LeBaron’s journey began with a strong fascination for natural health and an early belief in the benefits of alkaline ionized water. Initially, the alkaline theory made intuitive sense to him, but his professors explained that the body’s pH is tightly regulated by the lungs and kidneys, and that water alone does not have enough buffering capacity to change internal pH.

The turning point came when a biochemistry professor introduced him to molecular hydrogen dissolved in water, which turned out to be the actual bioactive component producing benefits in some “alkaline water” products.

Q: What are the “Four H’s” that explain why people feel better when starting hydrogen water?
A: LeBaron describes four main reasons people often report benefits:

1. The presence of hydrogen itself, as many products labeled as hydrogen water may not contain therapeutic levels by the time they are consumed.
2. People who start using hydrogen water often make positive health behavior changes, such as reducing soda, alcohol, and junk food intake.
3. The simple act of increasing hydration improves health.
4. The hype effect, or placebo response, can cause real physiological changes that contribute to how people feel.

Q: What does the research say about hydrogen water’s health benefits?
A: Controlled human trials have demonstrated encouraging outcomes. In one study on individuals with early-stage rheumatoid arthritis, some participants experienced remission and reduced oxidative stress.

Another double-blind trial involving people with metabolic syndrome found improvements in blood sugar, cholesterol ratios, inflammation, oxidative stress, and modest weight loss. Furthermore, a meta-analysis confirmed statistically significant improvements in lipid profiles, supporting the idea that hydrogen has measurable effects on metabolic health.

Q: How does molecular hydrogen work in the body?
A: Molecular hydrogen functions as a selective antioxidant, targeting only the most harmful free radicals, such as hydroxyl radicals, while leaving beneficial signaling molecules untouched. It influences biological processes by modulating gene expression, protein signaling pathways, and microRNA activity.

It also supports mitochondrial health by maintaining membrane potential, preventing premature pore opening under stress, and stimulating mitochondrial biogenesis through PGC-1α activation.

Q: What are the best practices for using molecular hydrogen?
A: The most convenient and effective delivery method is often hydrogen-rich water, especially from tablets. It should be consumed immediately after preparation to ensure maximum potency. Rather than constant use, pulsing hydrogen intake at specific times during the day or using short inhalation sessions appears to maintain better responsiveness.

Users should also be cautious of exaggerated product claims and seek products that match the concentrations used in clinical research. For best results, hydrogen therapy should be integrated into an overall healthy lifestyle that includes good nutrition, regular physical activity, and other positive habits.

Anxiety has become one of the defining health challenges of modern American life, and the medical system’s primary answer remains a prescription pad. Federal data show that millions more adults now take anxiety medication than just five years ago, a trend that has drawn both public attention and political scrutiny.

The medications at the center of this debate work by altering brain chemistry to quiet the persistent worry, racing thoughts, and tension that define anxiety disorders. For some patients, the drugs deliver relief. But they also carry side effects that push a significant number of people to stop treatment, and growing questions about dependency, safety, and overprescription have reached the highest levels of government.

Meanwhile, researchers continue to identify powerful lifestyle and social forces — from digital overload to deepening isolation — that fuel anxiety at its source. That raises an uncomfortable question: Are we treating a medical condition, or medicating our way around problems that demand a different kind of solution?

RFK Jr. Challenges Widespread Anxiety Medication Use

U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. publicly questioned the expanding use of psychiatric medications such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs).

As reported by CBS News, anxiety medications have become increasingly common, with federal survey data showing the share of U.S. adults taking these drugs increased from 11.7% in 2019 to 14.3% in 2024.1 That jump represents roughly 8 million additional Americans starting anxiety medication during that period, bringing the total to about 38 million adults nationwide.

• Young adults drive the fastest growth in anxiety medication prescriptions — Among Americans ages 18 to 34, the proportion taking anxiety medication rose from 8.8% in 2019 to 14.6% in 2024. Researchers believe multiple social forces are behind this increase, including pandemic stress, economic uncertainty, and growing social media exposure.

These pressures create constant mental stimulation and comparison that feed worry and insecurity, which leads more people to seek pharmaceutical treatment.

• SSRIs remain the most widely prescribed anxiety medications — Drugs such as Prozac, Zoloft and Lexapro fall into this category. They work by altering how brain cells handle serotonin, a chemical messenger involved in mood regulation and emotional stability.

By slowing the brain’s reabsorption of serotonin, these drugs increase the amount of the chemical circulating between nerve cells. Doctors frequently prescribe SSRIs as first-line treatment for generalized anxiety disorder and panic disorder.

• Side effects remain a common reason people discontinue treatment — SSRIs come with drawbacks that affect many users. The report identified several common side effects, including upset stomach, fatigue, mental fog, and sexual dysfunction. For some patients these issues become difficult to tolerate in daily life. Data cited in the article show about 1 in 12 people stop taking SSRIs because of side effects.

• RFK Jr. argues withdrawal from SSRIs is difficult for some people — Kennedy emerged as one of the most prominent critics of expanding psychiatric medication use. During his January 29, 2026 confirmation hearing, Kennedy described cases where people struggled to stop taking SSRIs after long-term use. He stated that he personally knows individuals, including family members, who had “a tougher time quitting SSRIs than people have quitting heroin.”

• Federal officials are examining behavioral risks linked to psychiatric drugs — Kennedy has also directed his agency to study whether psychiatric medications such as SSRIs play a role in violent behavior. Federal health officials are examining links between psychiatric drug use and acts such as school shootings. This investigation reflects broader concerns among policymakers that certain medications alter emotional regulation in ways that require deeper study.

How Medication Risks and Modern Social Pressures Shape the Anxiety Treatment Debate

CBS News also reported comments from U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Marty Makary, who suggested that SSRI use during pregnancy could contribute to poor birth outcomes. These statements have intensified discussion about the safety of psychiatric medications in vulnerable populations.

Some patients also experience withdrawal symptoms when stopping antidepressants abruptly, while other anxiety medications, such as benzodiazepines including Xanax, carry clearer dependency risks.

Benzodiazepines work quickly to calm the nervous system and relieve acute anxiety. However, they create tolerance over time, meaning your body requires higher doses to achieve the same effect. Benzodiazepines work by enhancing the effect of GABA, your brain’s main calming chemical. With repeated use, your brain compensates by reducing its own GABA sensitivity, so you need a higher dose to get the same relief.

This adaptation is what makes stopping the drug so difficult. Psychiatrist Emily Wood explained that daily use often leads to dependence and requires careful tapering when stopping the medication. “If you’re taking them on a daily basis, you’ll need more and more to get the same effect,” she said.

• Social and cultural shifts play a major role in the anxiety epidemic — The report also examined broader forces behind rising anxiety rates, including increased social media use, economic stress and declining participation in community activities.

Sociologist Jason Schnittker of the University of Pennsylvania explained that anxiety levels have gradually increased across generations throughout the 20th and 21st centuries. Growing distrust, economic pressure and social isolation all contribute to a persistent sense of unease in modern life.

• Social media increasingly shapes how young people approach mental health treatment — One striking trend described in the report involves the role of digital platforms in mental health decisions. Many influencers openly discuss anxiety and medication online, which has reduced stigma around seeking treatment.

However, this environment also fuels self-diagnosis and quick access to prescriptions through telehealth services. A study cited in the article found that about one-third of teenagers now obtain mental health information from social media.2 For many young people, the internet has become their first stop when they try to understand anxiety symptoms.

How to Address Lifestyle Drivers of Anxiety

Whether the policy debate leads to changes or not, the practical question remains the same for anyone living with anxiety: What can you do today that addresses the root of the problem rather than just suppressing the symptoms? The answer starts with six evidence-based habits that target the same brain systems these drugs affect.

Anxiety rarely appears out of nowhere. It often grows from daily habits that push your nervous system into a constant fight-or-flight state. Endless social media scrolling, physical inactivity, poor sleep habits and chronic stress overload your brain’s threat detection system. Medication quiets symptoms, yet the root causes remain untouched if lifestyle patterns stay the same.

If anxiety dominates your thoughts or drains your energy, your first goal involves restoring balance in the systems that regulate mood and stress. Your brain responds strongly to movement, breathing patterns, digital input, and daily habits. When you adjust these factors, your nervous system settles and your mind becomes clearer and calmer.

1. Move your body every day and treat exercise as medicine — Physical activity ranks among the most powerful anxiety and depression remedies available. Research consistently shows that regular exercise reduces depression symptoms as effectively as antidepressant medication and psychotherapy for many adults, yet it does so without the burden of prescription side effects.3

Movement increases endorphins and other brain chemicals that stabilize mood and lower stress hormones. If you’re new to exercise, start with a brisk 10-minute walk daily — fast enough that you can talk but not sing. Add five minutes each week until you reach 60 minutes. Add in strength training twice a week and mind-body exercise, such as yoga, as well. Track your activity like a challenge and watch your confidence grow as your stamina improves.

2. Train your nervous system with slow breathing — Anxiety speeds up your breathing and keeps your body trapped in a stress loop. Slow breathing interrupts that loop and helps manage anxiety.4 When you inhale through your nose and extend your exhale, your nervous system shifts out of fight-or-flight mode.

Try a simple pattern: inhale slowly for four seconds, pause briefly, then exhale for six seconds. Repeat for five minutes. If your mind races during stressful moments or before sleep, this breathing rhythm quickly settles your nervous system.

3. Limit your exposure to social media and constant digital stimulation — Modern anxiety often begins with the endless stream of alarming headlines, arguments and comparisons on social media. Your brain treats those signals as threats even though they appear on a screen. If you notice anxiety spikes after scrolling, reduce exposure.

Set a strict time window for social media once or twice per day — or less. When you feel the urge to scroll, replace it with a five-minute walk outside, a few pages of a book, or a text to a friend making plans to meet in person.

4. Support your gut health to calm your nervous system — Your gut and brain are in constant two-way communication through the vagus nerve — a direct line that carries signals about inflammation, stress and immune activity from your digestive tract straight to your brain’s anxiety centers. When your gut environment is disrupted, those signals shift toward alarm, and your nervous system stays locked in a heightened state.

This gut-brain axis explains why digestive problems and anxiety so frequently appear together, and why fixing your gut often quiets your mind. The foundation of gut repair starts with removing what’s damaging it. If you eat out frequently or consume processed foods, you’re likely taking in excessive amounts of linoleic acid (LA) from seed oils like sunflower, safflower, soybean and canola. These oils disrupt mitochondrial function and wreck your gut environment.

Avoid processed foods and switch to grass fed butter, ghee or tallow instead. From there, optimize your carbohydrate intake — your body needs about 250 grams daily to maintain cellular energy production.

Start with easily digestible sources like whole fruit or white rice, especially if your gut is compromised, and add fiber gradually to avoid triggering endotoxin release. Once the foundation is stable, add fermented foods like sauerkraut, kimchi, and plain yogurt to further support a gut environment that keeps your brain’s threat signals in check.

5. Protect your sleep and restore your daily rhythm — Poor sleep destabilizes the brain systems that regulate mood and emotional control. When sleep becomes fragmented or shortened, your brain’s threat centers become more reactive and anxiety intensifies.

Protect your sleep by keeping a consistent bedtime, turning off screens at least an hour before bed and exposing your eyes to natural daylight early in the morning. That daily light signal resets your internal clock and improves both sleep quality and emotional resilience.

6. Strengthen your real-world connections and reduce isolation — Human connection acts as a natural buffer against anxiety. Isolation, which increased sharply during pandemic lockdowns and through heavy digital engagement, amplifies stress signals in your brain.

If you spend large portions of the day alone or online, make deliberate changes. Schedule regular in-person conversations, join group activities, walk with a friend or participate in community events. These interactions provide emotional grounding that stabilizes your nervous system and lowers chronic anxiety.

FAQs About Anxiety Medications and Natural Ways to Manage Anxiety

Q: Why are more Americans taking anxiety medications today?

A: Federal survey data show the share of U.S. adults taking anxiety medications increased from 11.7% in 2019 to 14.3% in 2024, which means roughly 38 million Americans now use them. The largest increases appear among young adults ages 18 to 34.

Researchers attribute the surge to several modern pressures, including pandemic stress, social media exposure, economic uncertainty and increased social isolation. Easier access to telehealth and growing public discussion about mental health also make prescriptions more common.

Q: Why are young adults experiencing the largest increase in anxiety medication use?

A: Young adults ages 18 to 34 are driving much of the recent surge in anxiety medication use. Federal survey data show the share of people in this age group taking anxiety medications rose from 8.8% in 2019 to 14.6% in 2024.

Researchers point to several factors behind this shift, including pandemic disruptions, financial uncertainty and growing reliance on digital communication instead of in-person social interaction. Heavy social media use also exposes younger adults to constant comparison, negative news and social pressure, which increases stress and makes anxiety symptoms more common.

Q: What side effects are associated with anxiety medications?

A: SSRIs carry side effects that cause many people to stop treatment. Common complaints include stomach upset, fatigue, brain fog and sexual dysfunction. Data cited in the report show about 1 in 12 patients discontinue SSRIs because of side effects. Other anxiety medications, particularly benzodiazepines such as Xanax, also carry a risk of dependence because the body builds tolerance over time.

Q: Why has Kennedy questioned widespread anxiety medication use?

A: Kennedy has raised concerns about the growing reliance on psychiatric medications. During his 2026 confirmation hearing, he stated that some individuals have struggled to stop taking SSRIs after long-term use and said he knows people who found quitting them extremely difficult. Kennedy has also directed federal health agencies to examine whether certain psychiatric drugs influence behavior in ways that require closer scientific investigation.

Q: What natural lifestyle strategies help reduce anxiety?

A: Regular exercise improves mood and reduces symptoms of depression and anxiety. Slow breathing techniques shift your nervous system out of fight-or-flight mode. Reducing social media exposure limits constant stress signals to your brain. Consistent sleep routines restore emotional stability, and strong social connections provide psychological support that buffers everyday stress. These habits address the root causes of anxiety rather than simply suppressing symptoms.

Test Your Knowledge with Today’s Quiz!
Take today’s quiz to see how much you’ve learned from yesterday’s Mercola.com article.

Which benefit appears after a moderate resistance workout?

Lower body temperature
Slower reaction time
Faster thinking without accuracy loss
Moderate lifting can immediately improve reaction time and mental processing while preserving accuracy in tasks requiring executive function. Learn more.

Reduced attention span

A New Series of Health Insights Is on the Way

WICHTIG

A New Series of Health Insights Is on the Way

Our team has been working behind the scenes to prepare new research and practical health
strategies for our readers. While we finish preparing what’s coming next, we invite you to
explore one of the most-read articles from our library below. See exactly what’s changing →

I’m currently in the process of publishing a scientific paper and writing a book that takes a deep dive into liver health, including the overlooked root causes of liver dysfunction and what you can do to reverse them.

The fact is, liver disease has become one of the most overlooked public health threats of our time, quietly damaging the organs of millions of people who feel perfectly fine. You could be living with significant liver scarring and have no idea — until symptoms finally emerge, and by then, it’s often too late to reverse course. The real danger isn’t liver fat itself.

It’s the silent buildup of fibrosis — scar tissue that forms when your liver is repeatedly injured and doesn’t have a chance to heal properly. That scarring is what sets the stage for cirrhosis, organ failure, and cancer. This form of liver disease is fueled by common, everyday problems like insulin resistance, excess belly fat, and poor mitochondrial function.

New data published in medical journals show just how common advanced liver damage has become, especially in people over 50.1 What’s more concerning is that conventional lab tests won’t pick it up. You can have “normal” liver enzyme levels and still be progressing toward irreversible fibrosis. And if you have Type 2 diabetes, the risk is exponentially higher.

But you’re not powerless here. Researchers are sounding the alarm and pushing for new, noninvasive screening tools that catch this condition early. Plus, there are lifestyle changes to reverse the trajectory before your liver crosses the point of no return.

Most People at Risk for Liver Failure Are Never Told They Have It
A paper published in The Lancet Regional Health Europe outlined a major gap in liver disease care: most people with metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH) and fibrosis — what the researchers call “at-risk MASH” — don’t know they have it until it’s too late.2
The researchers called for doubling diagnosis rates by 2027, warning that without early detection, millions could progress to irreversible cirrhosis or liver cancer. They focused on expanding diagnostics beyond liver specialists and shifting testing into primary care, where the highest-risk patients are already being seen regularly.

• Older adults with diabetes or obesity are most affected — The study highlighted that MASH with moderate to advanced fibrosis is particularly common in people over age 50 and those living with Type 2 diabetes or obesity.

In these groups, the disease often advances without noticeable symptoms, leading to missed opportunities for prevention. By the time these individuals receive a diagnosis — often triggered by unrelated imaging or advanced symptoms — the window for full recovery has usually closed.

• Current diagnostic systems are outdated and missing early-stage disease — Right now, liver disease is often diagnosed using liver enzymes like alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST), but the cutoffs are too high and outdated.

According to the paper, many labs still use upper limits that miss early fibrosis. The researchers suggested lowering the thresholds to align with more modern standards of ALT greater than 33 IU/L for men and greater than 25 IU/L for women.

However, in my interview with Dr. Bryan Walsh, a naturopathic physician extensively trained in molecular biological pathways and an associate professor at the University of Western States, he explains that the medical literature “very clearly show that, a) men and women should have a different AST and ALT reference range, and b), [the ideal range] is not much above 20 U/L.”

• Primary care providers are missing clear opportunities to screen — People with cardiometabolic diseases, including prediabetes, obesity, and Type 2 diabetes, typically have frequent doctor visits, which represent missed chances to test for liver fibrosis. The paper recommends using these visits to incorporate routine screening tools into electronic health records. The goal is to make liver checks as common as blood pressure, cholesterol, or A1C testing.

Liver Scarring, Not Fat, Is What Puts You at Risk

While fat in the liver (steatosis) has been the main diagnostic target for decades, The Lancet Regional Health Europe paper emphasized that fibrosis stage — not fat content — is the main predictor of death or progression to cancer.3 Moderate fibrosis marks the point at which your liver begins losing function. Once fibrosis reaches more advanced stages or cirrhosis, the damage is harder — sometimes impossible — to reverse.

• Fibrosis silently progresses due to chronic metabolic dysfunction — The researchers explained that chronic inflammation caused by insulin resistance, toxic fat buildup, and oxidative stress leads to scar tissue forming in the liver. Over time, this scarring disrupts blood flow, stiffens tissue, and triggers a cascade of dysfunction that affects your entire body, from your metabolism to your immune system.

• The earlier fibrosis is found, the more reversible it is — Fibrosis at the minimal scarring stage can often be reversed through diet, lifestyle, and targeted therapies if caught in time. But once fibrosis progresses beyond this point, reversing the damage becomes far more difficult, even with aggressive treatment. Early detection isn’t just helpful — it’s necessary for meaningful recovery.

How Words Affect Whether People Seek Liver Care

An analysis published in Nature Medicine examined how stigma, especially surrounding alcohol use, prevents people from seeking timely diagnosis and treatment for liver disease.4 The authors argued that outdated language, including clinical labels like “alcoholic cirrhosis,” is not only inaccurate but actively harmful. They proposed new person-first terminology that emphasizes health status over blame, with the goal of improving care access and patient engagement.

• Patients delay or avoid care because of shame tied to the disease label — Researchers found that patients with liver conditions often experience guilt, internalized shame, and discrimination from health care providers and insurers, especially when their disease is linked to alcohol. Even people with metabolic liver conditions like MASH, who don’t drink heavily or at all, often fear judgment and delay seeking help. This contributes to late-stage diagnoses and reduced survival.

• Language influences medical bias, policy, and treatment decisions — The paper showed that stigmatizing language has real consequences in care delivery. People with liver disease often receive worse care, are deprioritized for transplants, and face lower-quality pain management simply due to the perceived behavioral causes of their illness. This bias also extends into health care funding and policy, reinforcing a cycle of neglect.

• Reframing liver disease in human terms helps improve outcomes — Instead of labels like “alcoholic” or “fatty liver,” the authors recommend phrases like “person with steatotic liver disease” or “individual managing MASH.” These terms reduce identity-based judgment and shift the focus toward solutions and support. Just as cancer and mental health advocacy have benefited from reframing language, liver care should follow the same path.

• The researchers called for broad changes in global disease classification systems — According to the paper, global coding systems like the International Classification of Diseases still use outdated and stigmatizing terms, reinforcing harm at every level of care. By updating these systems to reflect person-first, nonjudgmental language, health care providers could help increase early screening, reduce treatment delays, and improve survival rates.

Most People with Liver Damage Don’t Know Until It’s Advanced

A 2023 narrative review published in Cureus similarly focused on the silent progression of chronic liver disease and the urgent need for earlier screening, especially in people with metabolic risk factors.5 The paper highlighted how the liver sustains ongoing damage for years without causing symptoms, making early intervention difficult. As a result, many people only get diagnosed when they develop cirrhosis or complications like fluid retention, confusion, or internal bleeding.

• Patients typically remain undiagnosed until severe symptoms appear — Researchers noted that early signs, like fatigue, mild abdominal discomfort, or bloating, are either too vague or too easily dismissed, both by patients and providers. This is especially dangerous for people with underlying metabolic conditions, such as insulin resistance or obesity, who are already at higher risk.

• Common liver disease triggers were categorized into four main types — The review grouped liver disease into four overlapping causes: alcohol use, hepatitis viruses, fatty liver related to metabolic dysfunction, and autoimmune or genetic disorders. In real life, many of these overlap. A person might have mild alcohol intake and also be overweight or diabetic, which accelerates progression. This complexity is part of why the disease goes undetected — it doesn’t follow one clear path or profile.

• Researchers identified the biggest diagnostic blind spots in clinical care — Despite known risk factors, physicians rarely screen for liver fibrosis unless liver enzymes are elevated or symptoms appear. But, as mentioned, liver enzyme tests are often normal in the early stages, so fibrosis silently continues. The review emphasized that relying on enzymes alone is a flawed approach. Noninvasive imaging and biomarker tests are far better tools for early-stage detection.

• Cutting-edge diagnostics are emerging, but underused — The paper introduced newer testing methods gaining ground in research and clinical practice, including elastography — a type of ultrasound that measures liver stiffness — microRNA markers, and polygenic risk scores. These tools catch liver damage before symptoms arise, especially in people with metabolic dysfunction. However, access and awareness remain low, particularly outside specialist settings.

People with Diabetes Are at the Center of the Liver Disease Epidemic

According to the American Diabetes Association (ADA), about 7 out of 10 people with Type 2 diabetes have some degree of fat buildup in their liver.6 Even more concerning, nearly 1 in 5 already have hidden scarring, which often leads to cirrhosis if left untreated.

• Doctors are being urged to start checking liver health like they check blood sugar — The ADA recommends a simple two-step screening process that starts with a blood test called the fibrosis-4 index (FIB-4). If that’s high, it should be followed by a scan that checks how stiff your liver is. This reveals early signs of liver damage before symptoms ever show up.

• Liver disease in diabetes affects your whole body, not just your liver — When liver damage progresses, it raises your risk for heart disease, kidney problems, cancer, and even early death. People with both diabetes and liver disease are even more likely to die early compared to those without either condition.

• Catching liver issues early gives you the best shot at recovery — The good news is that liver scarring is often reversible — if you catch it in time. Simple lifestyle shifts, like cutting out harmful oils, losing belly fat, and improving your diet, can go a long way toward stopping the damage before it turns into something more serious.7

How to Stop Liver Disease Before It Starts

If you’ve been told your liver enzymes are “a little high,” if you’re dealing with Type 2 diabetes or stubborn belly fat, or if you’re over 50 and have never had your liver checked — now’s the time. The earlier you act, the better your odds of reversing liver scarring and preventing cirrhosis or cancer down the road. Liver disease doesn’t show up on your radar until it’s advanced, but the damage begins years earlier. I want you to be ahead of it. Here’s how:

1. Cut out vegetable oils and alcohol immediately — If you’re eating packaged foods made with soybean oil, canola, corn oil, or anything that says “vegetable oil,” your liver is under attack. These oils are high in linoleic acid (LA), a mitochondrial poison that disrupts cellular energy, promotes fat accumulation in your liver and drives inflammation. Toss out the junk and cook with butter, tallow, ghee, or coconut oil instead.

Cutting back on alcohol is just as important as eliminating vegetable oils. Both alcohol and polyunsaturated fats like LA overwhelm your liver in similar ways. When your body metabolizes vegetable oils, they turn into toxic byproducts called oxidized linoleic acid metabolites, or OXLAMs. These are a type of reactive aldehyde — unstable, highly damaging molecules that disrupt cell membranes and set off chronic inflammation.

Alcohol does something very similar. It’s broken down into acetaldehyde, another reactive aldehyde that harms your mitochondria and accelerates aging at the cellular level. Both types of aldehydes interfere with your liver’s ability to detoxify, regenerate, and store energy. If you already have signs of insulin resistance, belly fat, or elevated liver enzymes, avoiding both vegetable oils and alcohol gives your body the best chance to reverse the damage before it becomes permanent.

2. Add choline-rich foods to help your liver move fat out before it causes damage — Choline is essential for clearing fat from your liver. Without enough of it, fat starts to pile up in your liver cells, eventually leading to inflammation and scarring. Think of choline as the nutrient that keeps your liver’s traffic flowing — without it, everything gets backed up.

The best food source is pastured egg yolks, but be sure to look for low-PUFA eggs. Grass fed beef liver is another option that delivers a highly absorbable form of choline. Choline isn’t optional — it’s required for making phosphatidylcholine, a molecule your liver needs to package and export fats. Without it, those fats get stuck, and that’s when the damage begins.

3. Consider a choline supplement if your diet falls short — If you avoid animal products, getting enough choline becomes a real challenge. Plant-based sources like cruciferous vegetables offer only small amounts, and you’d need to eat unrealistic quantities to meet your needs. In that case, a supplement isn’t just helpful — it’s often necessary to avoid deficiency.

One underrated option is citicoline, a form of choline that’s been largely overlooked because most products use doses that are far too low to have a real effect. But at therapeutic levels — between 500 milligrams (mg) and 2,500 mg per day — citicoline supports your liver’s ability to export fats, while also helping your brain make acetylcholine, a key neurotransmitter. If you’re dealing with liver stress, insulin resistance, or brain fog, this is a smart addition to your routine.

4. Move every day and keep your waist in check — I’m not talking about running marathons. Just take a brisk walk after meals, stretch, and do a bodyweight circuit a few times a week. The goal is to keep insulin low and blood flowing through your liver. If your waist is over 40 inches (men) or 35 inches (women), focus on trimming visceral fat — it’s the type that’s directly tied to liver scarring.

FAQs About Liver Disease

Q: What makes liver fibrosis more dangerous than liver fat?

A: Liver fat is often reversible, but fibrosis — scarring caused by repeated liver injury — is what drives disease progression. It disrupts liver function, impairs detoxification, and raises your risk of cirrhosis, liver failure, and cancer. Fibrosis, not fat, is the key predictor of poor outcomes.

Q: Why do so many people with liver disease go undiagnosed?

A: Liver disease typically causes no symptoms until it’s advanced. Standard blood tests, like ALT and AST, often miss early fibrosis because the cutoff values are outdated. Many people have “normal” labs despite having significant liver scarring. New research calls for noninvasive tests and earlier screening, especially in those over 50 or with Type 2 diabetes.

Q: How are vegetable oils and alcohol connected to liver damage?

A: Both vegetable oils (high in LA) and alcohol create toxic byproducts called reactive aldehydes when metabolized — OXLAMs from vegetable oils and acetaldehyde from alcohol. These compounds damage mitochondria, disrupt detox pathways, and accelerate liver scarring. Eliminating both is key to recovery.

Q: What nutrients help my liver clear out fat?

A: Choline is essential. It helps your liver package and export fat so it doesn’t get trapped and cause inflammation. Pastured, low-PUFA egg yolks and grass fed liver are rich sources. If you’re not eating these foods, citicoline supplements (500 mg to 2,500 mg daily) help restore choline levels and support both liver and brain health.

Q: What’s the best way to start reversing liver scarring?

A: Begin by cutting out vegetable oils and alcohol completely. Add choline-rich foods like pastured egg yolks or supplements, move your body daily to reduce insulin resistance, and trim belly fat. These steps reduce the metabolic stress that drives liver scarring and give your liver the space it needs to heal.

Is your ability to process large amounts of information falling behind these days? Are your reaction times slowing down? If you think that this is just part of aging, you’re wrong. According to newly published research, it’s possible that you’re just not getting enough resistance exercise.

The solution? Making weightlifting a part of your health routine. Based on the findings of a recent study, even a single session is enough to make your brain sharper than before.

Resistance Exercise Spurs You to Think Faster Immediately

A study published in Psychophysiology investigated how a single session of moderate-intensity resistance exercise affects your ability to think quickly and stay mentally sharp. Participants were 121 healthy adults between 18 and 50 years old who had no neurological disorders or major health concerns that would interfere with exercise or cognition.1

After a supervised workout that used common resistance exercises at moderate intensity, the participants completed two computerized tests — one that measured inhibitory control and another that tested working memory. The researchers tested how one workout could already shift both behavior and brain signaling in ways that strengthen executive function, which includes skills like staying focused, resisting distractions, and switching between tasks.

• The findings were immediate — Reaction times improved after the resistance session, while accuracy stayed the same. In other words, the participants’ brains thought faster without making more mistakes. This shows that even a single session is enough to sharpen your thinking for tasks you do the same day.

If you face busy work schedules, intense study sessions, or complex projects, starting your workout session earlier in the day to aid in mental performance afterward can be a viable strategy.

• A detailed look at the data — The researchers reported that reaction time on the inhibitory control test improved with an effect size (the magnitude of the difference between groups2) of 0.37, which they described as a moderate improvement in processing speed. That means the workout didn’t only make people feel more alert — they responded faster when the task required them to ignore irrelevant information or manage competing cues.

The working-memory task showed an even larger improvement in reaction time, with an effect size of 0.46, reinforcing the idea that resistance exercise supports quicker mental operations across different executive skills.

• The study explored changes in brain activity, focusing on a signal called the P3 component — This is an electrical marker your brain produces when it evaluates and updates information. The authors noted that after resistance exercise, P3 latency significantly decreased during the inhibitory-control task.

A shorter P3 latency means the brain completed its information-processing step quicker. Since this shift appeared only after exercise and not after rest, it highlights a clear connection between the workout and faster neural timing.

• How the body’s physical responses influenced mental changes — The researchers measured systolic blood pressure and blood lactate, which are two biomarkers that naturally rise during resistance exercise. Their analysis showed that systolic blood pressure partially mediated the relationship between the workout and faster reaction times.

In other words, the temporary rise in blood pressure helped explain why people processed information faster. But this isn’t a sign that high blood pressure is good — it means the normal, short-term increase during exercise help push more oxygen-rich blood to the brain, enabling quicker thinking when the task demands it.

• Comparisons between the different physiological measures also revealed interesting findings — While both lactate and systolic blood pressure increased after exercise, only systolic blood pressure explained part of the cognitive improvement.

Lactate rose sharply — as expected after resistance training — but did not mediate any cognitive benefits. However, the researchers noted that it serves another purpose, which is fuel. In fact, they noted that it supports “up to 75% of the brain’s oxidative metabolism, and acting as an additional fuel source.”

• Improvements appeared across all healthy participants tested — However, the authors did emphasize that faster processing happened without any drop in accuracy, which matters because many activities in daily life require both speed and precision.

Even the Youth Gain Cognitive Benefits from Resistance Exercise

According to a meta-analysis published in Sports Medicine, resistance training positively affects thought processes and school performance in children and teenagers. The researchers pooled together 53 intervention studies and an additional 43 association studies, giving the authors a broad view of how strengthening the body influences the developing brain.3

Participants were school-aged youth between 5 and 18 years old from diverse backgrounds, school systems, and fitness levels. The exercise programs evaluated in the meta-analysis ranged from basic bodyweight routines to structured weightlifting sessions performed two to three times per week.

• The children gained cognitive benefits from weightlifting — Across the reviewed studies, resistance training consistently supports improvements in thinking skills, on-task classroom behavior, and general academic outcomes. The authors described the overall effect as “a small, positive effect on the combined outcomes of cognition, academic achievement, and on-task behaviour in school-aged youth.”

• The rate of improvement across academic-related outcomes showed up clearly in focused-strength programs — When resistance training was the primary intervention, the effect size increased to 0.26, meaning these programs promoted sharper thinking and better academic behaviors more than mixed exercise programs.

• The review also distinguished what improved most — The clearest gains surfaced in “on-task behavior” category, which reflects how well students stay engaged during lessons rather than drifting off or being distracted.

Even small boosts in on-task behavior translate into more learning absorbed per class period, smoother classroom flow, and less frustration for both students and teachers.

• Benefits are apparent right away — Many of the reviewed studies lasted only a few weeks, yet the authors already found measurable improvements in cognitive and academic outcomes. This means that short programs can already drastically benefit students within school timeframes, provided that educators can reasonably implement them.

• Some groups of participants appeared to gain more than others — Programs that targeted children with lower baseline muscular fitness produced more pronounced improvements in cognitive outcomes. As such, improving muscular strength for kids with school problems allows them to break through both physical and cognitive barriers at the same time.

• Strength training alone is more than enough to create cognitive benefits — The review also compared variables across studies to determine which exercise components mattered most. The authors found that resistance training alone produced clearer benefits than concurrent training, where strength and aerobic exercise were combined.

• The hypothesis stands up even when the research parameters were widened — The researchers also included 43 association studies, which showed that young people with higher muscular fitness scores have better cognitive performance and higher academic achievement overall.

While these studies cannot confirm cause and effect, the pattern was strong enough to support a clear link between stronger bodies and sharper minds.

• The theory behind the benefits — The review did not include an analysis of biological mechanisms, but the researchers did outline a hypothesis. Based on the reviewed literature, resistance training facilitates neurogenesis, resulting in improved executive function.4

Strength Training Tips for Beginners

It’s tempting to go all-out so you can gain the cognitive benefits of resistance training right away. However, this is a mistake that many beginners make, as more isn’t always better, especially when it comes to exercising. In fact, overdoing it actually shortens your lifespan.

• Optimal longevity returns top out at about 40 to 60 minutes of lifting per week — In my interview with Dr. James O’Keefe, a cardiologist with the Mid-America Heart Institute at St. Luke’s Hospital in Kansas City, he showed me his research5 that pushing yourself too hard in the gym can actually work against you, especially when high-intensity training becomes excessive.

O’Keefe’s data reveals a J-shaped relationship between weekly strength training and overall mortality — benefits rise up to roughly 40 to 60 minutes per week, then level off, and eventually start to decline.

• Why excess training shortens your lifespan — Long sessions of strenuous weightlifting put the body under continuous strain. Over time, this contributes to problems like heart stress, overuse injuries, and a greater likelihood of joint or muscle damage. Overtraining also hampers your ability to recover, leading to persistent fatigue, lower performance, and a weakened immune system.

• More than two hours a week cancels out the gains — Strength training for a total of 130 to 140 minutes of each week erases the longevity edge that exercise is supposed to offer. In other words, if you spend three to four hours lifting weekly, your long-term survival outcomes look no better compared to people who do not lift at all.

• Too much lifting may be worse than doing nothing — While vigorous activity is generally healthier than total inactivity, excessive strength training is an exception. For reasons still not fully understood, going overboard with heavy, high-intensity workouts can leave you in a worse position than staying sedentary.

• Stick to 20 minutes twice weekly and don’t overfocus on lifting — The training takeaway here is simple. Keep strength sessions short and spaced out. Aim for about 20 minutes two times per week on nonconsecutive days, or a single 40-minute session. Think of strength work as a supplement to your routine, not its foundation. Moderate activities like walking deliver far broader longevity benefits.

• Even brief weekly sessions support healthy aging — If you’re having a hard time finding a consistent schedule, even lifting weights weekly is enough to boost your health. This modest level of training is consistent with research6 from Brigham Young University, showing that small weekly doses — as little as 10 to 50 minutes — can positively influence telomere length. In other words, just a little, regular strength work can help slow biological aging without exposing you to the risks of overtraining.

To learn more about the benefits of weight training for older adults and how to incorporate it into your workout routine, read “Strength Training Turns Back the Clock on Your Biological Age.”

Experiment by Incorporating Blood Flow Restriction Training

Resistance exercise already does a great deal for your overall health, and you can amplify its effects further with one simple tweak — wrapping bands around your limbs as you work out. This approach, called blood flow restriction (BFR) training — or KAATSU in Japan — involves partially limiting circulation to the arms or legs during exercise.

• How KAATSU works — Cyclical restriction of blood flow during resistance exercise stimulates the release of anti-inflammatory myokines that promote muscle growth. This is especially valuable for older adults who want to maintain strength without lifting heavy weights. Steven Munatones, a leading figure in the KAATSU community, describes the mechanism this way:

“KAATSU cycle is basically a very clever biohack that will allow the muscles to work and allow the vascular tissue to become more elastic. You don’t perceive the pain of heavy lifting, but your vascular tissue and muscle fibers are being worked out just as effectively, and you can do it for a longer period of time.”

• Your bone mineral density also improves — Research published in Frontiers in Physiology7 found that participants who practiced BFR training three times per week over six weeks experienced improvements in bone formation markers, even while using low-intensity movements. “BFR resistance training was effective for stimulating acute bone formation marker and hormone responses,” they emphasized.

Another study8 mirrored these findings, which involved a group of inactive adolescent girls. Results showed that low-intensity BFR produced benefits comparable to high-intensity routines. Notably, it reduced levels of C-terminal telopeptide (CTX), a biomarker linked with bone breakdown.

• KAATSU can also fit into your daily routine — If you’re struggling to set time aside for regular workouts, you can use KAATSU wherever you go. Munatones notes that you can wear the bands while doing simple, daily activities:

“Putting the KAATSU bands on your legs and walking down to the beach, walking your dog or just walking around the neighborhood, standing, cleaning your windows of your house, folding your clothes, banging out emails, all of these things can be done with the KAATSU bands on your arms or legs. You’re getting the benefit of exercise.”

To learn more, check out my previous article, “How to Stay Fit for Life,” in which I review the science behind KAATSU and explain in greater detail how to use it.

The main difference between KAATSU and BFR is the tool you’re using. BFR can be done with restriction bands, but KAATSU uses a device that also provides intermittent and not just constant pressure. The KAATSU set is ideal as it is far easier to dial in to the correct pressures. You also get the benefit of intermittent pressure automatically, without having to adjust the bands yourself.

I recommend the C4 model, because the C-series doesn’t have Bluetooth (which emits harmful electromagnetic fields). For a limited time, you can get 10% off any KAATSU equipment by using the promo code DRM.

> > > > > Click Here

Editor’s Note: This article is a reprint. It was originally published April 14, 2024.

Over the past decade, I’ve written many articles discussing the evidence of biological harm from non-ionizing electromagnetic field (EMF) radiation and radiofrequency radiation (RFR) from wireless technologies.

The video above features an interview I did with Siim Land in February 2020 for his Body Mind Empowerment podcast in which I discuss EMF — what it is, your greatest sources of exposure, how it affects your biology, and how to minimize your exposure. I also review how the telecommunications industry manipulates the truth to keep you unaware of the hazards.

While the wireless industry is built on the premise that the only type of radiation capable of causing harm is ionizing — X-rays being one example — researchers have for a long time warned that even non-ionizing and non-heating radiation can jeopardize your health. This includes not only human health, but also that of plants and animals.

Over time, I became so convinced of the deleterious effects of EMF, I took three years to write “EMF*D” which was published in 2020. In it, I reviewed the overwhelming evidence showing EMFs are a hidden health hazard that simply cannot be ignored any longer.

During the pandemic, we also witnessed the rollout and installation of 5G across the country, which has exponentially increased exposures, as it’s added on top of the already existing wireless infrastructure.

The short video below, published by Investigative Europe in January 2019, gives a quick overview of how 5G differs from previous wireless technology. At the time, little if any research had been done on 5G specifically, but between 2022 and 2024, 10 studies have been published that shed more light on this fifth-generation technology.1

5G Appeals for Moratorium Ignored Despite Evidence

The first of these, published in September 2022 in the journal Reviews on Environmental Health,2 provides a good overview of the hazards 5G poses. The authors pointed out that, since September 2017, over 400 scientists and doctors have collectively submitted six appeals to the European Union, calling for a moratorium on 5G technology. All have been ignored.

The September 2021 appeal included an “extensive cover letter” in which experts argued that the EU’s reliance on guidelines by the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) places public health at risk because the guidelines only consider “heating and no other health relevant biological effects from RFR.”

The letter countered the ICNIRP’s guidance with research from European and international expert groups detailing myriad adverse biological effects of RFR on humans and the environment. According to the authors:3

“Evidence to establish this position is drawn from studies showing changes to neurotransmitters and receptors, damage to cells, proteins, DNA, sperm, the immune system, and human health, including cancer.

The 2021 Appeal goes on to warn that 5G signals are likely to additionally alter the behavior of oxygen and water molecules at the quantum level, unfold proteins, damage skin, and cause harm to insects, birds, frogs, plants, and animals.”

Aggregation of Signals Pose Serious Concerns

Under the subhead “Great Plans, Great Promises but False Claims,” the authors go on to highlight the government’s own findings:

“… the potential health and safety risks associated with RFR have been exposed in a recent EU-commissioned review of the currently available scientific evidence, the 2021 European Parliamentary Research Service’s EPRS/STOA Health impact of 5G report.4

The conclusions of the comprehensive review declared sufficient evidence for cancer from RFR in animals, sufficient evidence for adverse effects from RFR on the fertility of men, male rats and mice, and that RFR is probably carcinogenic to humans.

In short, the EPRS/STOA report shows that RFR is harmful for health. The report subsequently calls for measures to incentivize the reduction of RF-EMF exposures (p. 153), such as lowering the limit for allowed exposures and the preferential use of wired connections.

Similarly, the EU’s own (ITRE committee) 2019 in-depth analysis, 5G Deployment: State of Play in Europe, USA, and Asia5 warned that, when added to 2G, 3G, 4G, WiFi, WIMAX, DECT, radar etc., 5G will cumulatively lead to dramatically more total radiation: not only from the use of much higher frequencies in 5G but also from the potential for the aggregation of different signals, their dynamic nature, and the complex interference effects that may result, especially in dense urban areas (p 11).

These concerns are based on the complexity of communications signals and the unknowns of their interactions. Electromagnetic signals transmitted by manmade communication devices are not regular waves; rather, they are a complex combination of ultra-high frequency carrier waves, and modulations that encode the messages using extremely-low and ultra-low frequencies.

In addition, the signals are pulsed at ultra-low frequencies (sent in short on-off bursts). This means that although the RFR carrier waves may sit in the high frequency GHz range, their modulations and pulse rates are much closer to brain-wave frequencies; e.g., the 217 Hz pulsing of a GSM phone signal.

Pulsed or modulated RFR signals have been shown to be more bio-active than simple continuous waves of the same intensity and exposure duration. This is of significant concern in relation to public health and is not limited to just the higher 5G frequencies.

Furthermore, as the report noted, the effects of these new complex beam formed signals have unpredictable propagation patterns that could result in unacceptable levels of human exposure to electromagnetic radiation (p. 6) but are yet to be mapped reliably for real situations, outside the laboratory.”

5G Causes Neurological and Psychiatric Problems

The second study,6 published in November 2022, investigated the effects of 4.9 GHz (one of several 5G frequencies) RFR on the emotional behaviors and spatial memory in adult male mice. The exposure was found to induce “depression-like behavior” caused by “neuronal pyroptosis in the amygdala.”

Pyroptosis is a form of programmed cell death distinct from other forms of apoptosis, characterized by its inflammatory response. It involves the swelling and bursting of the cell, leading to the release of proinflammatory cytokines and intracellular contents that can trigger an immune response in the surrounding tissue.

This process is controlled by gasdermin proteins, which form pores in the cell membrane, and is often initiated in response to infections by pathogens or other signals indicating cellular damage.

5G induces cell death in the amygdala, a region of the brain involved in emotion regulation, memory, and decision-making.

The amygdala is a region of the brain involved in emotion regulation, memory, and decision-making. So, pyroptosis in this area could be indicative of neurological damage or inflammation, affecting emotional regulation, behavior, and cognitive functions.

This could be relevant in the context of neurodegenerative diseases, brain injuries or infections that impact the central nervous system, leading to various neurological and psychiatric implications.

4 Studies Confirm 5G’s Impact on Neurology

Another four studies published in 2023 also show a variety of damage occurring in the brain:

• 5G increases permeability of the blood-brain barrier7 — In the first, RFR from 5G cellphones at 3.5 GHz or 4.9 GHz for one hour per day for 35 days straight was found to increase the permeability of the BBB in the cerebral cortex of mice.

• RFR impairs neurogenesis and causes neuronal DNA damage8 — In the second, continuous RFR from cellphones at 2115 MHz for eight hours was shown to induce higher levels of lipid peroxidation, carbon-centered lipid radicals, and single-strand DNA damage, resulting in impaired neurogenesis in the hippocampal region and neuronal degeneration in the dentate gyrus region.

Translation: Cellphone radiation causes cognitive impairment and deficits, behavioral changes and dysfunctional mood regulation, neurodegenerative disorders (due to the oxidative stress within neurons) and psychiatric conditions such as anxiety and depression.

• Electromagnetic radiation associated with anxiety9 — This study found anxiety-like behavior in male mice exposed to electromagnetic radiation at 2650 MHz for four hours a day for 28 days.

• 5G may promote dementia10 — Lastly, a follow-up study on previous research concluded that RFRs at 1.8 GHz to 3.5 GHz:

◦ Inhibit neurosin, an enzyme that plays a role in brain health, including the breakdown of proteins that, if not properly managed, could lead to conditions like Alzheimer’s disease. This finding suggests that cellphone radiation could interfere with the brain’s ability to prevent the buildup of harmful proteins.

◦ Inhibit the electrical activity of neurons in vitro — Neurons communicate with each other using electrical signals and this activity is crucial for everything your brain does, from processing sensory information to controlling muscle movements. Inhibiting electrical activity means disrupting normal brain cell communication, which could impact brain functions.

5G Affects Brain Development

An October 2023 study11 by Bodin et al. investigated the effects of exposure to 5G during the perinatal period — around the time of birth — on the neurodevelopment of rats. The main goal of this study was to explore how being exposed to 5G EMF around the time of birth affects the brain development of rats as they grow into juveniles and adolescents.

Both male and female rat pups exposed to 5G EMF showed delayed incisor (front teeth) eruption. This indicates that EMF exposure could slow down certain aspects of physical development. The study also found notable differences in behavior based on the sex of the rats.

In adolescent female rats, there was a significant reduction (70%) in stereotyped movements, such as repetitive patterns of behavior, in the open field test. This suggests that exposure may reduce certain repetitive behaviors in females. In contrast, male rats exhibited a 50% increase in stereotyped movements, indicating that the same exposure led to an increase in repetitive behaviors.

In short, the research suggests that exposure to 5G EMF at levels below the regulatory threshold during a critical period of development (perinatal period) has the potential to cause disturbances in neurodevelopment. These effects are seen in juvenile and adolescent descendants and manifest differently in males and females.

While it’s difficult to predict what the human health implications of this might be, it’s worth noting that repetitive behaviors are often associated with neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). In such cases, these behaviors may signal underlying neurological differences and can impact an individual’s social interactions, learning, and daily functioning.

In some instances, repetitive behaviors can also be symptomatic of anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), stress-related disorders, and self-harming behaviors such as skin picking or hair pulling. For some individuals, repetitive behaviors can interfere with attention and focus, affecting academic performance, workplace productivity, and the ability to complete daily tasks efficiently.

It can also affect an individual’s social interactions and relationships, and can lead to social isolation, bullying, or stigma, particularly in children and adolescents, further impacting emotional well-being and self-esteem. Repetitive behaviors, particularly those associated with anxiety or compulsive disorders, can also disrupt sleep patterns, leading to insomnia or poor sleep quality, which in turn affects overall health and well-being.

RFR Decimates Male Fertility — Melatonin Can Help Restore It

A December 2023 study,12 which explored the negative effects of long-term exposure to 2100 MHz RFR on rat sperm characteristics, brought both good and bad news.

On the downside, male rats exposed to RFR at 2100 MHz for 30 minutes a day had a significantly higher percentage of sperm with abnormal shapes. There was also a significant reduction in the total sperm count among the exposed rats.

At a more detailed level, examining the sperm structure under a microscope (the ultrastructural level), damage was observed in critical parts of the sperm, including the:

Acrosome, a cap-like structure that helps the sperm penetrate an egg
Axoneme, the central shaft of the sperm tail
Mitochondrial sheath, which powers the sperm tail’s movement
Outer dense fibers, which are part of the sperm tail

The good news is that melatonin supplementation was able to prevent these problems. Rats given 10 milligrams of melatonin per kilo of bodyweight via subcutaneous administration had increased sperm counts and the proportion of sperms with normal shapes increased. Moreover, the ultrastructural damage to sperm caused by RF exposure was fully reversed. As reported by the authors:

“The percentages of abnormal sperm morphology were significantly increased with RF exposure, while the total sperm count was significantly decreased … The number of total sperms, sperms with normal morphology increased, and ultrastructural appearance returned to normal by melatonin administration.”

Case Study of an 8-Year-Old Boy

In January 2024, Hardell et al. presented a case study13 of an eight-year-old boy experiencing severe headaches and other symptoms while attending a school located near a mobile phone tower equipped with 5G base stations.

The boy’s school is situated 200 meters away from a mobile phone tower with 5G base stations, with his classroom being 285 meters away. Soon after starting school, he began experiencing headaches, which were initially sporadic, not occurring every day or every week.

By autumn 2023, the boy’s headaches intensified, occurring daily and rated as a 10 on a 10-grade scale, where 0 signifies no discomfort and 10 indicates unbearable pain. He also experienced fatigue (rated 5) and occasional dizziness (rated 7), specifically while at school. At home, he occasionally had mild headaches (rated 2) that subsided relatively quickly.

In the autumn of 2023, he started wearing an RF-protective cap and outerwear at school, both indoors and outside, after which the headaches vanished.

This paper also cites epidemiological studies and laboratory research linking RF radiation exposure to cancer through mechanisms such as oxidative stress, mRNA effects and DNA damage, and argues for classifying RF radiation as a Group 1 human carcinogen, noting that “This classification should have a major impact on prevention measures.”

5G Alters Your Microbiome

Lastly, a February 2024 study14 by Wang et al. examined the impact of 5G RFR on the fecal microbiome and metabolome profiles in mice. The results indicated that the mice exposed to RFR experienced significant alterations in their intestinal microbial compositions, characterized by a decrease in microbial diversity and shifts in the microbial community distribution.

Through metabolomics profiling, the researchers identified 258 metabolites that were significantly differentially abundant in the mice exposed to RF fields compared to controls, which suggests it can have a profound impact on metabolic processes.

The authors concluded that exposure to 4.9 GHz RFR can cause intestinal microbiota dysbiosis in mice and hypothesized that the observed imbalances in gut microbiota and metabolism might be linked to depression-like behaviors in mice seen in so many studies. The imbalance in the metabolic profile may also be associated with changes in immune regulation or inflammation.

5G Will Harm Every Living Being

In September 2019, the Minister for Communications, Hon. Paul Fletcher MP asked the Committee to complete an inquiry into the “deployment, adoption, and application of 5G in Australia.”15 In response, Paul Barratt, on behalf of ElectricSense, submitted a document, available as a download from aph.org, stating, in part:

“5G is dangerous and will harm every living being. Thousands of studies link low-level wireless radio frequency radiation exposures to a long list of adverse biological effects, including:

DNA single and double strand breaks
oxidative damage
disruption of cell metabolism
increased blood brain barrier permeability
melatonin reduction
disruption to brain glucose metabolism
generation of stress proteins

Let’s not also forget that in 2011 the World Health Organization (WHO) classified radio frequency radiation as a possible 2B carcinogen. More recently the $25 million National Toxicology Program concluded that radio frequency radiation of the type currently used by cell phones can cause cancer.

But where does 5G fit into all this? Given that 5G is set to utilize frequencies above and below existing frequency bands 5G sits in the middle of all this. But the tendency (it varies from country to country) is for 5G to utilize the higher frequency bands. Which brings its own particular concerns.”

Barratt goes on to list “11 reasons to be concerned about 5G radiation,” including:

Denser electrosmog
Skin diseases and pain, as “analyses of penetration depth show that more than 90% of the transmitted power is absorbed in the epidermis and dermis layer”16
Eye damage
Effects on the heart, including impacts on heart rate variability and arrhythmias
Reduced immune function
Depressed cell growth rates and alterations in cell properties and cell activity
Increased risk of antibiotic-resistant pathogens
Necrosis in plants, and the possibility that plant foods may become unsuitable for human consumption
Atmospheric effects and fossil fuel depletion
Ecosystem disruptions
Misleading 5G study results, as most do not pulse the waves. As noted by Barratt, “This is important because research on microwaves already tells us how pulsed waves have more profound biological effects on our body compared to non-pulsed waves. Previous studies, for instance, show how pulse rates of the frequencies led to gene toxicity and DNA strand breaks”

Protect Yourself and Your Family from Excessive EMF

There’s no doubt in my mind that RF-EMF exposure is a significant hazard that needs to be addressed if you’re concerned about your health. The rollout of 5G certainly makes remedial action more difficult, but the added hazards are all the more reason to get involved and do what we can to minimize exposure.

Here are several suggestions that will help reduce your EMF exposure and help mitigate damage from unavoidable exposures. For even more do’s and don’ts, see the infographic by the Environmental Health Trust below.

• Identify major sources of EMF, such as your cellphone, cordless phones, Wi-Fi routers, Bluetooth headsets, and other Bluetooth-equipped items, wireless mice, keyboards, smart thermostats, baby monitors, smart meters, and the microwave in your kitchen. Ideally, address each source and determine how you can best limit their use.

Barring a life-threatening emergency, children should not use a cellphone or a wireless device of any type. Children are far more vulnerable to cellphone radiation than adults due to having thinner skull bones.

Research17 also demonstrates that infants under the age of 1 do not effectively learn language from videos, and do not transfer what they learn from the iPad to the real world, so it’s a mistake to think electronic devices provide valuable education.

• Connect your desktop computer to the internet via a wired Ethernet connection and be sure to put your desktop in airplane mode. Also avoid wireless keyboards, trackballs, mice, game systems, printers, and portable house phones. Opt for the wired versions.

• If you need to use Wi-Fi, shut it off when not in use, especially at night when you’re sleeping. Ideally, work toward hardwiring your house so you can eliminate Wi-Fi altogether. If you have a notebook without any Ethernet ports, a USB Ethernet adapter will allow you to connect to the internet with a wired connection.

• Avoid using wireless chargers for your cellphone, as they too will increase EMFs throughout your home. Wireless charging is also far less energy efficient than using a dongle attached to a power plug, as it draws continuous power (and emits EMF) whether you’re using it or not.

• Shut off the electricity to your bedroom at night. This typically works to reduce electrical fields from the wires in your wall unless there is an adjoining room next to your bedroom. If that is the case, you will need to use a meter to determine if you also need to turn off power in the adjacent room.

• Use a battery-powered alarm clock, ideally one without any light.

• If you still use a microwave oven, consider replacing it with a steam convection oven, which will heat your food as quickly and far more safely.

• Avoid using “smart” appliances and thermostats that depend on wireless signaling. This would include all new “smart” TVs. They are called smart because they emit a Wi-Fi signal and, unlike your computer, you cannot shut the Wi-Fi signal off. Consider using a large computer monitor as your TV instead, as they don’t emit Wi-Fi.

• Refuse a smart meter on your home as long as you can, or add a shield to an existing smart meter, some of which have been shown to reduce radiation by 98% to 99%.18

• Consider moving your baby’s bed into your room instead of using a wireless baby monitor. Alternatively, use a hard-wired monitor.

• Replace CFL bulbs with incandescent bulbs. Ideally remove all fluorescent lights from your house. Not only do they emit unhealthy light, but more importantly, they will actually transfer current to your body just being close to the bulbs.

• Avoid carrying your cellphone on your body unless in airplane mode and never sleep with it in your bedroom unless it is in airplane mode. Even in airplane mode it can emit signals, which is why I put my phone in a Faraday bag.19

• When using your cellphone, use the speaker phone and hold the phone at least 3 feet away from you. Seek to radically decrease your time on the cellphone. Instead, use VoIP software phones that you can use while connected to the internet via a wired connection.

• Avoid using your cellphone and other electronic devices at least an hour (preferably several) before bed, as the blue light from the screen and EMFs both inhibit melatonin production.20,21

Research clearly shows that heavy computer and cellphone users are more prone to insomnia.22 For example, one 2008 study23 revealed that people exposed to radiation from their mobile phones for three hours before bedtime had more trouble falling asleep and staying in a deep sleep.

• The effects of EMFs are reduced by calcium-channel blockers, so make sure you’re getting enough magnesium. Most people are deficient in magnesium, which will worsen the impact of EMFs. As previously noted by EMF expert Dr. Martin Pall:

“When you’re deficient in magnesium, you get excessive activity of the VGCCs. You also get excessive calcium influx through the N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor, caused by magnesium deficiency, which is also problematic, so it’s important to allay that deficiency.”

• Pall has also published a paper24 suggesting that raising your level of Nrf2 helps ameliorate EMF damage. One simple way to activate Nrf2 is to consume Nrf2-boosting food compounds. Examples include sulforaphane-containing cruciferous vegetables, foods high in phenolic antioxidants, carotenoids (especially lycopene), sulfur compounds from allium vegetables, isothiocyanates from the cabbage group, and terpenoid-rich foods.

• Molecular hydrogen has been shown to target free radicals produced in response to radiation, such as peroxynitrites. Studies have shown molecular hydrogen can mitigate about 80% of this damage.25,26,27,28,29

Molecular hydrogen will also activate Nrf2, a biological hormetic that upregulates superoxide dismutase, catalase, and all the other beneficial intercellular antioxidants. This in turn lowers inflammation, improves your mitochondrial function and stimulates mitochondrial biogenesis.

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