Is Cortisol Hurting You or Helping You?
3/27/202628 min
Cortisol gets blamed for everything from sleepless nights to stubborn belly fat, but the real story is far more complicated. Dr. Sanjay Gupta talks with Dr. Robert Sapolsky, a neuroscientist, biologist, and Stanford University professor, and author of Why Zebras Don’t Get Ulcers, about what this stress hormone actually does and why it matters. Sapolsky explains how chronic stress affects sleep, metabolism, mood, and long‑term health, and shares what we can learn from creatures who manage stress far better than we do... including how you might do the same. Our show was produced by Jennifer Lai. Medical Writer: Andrea Kane Showrunner: Amanda Sealy Senior Producer: Dan Bloom Technical Director: Dan Dzula Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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First 90 secondsSanjay Gupta· Host0:00
[upbeat music] Welcome to Chasing Life. You know, we've all been there. Heart is pounding, your blood is pumping, your breath starts to shake. Might sort of feel like a predator is chasing you, except there is no predator. You're just late for work. You're just stuck in a traffic jam. Okay, now think about that experience, that very intense feeling that's washing over you. That is your cortisol at work. Cortisol, that's a so-called stress hormone, maybe something that you've heard of, and if you go online, you'll see that it gets blamed for just about everything nowadays. Weight gain, bad sleep, mood swings, hypertension, infertility, even diabetes. But how much of that is really true? Well, today's guest is gonna help me navigate the reality of what may be one of the most misunderstood hormones, Dr. Robert Sapolsky. He's a neuroscientist, a biologist. He's a professor at Stanford University. He's also spent more than three decades studying stress. He has lived with baboons in Africa, and he also runs a neuroscience lab. He's author of Why Zebras Don't Get Ulcers. Such a great title for a book. It's pretty much the book to read on stress. Honestly, he's one of my favorite people to talk to. We've had him on the podcast before, and let me tell you, you're in for a real treat. I'm Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN's chief