Soothing secret to 100% healthy

Keeping a lid on the stress hormone cortisol ushers in calm, blocks belly-fat storage, lowers cholesterol and balances blood sugar.

- Melissa Gotthardt

The result: Heart disease risk drops by 63%, and diabetes risk dips by 69%. While the hormone climbs naturally in the morning in what's known as the cortisol awakening response, daily demands can magnify spikes. Research suggests morning cortisol levels are twice as high in chronically stressed people compared to their less stressed counterparts. To curb a.m. cortisol, just...

Sing in the shower

Sure, you know that listening to music lowers stress. According to a report published in the journal Brain Sciences, cuing up tunes you enjoy can reduce cortisol levels by 17% in 20 minutes. But singing has even more powerful effects: In a Stanford University study, 20 minutes of singing lowered subjects' cortisol levels by 30%. Why? Lifting your voice in song optimizes levels of oxytocin, a hormone that significantly reduces cortisol production and release.

Nibble on dark chocolate