{"id":14682,"date":"2025-07-15T00:33:39","date_gmt":"2025-07-14T17:33:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/?p=14682"},"modified":"2025-07-15T00:33:39","modified_gmt":"2025-07-14T17:33:39","slug":"new-study-links-monday-anxiety-to-increased-cortisol-and-heart-risk-even-after-retirement","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/?p=14682","title":{"rendered":"New Study Links Monday Anxiety to Increased Cortisol and Heart Risk\u2014Even After Retirement"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p>For many of us, Mondays represent the beginning of a stressful journey that will only be relieved as the weekend draws closer, but scientists at the University of Hong Kong have found that that \u201cMonday Anxiety\u201d is more than simply a desire to avoid work, and their findings have suggested that a lack of managing our Mondays could lead to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.muscleandfitness.com\/features\/feature-news\/study-exercise-can-drastically-reduce-cardiovascular-disease-risk\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">serious heart health risks<\/a> if left unchecked. Here\u2019s what you need to know.<\/p>\n<p>If your Mondays are a bit of a mess, the answer could lie in the biochemical response that your body makes in response to feeling stressed, according to an important <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sciencedirect.com\/science\/article\/pii\/S0165032725010535\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">new study conducted by the University of Hong Kong<\/a>. \u201cMondays act as a cultural \u2018stress amplifier,\u2019\u201d explained Professor Chandola, who led the ground-breaking project. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hku.hk\/press\/press-releases\/detail\/28420.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u201cFor some older adults, the week\u2019s transition triggers a biological cascade that lingers for months.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n<h2>How Was the Study Carried Out?<\/h2>\n<p>In an experiment involving more than 3,500 adults aged 50-plus, participants were asked a series of questions regarding their levels of anxiety. While not directly asked for the day on which anxiety was most experienced, the researchers gleaned this result by cross referencing the date of the questionnaire, in order not to present a leading question. Hair samples were then taken in order to extract important biomarkers such as the \u201cstress hormone,\u201d cortisol, and this was all cross referenced to develop a better picture.<\/p>\n<h2>The Results of \u2018Monday Anxiety\u2019?<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Those who reported feeling anxious on a Monday had 23% more cortisol compared to other groups<\/li>\n<li>Mondays showed a 19% spike in heart attack instances<\/li>\n<li>Surprisingly, Monday anxiety continued into retirement<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Far from being minimized as simply the \u201cMonday Blues,\u201d the anxiety reported by many on a Monday is of serious concern, conclude the experts. When hormones like cortisol are elevated, this contributes to hypertension, insulin resistance, and immune dysfunction.<\/p>\n<p>While prior research has noted higher cortisol on weekdays versus weekends, this is thought to be the the first study to put Mondays in the spotlight as being uniquely disruptive. The findings suggest societal rhythms, and not just job demands, embed themselves in human physiology, with lasting health risks. \u201cThis isn\u2019t about work\u2014it\u2019s about how deeply ingrained Mondays are in our stress physiology, even after careers end,\u201d added Professor Chandola. In fact, older adults who feel anxious on Mondays exhibit significantly higher long-term stress hormone levels, up to two months later.<\/p>\n<p>So, what should those of us who seem to manage Monday\u2019s more negatively do, in order to protect ourselves? The key could lie in addressing our Monday-specific stress and forming strategies to combat future ill effects such as heart disease: To learn 8 simple tips that you can try today, to help manage your stress levels, performance, and longevity, check out this interview with Dr Steven Kesten so that you can <a href=\"https:\/\/www.muscleandfitness.com\/athletes-celebrities\/pro-tips\/8-simple-ways-to-manage-your-stress-levels\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">manage your anxiety and stress levels<\/a> heading into Mondays.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.muscleandfitness.com\/features\/feature-news\/new-study-links-monday-anxiety-to-increased-cortisol-and-heart-risk-even-after-retirement\/\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>For many of us, Mondays represent the beginning of a stressful journey that will only be relieved as the weekend draws closer, but scientists at the University of Hong Kong have found that that \u201cMonday Anxiety\u201d is more than simply a desire to avoid work, and their findings have suggested that a lack of managing &hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-14682","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-fitness"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14682","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=14682"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14682\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=14682"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=14682"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=14682"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}