Cortisol plays a critical role in your body, regulating metabolism, sleep, immune function, inflammation, and your response to stress. This illustration depicts the adrenal cortex (gold), located ...

Photo-Illustration by Chloe Dowling for TIME ... “It really is an adaptive hormone,” critical for our acute stress response and the recovery from it, says Rajita Sinha, a neuroscientist ...

New research has uncovered how the body clears dying cells during times of stress, shedding light on the unexpected role of ...

Although cortisol is known for its role in the stress response, it has many functions. Need a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle. “Cortisol does so many things,” Gunnar begins.

“Our go-to stress response is an attempt to establish safety through social engagement,” she says. After all, at a basic level, we’re a tribal society, and there’s strength in number ...

My heart is beating faster. This means that: 2. When I’m stressed, my stress response is causing my breathing rate to increase. This means that: 3. When I’m stressed, my heart and circulatory ...

Getty Images/iStockphoto When stress hits, your body releases cortisol and other hormones to kickstart the “fight or flight” response. Normally, these levels drop once the threat is gone.

A new study from The University of Texas at Arlington details a novel strategy for how the body clears out dead cells during ...

Share on Pinterest The collections of bacteria in the gut may play a role in the regulation of stress responses, an animal study suggests. Image credit: Justin Lewis/Getty Images. Experts are ...