If you wonder what the gut-brain connection is, chances are that you already have an idea: that “gut feeling” you might have experienced in a particular situation, feeling “butterflies” in your stomach when you have fallen in love, or literally rushing to the bathroom before sitting down for an exam. These common events are part of the very sophisticated molecular mechanisms that allow our gut (also called the ‘second brain’) to communicate with our head and influence behaviour: what science calls the gut-brain axis.
Read MoreThe feeling of being stressed is familiar to most of us. We all experience some level of stress, virtually from the moment we wake up until we go to bed. But what is stress really? As a species, we've evolved as a result of stress. Our autonomic nervous system has a built-in stress response that allows the body to combat stressful situations, the so-called “flight or fight” reaction that is activated in case of an “emergency”.
Read MoreIt is well known that noise pollution, also known as environmental noise or sound pollution caused mainly by traffic, rail, and airplanes, is bad for our health. Besides its direct effects on the auditory system (e.g., hearing loss and tinnitus induced by exposure to high levels of noise), chronic low-level noise exposure causes mental stress associated with heart diseases and is also linked to poor sleep, anxiety, psychiatric disorders, and diabetes. Recently, we’ve started to understand better why this is happening.
Read MoreIt is well known that noise pollution, also known as environmental noise or sound pollution caused mainly by traffic, rail, and airplanes, is bad for our health. Besides its direct effects on the auditory system (e.g., hearing loss and tinnitus induced by exposure to high levels of noise), chronic low-level noise exposure causes mental stress associated with heart diseases and is also linked to poor sleep, anxiety, psychiatric disorders, and diabetes. Recently, we’ve started to understand better why this is happening.
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