Your Stress is Hurting the Kids You Don't Have Yet

Parents are often warned of the negative impact their own stress can have on their kids, but it turns out that stress can hurt the kids you don't even have yet. A new study has found that high levels of a stress hormone can hurt the brain development of future children.

The study, which was conducted on mice, found that a chain reaction sets off when the high levels of stress hormone glucocorticoids were present, altering the proteins in DNA in the epididymis (a part of the male reproductive system that sperm passes through). This eventually leads to offspring developing brains that are not as capable of appropriately reacting to stress.

Reducing stress is not just important for pregnant mothers -- it should start much earlier than that for future dads. Whether your stress is related to work, your personal life, or both, take the steps now to ensure that you are able to keep your stress hormones at a balanced level.

Try starting with our stress reduction tactics here.