Definition
Cortisol spike
The stress hormone response repeated alarms may trigger. The mechanism behind the case against serial snoozing.
From the episode “$7,500 AI Team Replacing an Entire Growth Department”Hear it on the podcast1 episode
Learn the language of AI-native founders
Every week: the new terms, tools, and workflows founders are using, straight from the podcast.
Related terms in Health & Science
Compliance rateIn this episode, the percentage of users still logging food after a given period. Kostas cites roughly 60% higher compliance for scale users.Continuous BiomonitoringThe practice of measuring health variables throughout a patient's daily life — during sleep, work, exercise, stress — rather than episodically at clinical visits. Blood pressure measured once at a doctor's office reflects a single moment and is subject to white-coat effect; continuous monitoring captures the longitudinal patterns (variability, trends, activity correlations) that predict future chronic disease events. Chronic disease management requires this longitudinal picture because chronic diseases progress silently between visit-based measurements and have no early symptoms to motivate clinical visits.Contrast therapyStructured alternation between high heat and near-freezing immersion.Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA)The umbrella category covering greenhouses, indoor farms, and vertical farms where light, climate, water, and nutrients are managed.Data vs. Information (Healthcare)Raw clinical data — labs, notes, images, wearable readings — becomes information only when it is integrated, structured, and interpreted in context. Most healthcare systems generate enormous amounts of data; very few generate actionable information. The Mercatus/Diagnostic MD architectural thesis: the value is not in capturing more data but in transforming fragmented data into structured, visual intelligence that a specialist can act on.De-identificationStripping identifiers from health data so it can be shared. The thing TripleBlind's approach was designed to make unnecessary.Default mode networkThe brain network associated with self-referential narrative, the inner monologue, and judgment. fMRI work shows psychedelics temporarily quiet it.Desistance RateThe percentage of patients who stop taking a medication, often due to side effects or cost. GLP-1 desistance rates in standard protocols run 50–70%.