Do you feel a sense of impending doom when your nipple is touched?
You’re not alone. And after conversation online drew attention to the phenomena, it now has a name: sad nipple syndrome.
It’s when the nipple gets brushed, by someone or something, and a wave of intense negative emotion washes over. Descriptions range from “the deepest pit in my stomach” to “deep and unexplainable overwhelming sadness and guilt” and even homesickness.
So why’s the nipple doing double duty as “the button of despair”? Three doctors spoke to The Post about what’s going on in the brain and body that might be responsible.
Sad nipples and D-MER
Sad nipple syndrome could be related to a well-known condition that affects women who are lactating.
“Some breastfeeding patients experience a sudden wave of sadness or despair right before their milk releases,” said Dr. Melissa Walsh, an OB-GYN and chief medical director at maternal health company SimpliFed. It’s “a condition called dysphoric milk ejection reflex, or D-MER.”
When milk releases, the brain triggers a surge of oxytocin, the hormone responsible for moving milk out of the breast.
Dopamine, known as a the body’s “feel-good” molecule, can drop sharply at the same moment. That dip in dopamine helps prolactin, the hormone that drives milk production, to increase.
“The nipple areola complex is one of the most neurologically dense structures on a woman’s body,” said Dr. Ari Hoschander, head plastic surgeon at Breast Reduction Surgeons of Long Island. “What [they’re] describing sounds like that dopamine drop hitting particularly hard.”
This can feel like a sudden wave of grief, guilt or dread, Walsh says, but will come on quickly and resolve just as fast as neurotransmitter levels restabilize.
This is a physiological reflex, not a psychological response, she emphasizes. It’s the brain responding to hormones released from a physical event, not a thought or memory. That’s what differentiates D-MER from postpartum depression or generalized anxiety, which are both persistent.
“Understanding that distinction matters enormously,” Walsh said. “A person who doesn’t know [D-MER is a hormonal reflex] may interpret it as a sign that something is deeply wrong with her. Awareness can be simultaneously therapeutic.”
What about women who aren’t breast feeding?
Women who aren’t and have never breastfed are reporting remarkably similar feelings.
“That question deserves a clinical answer, and right now, the research simply hasn’t caught up to what women are already telling us,” Walsh said.
One study shows that oxytocin surges when the nipple is stimulated, even in non-lactating women.
“This raises a biologically plausible — though as yet unstudied — question about whether the same dopamine mechanism may be at play in women who have never breastfed,” Walsh said.
It’s also possible, in non-lactating women, that this is a psychological phenomenon.
Dr. Loren Rourke, a board-certified breast cancer surgeon and author of Real Talk, Real Hope: Breast Cancer Your Way, believes “the root of this nipple trigger is more likely related to stress levels, past experiences, individual neurological sensitivity, and hormonal influences rather than a direct nipple/breast stimulation causation.”
Others have floated anxiety related to body image or exposure to violence could be related too.
If negative feelings are getting in the way of daily life, Rourke suggests looking into cognitive behavioral therapy. This type of psychotherapy identifies triggers, like nipple stimulations, and helps manage associated thoughts and feelings.

Gen Z is the generation born roughly between the late 90s and the early 2000s. I was born in 2005, which puts me in the middle of the Gen Z age range.
Given that Gen Z is still pretty young, we’re just learning what it means to be an adult living on our own in the world. Navigating this new chapter of life was probably scary for generations before us as well, but it feels like the stress of young adulthood has only gotten worse.
Even with the anxiety young people of any generation often have about adulthood, people in my mom’s generation often tell me how much Gen X loved their twenties. It was their time to go experience everything before the responsibilities of raising a family or handling a high-level job came into their lives. But this has changed in my generation. Many people in Gen Z don’t feel like they are enjoying their twenties much at all.
Gen Z has at least 9 reasons why they’re not enjoying their 20s much at all
1. The lack of jobs
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Finding a job has always been hard. When there are multiple great candidates for a position, your resume can get lost in the stack. This has been happening to many Gen Z on a regular basis, even if they are well-qualified and capable of handling the responsibility.
There are fewer jobs available in general right now. People who are consistently applying to jobs can still be unemployed months later. With fewer positions open, the competition has increased. More highly qualified people are out of a job and competing for roles. Sometimes I feel like you have to be insanely smart and unnaturally productive just to get a simple, low-paying job.
People have also already lost their jobs because the professional landscape is becoming increasingly digital. Take artists as an example. With AI-generated images, fewer artists are being hired to create concert posters and other graphic design work. As someone in Gen Z who wants to be a writer, I definitely worry about finding a job in the future.
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2. Financial insecurity
Universities have become so much more expensive now. If young adults want to earn their degree, many will have to take out a student loan to afford it. This has led some people in Gen Z to take on large amounts of debt before they even enter adulthood.
Inflation has also been on the rise, making just about everything more expensive. Even getting groceries can be a financial burden to some people. This means that Gen Z is facing financial insecurity as they struggle to afford basic necessities. When people have to save money for the things they need, they probably won’t have much left to pay back loans.
3. They are lonely
Social media has changed the way we connect to others. Some people see social media as a great thing for relationships. It lets you stay connected to your friends, even if they no longer live near you. These people might not realize all the harmful things digital connections have on our friendships.
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The first way it can harm you is through the friends you see every day. If you’re constantly on your phone talking to a friend or partner, you can lose touch with the people who are right in front of you. I had a long-distance boyfriend for three years, and I know my friends were often frustrated by that.
Many of the interactions Gen Z has with the friends they live near are online. While talking with your friends online can be nice, it doesn’t replace the importance of seeing friends in person. It can still make someone with a ton of online friends feel isolated. This has made many people in Gen Z feel lonely in their 20s.
4. They don’t feel passion for work
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People in Gen Z can earn money by blogging about their meals at cool restaurants or making funny videos with their friends. Some influencers do very well and make a good salary. Influencer culture has become pretty big in my generation, and not just because Gen Z wants to watch them. Some people also want to be them.
The exciting things influencers do to make money can make everyday jobs feel boring in comparison. They could also become frustrated with their job because they aren’t earning as much as influencers. Social media puts pressure on people to live extravagantly and post those experiences online. Without being able to afford those things, Gen Z workers might become even less satisfied with their company’s salary.
Some of those people then become dissatisfied with their jobs in general. They might question why they have to work so hard when influencers seem to live leisurely and make a lot of money doing it. It could cause them to lose the passion that inspired them to pursue that career in the first place.
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5. Every day feels the same as the day before
We’re constantly surprised by all the shocking things we see online. Gen Z has grown up with this, and many of our reactions to shocking things are dulled. We’ve come to expect them.
This can make some people feel like everything is mundane. Even the big moments pack less of a punch because the pace of exciting things happening around us stays consistent. When you add remote work into the mix, it can make this even worse. Working from home can keep you stuck in one place and make your days feel even more repetitive.
I work from home, so I understand the feeling of being glued to my bedroom desk. After work, I’m sometimes so tired that I stay home for the night, giving me fewer chances to have different experiences from what I’ve been having all day. The days can feel identical. I wake up, work, relax in bed, and then do it all over again the next day. The lack of variety and our already dulled excitement can make every day feel the same.
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6. They haven’t traveled
People often travel to learn more about the world and experience different cultures. However, travel can be expensive, and taking time off work to do so can be difficult. Because of this, many people don’t travel as often as they’d like.
In this digital age, you don’t even need to leave your home to connect to the rest of the world. For example, instead of buying a pricey plane ticket to visit Italy, you can watch a video or see a photo of its monuments, or read blogs to learn about Italian cuisine. You can even connect with Italians through social media and direct messaging. But this still doesn’t give you the benefits of a travel experience.
Because of financial insecurity and the ability to connect to the rest of the world on our phones, many people in Gen Z don’t feel like traveling is worth it. This takes away from the travel experiences many people have in their 20s, when they still have the freedom to do it. They lose the enjoyment of traveling and can feel unhappy as a result.
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7. AI is ruining things
When AI was first invented, people believed everything would change. For the most part, they were right. Just look at all the changes in our society that have already happened because of it. Because it’s so new, many people don’t understand how it works.
When something you don’t know much about starts to take over every area of your life, it can feel overwhelming. While we’ve already discussed its influence on Gen Z’s stress about the job market, it can also make some of us feel like we are always falling behind. Since AI is changing things so rapidly, we don’t know what AI will do in the future as it continues to develop.
The future feels so unstable that many members of Gen Z can feel defeated. They might fear that they will never be able to understand it since it’s constantly changing. AI-generated images are also becoming increasingly popular. Now, if I go on Pinterest, I can scroll through 20 pins before reaching a real image. It makes everything feel so fake and lifeless.
Some people in Gen Z feel like AI has taken the life out of certain things. It even makes art, the thing humans have enjoyed since they invented paint, feel stale and meaningless.
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8. They have mental health issues
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As I said before, social media has been making more people feel isolated and lonely. Still, there are many more mental health issues it can cause.
Social media has led some people to compare their appearance to that of others on social media. But because of photo editing, people can make themselves look better than they do in real life. People begin comparing themselves to unrealistic beauty standards, and sometimes it can make them feel insecure about their bodies. Some people’s mental health becomes so damaged by this that they can end up developing an eating disorder and fall into an even worse state of wellness.
There seem to be more kids and teens experiencing depression than in our parents’ generation. When I was in high school, I was one of those kids. After going through the healing process with therapists and psychiatrists, I was told that experiencing mental health issues as a kid makes you much more likely to experience them as an adult. Since many people in Gen Z faced mental health issues in childhood, they are feeling it again in their 20s.
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9. Dating is hard
Most of my friends are in their early twenties and frequently go on dates. Many of them are trying to find someone they want to spend the rest of their life with. Out of all of my friends, I would say only a handful of their dates came from someone they met in person.
Online dating eliminates the need to go out and meet someone. Many people in my generation exclusively use dating apps to find a girlfriend or boyfriend. This has led Gen Z to stop approaching people in person on a date because they can just find one online.
However, many of my friends report feeling exhausted with dating apps. There are so many people to choose from and talk to. If they try to connect with every person they match with, the interactions can become tiring. People might end up feeling apathetic when flirting with a potential date. If you get tired of dating apps and there isn’t anyone approaching you to ask for a date, it can be incredibly hard to get into a relationship.
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Lily Bell is a college student studying English and Publications who covers relationships, mental health, and personal narratives surrounding the human experience.

Carolyn Burk and her son, Mark
75 year old Carolyn Burk of Watson has suffered with Atrial Fibrillation (AFib) since she was a teenager. She is now the first patient in Illinois to receive a groundbreaking procedure performed by Dr. Bharath Rajagopalan of Prairie Cardiovascular.
Dr. Rajagopalan says that Abbott’s Volt Pulsed Field Ablation or (PFA) System is the latest technology using PFA- short, rapid pulses of electricity- to precisely map, target and destroy small portions of heart tissue contributing to the irregular heart rhythm. The Volt procedure also allows eligible patients to forgo general anesthesia and opt for sedation.
The doctors at Prairie Cardiovascular are grateful to be able to perform this innovative procedure that has helped Carolyn Burk feel her best.
To learn more about the doctors of Prairie Cardiovascular, call 888-4PRAIRIE or visit hshs.org/heart.

In medicine, longevity isn’t just about staying alive for as long as possible. The goal is to maximize the number of years we live in good health and disease-free into older age — aka, our “healthspan.”
While society is obsessed with quick fixes like biohacking and peptides, increasing our healthspan often boils down to lifestyle choices. These include diet, sleep and physical activity.
You don’t need to spend hours in the gym every week to reap the benefits of exercise — which include a lower risk of heart disease, improved mobility and weight management, among others.
Dr. Jordan Metzl, a sports medicine physician at the Hospital for Special Surgery, previously spoke to TODAY.com about longevity-boosting lifestyle habits to incorporate into your routine.
Here’s how many days a week you should move your body in order to increase your healthspan:
Longevity Tip of The Day: Move Your Body Every Day, 7 Days a Week, to Boost Longevity
Moving your body every day is an incredibly important habit to boost longevity, Metzl tells TODAY.com.
“It’s the number one thing. Activity, activity, activity … daily,” says Metzl, who authored “Push: Unlock the Science of Fitness Motivation to Embrace Health and Longevity.”
Movement can be anything that gets you to exert more effort or move your body around more than usual. Whether it’s walking, dancing, taking the stairs or cleaning your home.
“We have increasing evidence that even just two minutes a day of vigorous physical activity, independent of exercise, is valuable for extending longevity,” Metzl says.
Simply dialing up the intensity during everyday activities can have an impact. “As long as it gets you huffing and puffing,” Metzl adds. This is referred to as non-exercise activity thermogenesis, or NEAT.
Why It Matters
Humans are living increasingly sedentary lives, per the World Health Organization. From riding in cars to working at computers and staring at screens, we’re spending less time on our feet.
Sedentary behavior is associated with an increased risk of chronic diseases and even premature death.
Daily movement is an effective way to combat these negative effects and boost longevity, and it’s also easy to incorporate into your existing routine, Metzl notes. It’s approachable for people who’ve been sedentary for a long time, and doable for those who don’t have enough time or energy for a workout.
Anything that gets your muscles activated, increases your heart rate and gets you breathing faster counts, says Metzl.
Daily movement isn’t glamorous. However, it’s sustainable — and the small choices we make every day add up over time.
Compared to trendy longevity supplements or unapproved peptides, moving your body is extremely low-risk. “It’s free and it’s safe,” says Metzl.
How To Get Started
First, try to commit to moving daily by setting reminders and alarms, and keep a log of your movements to track your progress.
Try these quick bursts of activity to get started:
Walking for 5-10 minutes
10-minute exercise “snacks”
5-minute stretch routines
Full-body warmup
10 squats
Examples of NEAT activities include:
Taking the stairs instead of the elevator
Parking farther away than usual
Folding laundry standing up
Carrying a heavy package or groceries
Hand-washing your dishes
Standing up while taking phone calls

LOADINGERROR LOADING
Washcloths or loofahs are commonplace items in bathrooms, hotels and even gyms. They can help you feel like you’re getting a deep clean and can easily spread soap suds all over your body.
But dermatologists told HuffPost that washcloths and loofahs aren’t actually that necessary, or even the best way to get clean.
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“I think most dermatologists would favor washing with the hand over, say, washcloth versus say loofah, just as an across-the-board recommendation,” said Dr. Lauren Taglia, a dermatologist with Northwestern Medicine Regional Medical Group in Illinois.
Dr. Katie Lynam, an assistant professor of dermatology at the Medical University of South Carolina, agreed that she recommends cleaning yourself with your hands over other methods, but said there isn’t a totally right or totally wrong way to clean your body, either.
Why is that? Here’s what to know.
For most people, your hands are the best and safest way to clean your body in the shower.
Your hands tend to give the best pressure when it comes to washing your body with either a bar or liquid soap, according to Taglia.
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More, “if the [hands have] been cleansed prior to washing the body, we know that it’s less likely to transfer, say, bacteria or other potential infection,” Taglia said.
For people with sensitive skin, washing your body with your hands can protect the skin barrier, Lynam noted. “Whereas using things like a washcloth or a loofah can disrupt the skin barrier by essentially over exfoliating and starting to disrupt this barrier called the stratum corneum that keeps pathogens and dirt and things out of the inside of our skin, and also holds good things like water in.”
Since loofahs are rarely washed, they can also harbor bacteria. “So that can be more of a concern for infection, and that’s especially the case in anybody that has a compromised skin barrier,” said Taglia, who identified herself as someone with eczema.
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“We worry about infection risk with loofahs, and same thing for people who are more breakout- or acne-prone or prone to cysts or boils … if you’re not washing [the loofah] between each and every wash, then we recommend that you don’t use it,” Taglia added.
“For most of my patients that I treat for eczema, psoriasis, patients with sensitive skin, more mature skin, and then infants as well, I’m recommending just cleansing with the hands,” Lynam said.
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A washcloth can be a good option, but not for everyday use.
“There are some circumstances where I do think that a washcloth can be helpful,” Lynam said. “Particularly if you’re dealing with really stuck-on dirt, grime.”
Washcloths provide a “mild exfoliation,” added Taglia, which can help get rid of dead skin cells that can build up. Dead skin cells can appear as roughness or small bumps. If you notice your skin feels rough or bumpy, a washcloth could provide the exfoliation you need.
To protect your skin barrier, you don’t want to use a washcloth every time you shower, though.
You can also use products such as glycolic, lactic or salicylic acid to exfoliate, according to Lynam. These are chemical exfoliants and should only be used once or twice a week.
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But you might want to avoid those fancy body scrubs. “I usually don’t recommend using physical exfoliants, like a scrub, things with beads or a grit in them. Those disrupt the skin barrier,” Lynam noted.
And “if you are going to use a washcloth, I do recommend that it be washed at least once a week. Some experts even recommend daily washing,” Lynam said.
Taglia is one of the experts who recommends that folks wash their washcloths after each use. If you don’t wash it every time, you need to make sure you store it properly.
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“It needs to be hung to dry, not just balled up in the corner of the shower. Otherwise, it can grow bacteria and actually put you at more risk for developing an infection than washing with your hands would,” Lynam added.
In the end, you don’t need to turn to washcloths or loofahs to get a good clean, even if washing your body with your hands feels like a shortcut or something you only do when you’re in a vacation rental. Just as washing your hands with soap and water can get them totally clean, washing your body with your hands can do the same.
“You can usually get an adequate clean from our day-to-day with your hands,” Lynam said.