Three Ways Stress Can Affect the Brain and What You Can Do About It

Whilst most of us have some understanding or indeed experience of the effects of stress on the body, we may have less knowledge of the effects of stress on the brain.

There are a number of studies that show some alarming ones. Chronic stress has even been implicated in dementia and Alzheimer’s. All the more reason for us all to pay attention to the amount of stress we experience day to day and do something about chronic stress.

Here are some of the effects of chronic stress on the brain.

Brain Structure and Size

Intense, long-term stress can lead to a reduction in brain size and weight. This can lead to changes in how we manage stress as well as affect memory and cognition.

Impairment of Memory

A part of the brain known as the hippocampus is involved in learning and long-term memory. Chronic stress has been shown to actually damage this part of the brain. This means that our ability to recall information can become impaired.

For example, there is a type of memory known as declarative or explicit memory. It is the part of long-term memory related to “knowing that” e.g. recalling the capital of England, the date of your mother’s birthday and so on. High concentrations of stress hormones can cause impairment in this kind of memory.

MRI scans of Vietnam veterans suffering PTSD showed a decrease in the volume of the hippocampus which was correlated with a deficiency in verbal memory.

In certain situations however, short-term stress can actually make the brain sharper. An example might be preparing to take an exam.

Cognition

The brain is made up of different areas each with their own particular functions. In a stress situation, the part of the brain known as the amygdala becomes operational to deal with the perceived threat. Its response is known as fight or flight.

In chronic stress situations, the amygdala repeatedly fires to the detriment of other parts of the brain that deal with higher order functions and more complex thought. That is why decision-making, problem-solving and reasoning can become more difficult. When chronically stressed, the brain is only concerned with survival.

Happily, many of the effects of chronic stress can be reversed when measures are taken to move out of the stress response as a state of being.

If we want to evitate the effects of long-term stress, there are many things we can do. These might include:

1. Making lifestyle changes. We have a beautifully designed nervous system that requires both activity and relaxation in order to function at its best.

2. What makes you stressed? Is it a work situation, a particular person or people, a personal situation or something else? Knowing our triggers and finding healthy and meaningful ways to change our responses to these is paramount here. A therapist can help you do this.

3. Do you feel you are easily prone to getting stressed or feel unable to cope with certain life challenges? Sometimes our personal histories including childhood traumas can make us more vulnerable. Approaching these with a therapist can make a huge difference to our resilience.

To read further, here are some blog posts.

I have a simple 4-week programme you can find in my publication “Relaxation Magic” that you can buy here

As well as offering individual sessions to lower the stress response and build resilience, I have a programme you can purchase that includes hypnotherapy/IEMT sessions and therapeutic face treatments. More information about this is here