“Only not in the brain!”, or How to deal with stress

In a state of severe stress, we often show forgetfulness and disorganization. And in the long run, stress can dramatically change our brains and affect our memory. Animal and human studies show that stress affects brain function, says Dr. Kerry Ressler, chief scientist at McLean Hospital and professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School.

Scientists have observed changes in the processing of information in the brain in people who experienced stress, either real or created in a research environment. To create the latter, the subjects were given complex tasks like counting backwards from the number 1073 during the experiment. “It appears that any type of stress interferes with mental alertness, attention, and memory,” says Dr. Ressler.

Stress affects not only memory, but also many other brain functions, such as mood and anxiety levels, and provokes inflammation that negatively affects heart health, says Jill Goldstein, professor of psychiatry and medicine at Harvard Medical School. Thus, stress is associated with multiple chronic diseases of the brain and heart. In addition, it can affect men and women differently.

stress and the brain

To understand why stress affects thinking and memory, we first need to talk a little about how the brain works. “Your brain is not a separate organ, but a group of different parts that perform different tasks,” explains Dr. Ressler. According to researchers, when one part of the brain is actively working, others may not receive enough energy to cope with their vital functions.

For example, if we are in a dangerous or emotionally difficult situation, the amygdala, the part of the brain that controls our survival instincts, is activated. At the same time, less energy remains for the work of those parts that help store memories and perform tasks of a higher order. Their ability to do their job is reduced. “The basic idea is that the brain wastes its resources because it is in survival mode, not memory mode,” says Kerry Ressler.

That’s why we can be more forgetful when we’re stressed, and why traumatic events are sometimes accompanied by memory lapses. The effect of stress on the brain and body can be different depending on what period of life it occurs, says Jill Goldstein. According to her, certain hormones, known as gonadal ones, play a role in the mechanism of the effect of stress on a person.

They are secreted in large quantities during fetal development, puberty and pregnancy and are depleted during menopause. “For example, a decrease in the levels of the gonadal hormone estradiol during the menopausal transition can change our brain’s response to stress.”

How to Protect Yourself from Destructive Stress

In order to cope better, you can try to minimize the negative factors. Expert advice can help prevent at least some of the damaging effects of stress on the brain.

What do we have to do?

• Take control of the situation

If stress is unpredictable, you can try to control what is available – simple daily activities, for example. “Following a routine is good for development and health,” recalls Dr. Ressler. Predictability helps counter stress.

• Get adequate sleep at night

Stress can lead to sleep problems, and lack of sleep, in turn, exacerbates stress. “Inadequate nighttime rest of the brain leads to the fact that those parts of it that perform functions of a higher order work less well.” According to Dr. Ressler, healthy sleep habits can help. This means going to bed and waking up at the same time every day, avoiding caffeine in the afternoon, and creating a relaxing atmosphere in the evening.

• be organized

Using a variety of strategies to manage your workload can also reduce stress. For example, you can create a specific list of tasks every day. Then duties and affairs will no longer seem insurmountable. It also puts a clear line, the boundary of the end of the working day. “This distribution of tasks helps to reduce the feeling that the brain is being bombarded,” says Kerry Ressler. It can also help you anticipate your most stressful moments.

• Get help when needed

Getting support in a timely manner can help you become more resilient and manage stress better, which ultimately helps protect your brain. Getting help early can also reduce the likelihood of future stress-related health problems.

• Change your attitude towards stress

“A stress-free life is not only impossible, but likely to be rather uninteresting. In fact, a certain degree of stress helps growth,” says Ressler. Instead of aiming for its absence, the doctor recommends working on a healthier response to this factor.

Long-term brain changes

Scientists have found that chronic, that is, constant, stress can lead to brain restructuring. Long-term stressed animals had less active areas of the brain that perform higher-order tasks, such as the prefrontal cortex, and more active, primitive areas focused on survival, such as the amygdala.

Dr. Ressler compared the process to training just one limb. The part of the body that is activated more often becomes stronger. And the one that received less attention is weaker. Apparently, something similar happens in the brain when it is under constant stress: the part that helps fight danger is “pumped up”, and the part that is entrusted with more complex thought processes fades into the background.

In some cases, these brain changes can be reversible, while in others they are difficult to correct. It depends on the type and duration of stress. Interestingly, childhood experiences seem to have a greater impact on brain development. However, some studies have shown that people who have developed resistance to childhood trauma seem to form new brain mechanisms to compensate. These new pathways help overcome brain changes formed at an earlier age due to stress.

Are all stresses the same?

While the effects of stress on the brain are well-documented, it remains unclear exactly which type would be harmful and increase the likelihood of future memory problems. When do problems arise – during a small stress or only with a long one? “It’s a tricky question because stress is a broad term that is used to describe a lot of different things,” says Dr. Ressler.

Obviously, the state we may experience before an exam or interview is very different from that associated with a car accident or long-term illness. “Of course, the more stress, the worse; and the long term is generally worse than the short term. But there are additional factors that scientists believe make stress more harmful.

In particular:

• Unpredictability

Studies show that animals that during the experiments could anticipate an electric shock – if, for example, it was preceded by a flashing light bulb – were less prone to stress than animals that did not know when the shock would occur. The same is true for people. If stress can be foreseen, it will be less harmful than unexpected.

• Unlimited in time

If we are nervous about a presentation at work or an upcoming exam, then such stress has a limit – we know when relief will come. If it doesn’t have a visible limit—like chronic stress due to financial problems—it can be much more difficult to deal with.

• lack of support

Getting support during stress, we are likely to survive it easier than alone and without outside help.

As a summary, it remains to be reminded: life is impossible without stress. Moreover, sometimes it is the driving force of personal progress and success, but the consequences can be detrimental to health. Therefore, it is important to remember that you need to take care of yourself and provide competent support to the brain, continuing to live a full life.