5 Serious Consequences
Most of us are accustomed to the acute stress response. It can be brought on by the thought of a work deadline, or rushing to catch the train for that morning commute. For me the most common cause is the phone ringing in the middle of the night when I’m on call. Who’s in the emergency department? What does the CT scan show? Will I need to perform emergency surgery? All those questions race through my head.
What many people fail to consider are the serious repercussions of long-term stress. That chronic stress is an entirely different beast. Have you ever seen someone change after being bombarded by a heavy stress burden? If so, then you may have observed the effects of negative changes to their brain.
Chronic stress affects almost every part of the body, inside and out. The brain is one body parts that suffers numerous serious consequences.
Here are some of the brain changes chronic stress can cause. These are serious consequences and important reasons to get your stress under control today!
Stress Impairs Memory
Your brain is incredibly flexible and versatile. It’s able to respond to stimuli, change and grow accordingly. The stress hormone, cortisol, causes shrinkage of the hippocampus, an area of the brain which is very important for memory and retention.
On the other hand, cortisol causes an increase in the size of the amygdala, a brain region associated with our emotional reactions. Increasing the size of this area primes the brain to respond to fight or flight stimuli, and to make decisions based on emotions rather than working memory and logic… not an ideal scenario.
Stress Causes Oxidative Damage In The Brain
Glutamate is a neurotransmitter in the brain whose production is amplified under the influence of cortisol. However, as glutamate increases, so does the generation of reactive oxygen species. These are free radicals, dangerous molecules that actively damage cells.
They attack brain cells causing them to die, and are thought to contribute to the development of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.
Stress Inhibits Growth Of New Brain Cells
Making matters even worse is that stress has a way of shutting down the growth of new brain cells. In particular, BDNF or brain derived neurotrophic factor, a protein which stimulates the formation of new brain cells, is suppressed by cortisol. This speeds up aging and deterioration of the brain, and may explain why some people experience significantly more cognitive issues under high stress.
Stress Negatively Affects Levels Of Neurotransmitters
Neurotransmitters have very important functions in the brain. The most well established roles include regulating mood, motivation and concentration and sleep patterns. Cortisol provokes depletion of two of these neurotransmitters, serotonin and dopamine. That can leave you lethargic and unable to experience pleasure in everyday life. The result may be panic attacks, uncontrolled binge eating, and even depression and suicidal thoughts.
Stress Affects The Brain’s Defense
The brain possesses a natural “barrier,” known as the blood-brain barrier. Under normal circumstances it prevents the easy entry to many elements. These include toxins and the many pathogens that cause disease.
However, cortisol causes changes in this barrier, allowing more unfavorable elements to enter the brain. This is an extremely bad situation. The only benefit is that some medications are then able to cross the barrier which they are not able to do otherwise.
Stress Reduces The Brain’s Plasticity
As I previously mentioned, the brain is able to constantly change and adapt in response to experience and environment. This is plasticity and it also refers to the brain’s ability to rewire itself. For example, if you learn a highly technical skill neurons involved in the involved tasks become more tightly interconnected. Practice the task and this network grows even stronger. This explains how practice makes “perfect”, and why when you are under stress it becomes increasingly difficulty to perform, retain and learn.
