How stress affects the brain?

Stress is a normal reaction to situations that most people face at different points of life. Stress is even a healthy part of a normal day. The stress of a first date, a public speaking engagement, the daily stress of work or school obligations are all normal parts of life. Stress may also be derived from relationship issues or financial ones.

Stress is ultimately the response we have toward perceived threats. The mind and body respond to stress by initiating the fight or flight stress response cycle to meet the challenge at hand. For most people, once the threat subsides, the cycle completes, and the body and mind return to their pre-stress state. For others, there may be difficulty in returning to the state before the presence of stress. This may indicate problematic stress or anxiety.

The cardiovascular issues, headaches, stomachaches, and other issues related to anxiety are well known. Many people are unaware of the impacts of stress on the brain. Researchers have found that stress can have long-lasting impacts on the brain, contributing to a vulnerability to developing mental illnesses.

The structure of the brain can be changed by stress. White and gray matter are both affected by stress. Neurons in the brain may be killed by stress. Researchers found that some kinds of stressful events can kill newly formed neurons in the brain's hippocampus. Traumatic stress can cause the amygdala to become larger and the prefrontal cortex to become smaller. The amygdala is responsible for the stress response cycle. A larger one may be associated with a heightened stress response, while the prefrontal cortex, which is responsible for helping to down-regulate the stress response, shrinks and may result in a lower ability to regulate stress.

Stress can impact memory as well. Chronic stress has been found to hurt the ability to recall information in the environment and impact short-term memory issues. It’s important to note that positive stress – like accepting a new job that you want is still stress, but positive stress or eustress doesn’t have these negative impacts on the brain.

If you’re experiencing difficulty managing stress, talk with your doctor or licensed mental health professional.