Can stress actually physically change our brains? What really happens to our brains when we're stressed?
We tend to move throughout our day and lives without giving much thought to our brain and brain health. We know it's there, we assume it's working and doing the job it needs to, and we don't think much about it until there is a problem that forces us to. But understanding how our brain works under stress can help us better understand how to manage it and keep it healthy now and in the future.
What happens to our brains when we're stressed?
When we experience stressful events, the amygdala (area of the brain focusing on emotional processing) sends an emergency signal to the hypothalamus (the brain command center) that says it’s time to pick the “fight or flight” response.
This response triggers common stress reactions including things like:
Increased heart rate
Hypervigilance (being super aware of everything around us)
Shallow breathing to conserve energy
A rush of adrenaline to prepare for defense
A release of a hormone called cortisol
None of these are problematic on their own. The "fight or flight" response is a natural response credited with helping keep humans alive for all of history. When we sense fear, our brain kicks into action for us and helps us respond quickly so we can stay safe. It's an essential function of the brain, but we run into trouble when we face stress for weeks or months at a time, also known as chronic stress. You know, the kind you might experience during a multi-year global health crisis…
The impact of chronic stress
When we experience chronic stress it causes our body to overproduce cortisol without a way to release it all. This buildup can wear down our brain's ability to function properly.
Chronic stress can also increase the size of the amygdala, which can make the brain more receptive to stress. As a result, our brains become predisposed to be in a constant state of “fight or flight.” We're primed to look for threats, so we see threats wherever we go, reinforcing our brain’s belief that it is constantly under attack.
The good news is that we don’t have to totally overhaul our lives in order to make positive changes. Small daily habits can improve our brain health and keep us sharp even if we can’t always control the world around us.
Here are some things you can do every day to improve your brain health:
1. Stimulate your brain
Stimulating your brain is simply putting it to use and keeping it busy. You can do this through math or logic puzzles like Sudoku or crossword puzzles. You can learn a new language or take a course. Reading a book on an unfamiliar topic or engaging in activities like drawing, painting, or learning calligraphy are also great ways to stimulate the brain.
When we engage in activities that ask our brains to do something new, it helps form new connections between existing nerve cells and can even help the brain generate new ones. This can help act as storage to protect against future cell loss as we age. The brain's ability to change and adapt as a result of new experiences like this is known as "plasticity."
Even if you hold a mentally stimulating job, pursuing a hobby or learning a new skill outside of your established skillset will challenge your brain to function in a new way and build new connections.
2. Stay physically active
Exercising regularly increases the amount of oxygen-rich blood delivered to the part of the brain responsible for thought. This process encourages brain plasticity, which improves our ability to retain new information and permanently store it.
In addition, exercise also:
Lowers blood pressure
Improves cholesterol levels
Helps balance blood sugar
Improves mental health
All of these things listed above help improve our overall happiness and ability to handle stress.
3. Take care of your emotional health
When we are stressed out, anxious, or depressed, our cognitive function declines because we are using up all of our mental energy to focus on our worries. We have a limited amount of brain energy and when we dedicate it to focusing on the things that cause us angst, we release stress hormones that keep us in that perpetual “fight or flight” state of survival.
We are evolutionarily designed to stay alive above all else, so in “fight or flight” mode the only thing we can focus on is making it through the day, which leaves little room for brain health. Therefore, in order to help our brain function at its highest level, we need to focus on our emotional health. Unfortunately, many things can come up in life that make this difficult. Learning to overcome anxiety and working with a therapist can help you address the specific situations you're facing so you can feel your best emotionally, mentally, and physically.
4. Build social networks
Strong social connections are associated with a lower risk of dementia, lower blood pressure, and longer life expectancy. The more diverse your friends are in type, the more they challenge you to think differently. They provide you with information you would not normally have access to and they give you different perspectives on things.
Humans are designed to be social creatures and being in secure and supportive friendships is known as a “protective factor” as opposed to a “risk factor.” This is correlated with sharper memories and reports of being happier, healthier, and living longer than people who are more isolated.
As we enter into yet another year of the pandemic, many people are still not getting the same level of socialization they got before March 2020. Working remotely and the development of technology and services that can deliver anything you want or need right to your door without ever leaving the house are making it easier than ever to avoid going out to be around others. As a result, it's more important than ever that we be intentional about connecting with our circle of friends.
5. Get enough high-quality sleep
The brain works in overdrive while we sleep, attempting to make sense of everything that took place during the day and reflecting on our experiences. Many researchers believe that dreams are an attempt by the brain to categorize and process experiences, emotions, and memories into something more coherent.
Sleep also allows us to move less important information from the conscious to unconscious parts of our brain, freeing up more space for processing. When we don’t sleep well, we lose out on the restorative aspects of sleep, which decreases our ability to solve problems, make sense of things, and learn well the following day.
Is it really that important to take good care of our brains?
Can developing these habits when we’re younger really help keep our brains healthy as we get older? In short, yes!
It’s important to take good care of our brains for so many reasons, like overall health, happiness, relationship quality, emotional functioning, and cognitive processing. But beyond that, tending to our brain health can prevent future degenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s, dementia, and atherosclerosis.
Alzheimer’s and dementia can both cause a decline in cognitive abilities and communication/memory impairment. Atherosclerosis is a disease that causes the slow narrowing of the arteries leading to heart disease, stroke, and dementia. While so much is still not known about these diseases, there is a strong correlative link between the activities connected with positive brain health and the prevention of brain decline in later years that underlie each of them.
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