Stress isn’t good for your body, your mind and definitely your brain.
Stress is a dangerous enemy to the brain and can affect the brain’s ability. They can affect the brain through the following ways:
1. CHRONIC STRESS CAN MAKE THE BRAIN TO SHRINK
Chronic stress can affect the brain’s memory and physiological functions. Chronic stress can affect the brain’s medial prefrontal cortex leading to cognitive impairment.
A 2008 study conducted on mice found that short-term stress can as well affect brain cells in the region associated with memory and learning — and this could in turn affect communication levels.
2. CAN CAUSE MENTAL ILLNESS
Chronic stress has also been found to cause mental illness. The hippocampus is a part of the brain that deals with memory and emotions — and stress can affect the hippocampus. A study conducted by researchers from the University of California found that stress can make a person to become prone to mental illness later in life.
3. CAN’T CONTROL YOUR EMOTIONS
A study conducted by neuroscientists at New York University found that stress can impair your abilities to control your emotions. The researchers put the study participants under mild stress by placing their hands in icy water, and then showed them pictures of snakes and spiders — the study participants couldn’t control themselves when shown the pictures.
4. STRESS CAN MAKE YOU IRRITABLE
Just like the previous study, stress can as well make you feel irritated and act irritably — it can also make you lose focus and become forgetful. French researchers found that stress triggers an enzyme that affects a molecule in the hippocampus responsible for regulating synapses. When this happens, fewer neural connections are able to be made.
Stress is an enemy that isn’t good for your brain, your immune system, your mental health, and your body. Have you been stressed out lately? Don’t forget that it’s important to take some time off to relax your mind – and always try to sleep well.
S.O.Z