The 2 Worst Ways To Deal With Stress (M)
Deal with stress ahead of time but avoid two techniques that will put you in a worse mood.
Category: Stress
Stress Is Contagious — But Some People Are Particularly Vulnerable (M)
While we can certainly ‘catch’ stress off those around us, there are some strange kinks in how it is transmitted.
The Surprising Effects Of Stress On Your Brain
“When we are afraid, when we are threatened in any way, our cortisol levels go up.”
“When we are afraid, when we are threatened in any way, our cortisol levels go up.”
Stress can literally shrink your brain, research suggests.
Middle-aged people with high levels of the ‘stress hormone’ cortisol also perform worse on memory tests than those with average levels of the hormone.
Common approaches such as mindfulness, moderate exercise and better sleep can all help reduce stress.
Professor Sudha Seshadri, who led the study, said:
“In our quest to understand cognitive aging, one of the factors attracting significant interest and concern is the increasing stress of modern life.
One of the things we know in animals is that stress can lead to cognitive decline.
In this study, higher morning cortisol levels in a large sample of people were associated with worse brain structure and cognition.”
The study involved brain scans of 2,231 people who also had their cortisol levels tested.
Cortisol is a hormone that rises in the body with stress levels.
The tests revealed that those with higher levels of cortisol had smaller brain volumes and worse memory.
However, no one in the study had signs of dementia.
Dr Justin B. Echouffo-Tcheugui, the study’s lead author, said:
“Cortisol affects many different functions, so it is important to fully investigate how high levels of the hormone may affect the brain.
While other studies have examined cortisol and memory, we believe our large, community-based study is the first to explore, in middle-aged people, fasting blood cortisol levels and brain volume, as well as memory and thinking skills.”
Professor Seshadri said:
“The faster pace of life today probably means more stress, and when we are stressed, cortisol levels increase because that is our fight-or-flight response.
When we are afraid, when we are threatened in any way, our cortisol levels go up.
This study adds to the prevailing wisdom that it’s never too early to be mindful of reducing stress.”
The study was published in the journal Neurology (Echouffo-Tcheugui et al., 2018).
The Amount Of Stress That Improves Your Memory (M)
The level of stress linked to greater activity in parts of the brain involved in working memory.
This Is The Least Stressful Time Of Life (M)
This age-group deal better with stressors and experience fewer of them.
How Nature Heals The Brain Of Stress (M)
Major depression, mood disorders and anxiety are 56 percent more common in the city.
Stress Is Good For Mental Health — Up To A Point (M)
Stress can provide a kind of ‘inoculation’ against the symptoms of mental health problems.
The Mental Health Benefits Of Gardening (M)
Humans probably have a natural, in-built tendency to seek connections with nature and other forms of life.
The Emotion That Damages The Immune System With Age (M)
There may be a way to counter-balance the effects of this emotion on the immune system.
A Simple Way To Avoid Choking Under Pressure (M)
Choking under pressure is when the stress of a situation means people cannot access their normal skills.
