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How Stress Affects Our Brain ?

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Do you get Stressed out? Don't worry. We've all been there.

Stress isn't always a bad thing. It can be handy for a burst of extra energy and focus like while playing a game or speaking in public. But when it's continuous, the kind like what we face day in and day out, it actually begins to change your brain. Chronic stress can affect brain size, its structure and how it functions right down to the genetic level.

Stress begins with what is called the Hypothalamus Pituitary Adrenal axis (HPA), a series of interaction between the pituitary gland on the brain and the kidney, which controls the body's reaction to stress. When your brain detects a stressful situation your HPA axis is activated and releases a hormone called Cortisol which triggers the body for instant action. However, high levels of cortisol over high period of time are fatal for our brain.

The Link between Brain, Stress and Creativity | SharpBrains

Chronic stress increases the activity level and number of neural connections in amygdala, brain's fear center. As levels of cortisol rise, electrical signals in hippocampus, part of brain associated with learning, memory and stress control deteriorate. Hippocampus also inhibit activity of HPA axis, so when it weakens so does your ability to control stress. 

Cortisol can cause our brain to shrink in size. Too much of it can cause loss of synaptic connections between neurons and shrinking of prefrontal cortex, the part of brain that regulates behaviors like concentration, decision making, social interaction and judgement. It also leads to fewer new brain cells being made in hippocampus. Which means chronic stress can make it harder for you to learn and memorise and also set the stage for mental problems like depression and eventually to Alzeimer's disease. The effect of stress can also infiltrate to DNA and genes. 

Hang Onn!!

Need not to worry much. There are many ways to reverse what cortisol does to your stressed brain.  The most powerful weapons are exercise and meditation, both of these activities decrease stress and increase the size of the hippocampus and hence improving memory.

So, don't feel defeated by the challenges of daily life. Get the control of stress before stress gets control of you.

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