Adverse Effects of Stress on The Brain

The bad effects of stress on the actual brain can not be fully decomposed. From the many things we know as now, that the effects of stress can cause long-term damage to our body, mind, and mood.

Stress has become an inescapable part of our lives. So often that we almost never have a bad impact of stress on the brain realize that we may be experiencing stress. This can come from headaches, irritability, and can develop into fever, or it may lead to heart attacks and even strokes. How can stress cause damage to our body, even if we try to ignore it? This condition has much to do with the human brain and how stress can affect it.

Adverse effects of stress on the brain

1. Damage to brain cells
Stress releases the hormone glucocorticoids in the brain, which gradually weakens brain cells, eventually killing them. Adrenaline will be released during stress, which makes us feel restless and confused. When this adrenaline is not excreted, this can lead to the production rate of excessive glucocorticoids. In a recent study conducted on animals, the level of glucocorticoids causes the brain cells of the animals to die. Most likely the same results also appear in humans, if stress runs for long periods of time.

2. Stress weakens memory
Increased levels of prolonged glucocorticoids may weaken memory. This is because older nerve endings find it difficult to connect with new brain cells. It also makes it more difficult to send information or feedback, thus causing short-term memory loss. Ultimately, this causes the onset of dementia and Alzheimer's in humans.

3. Shrinkage of the brain
Stress grabs the composition of the brain, causing the hippocampus to shrink for some tempo. This condition is more often seen in victims of trauma and violence. Shrinking the brain can make it difficult for a person to concentrate and remember something. It also interferes with motor skills and makes it difficult for someone to plan everything.

4. Heart attack risk
Blood supply to the brain when not enough when suffering from stress. Lack of blood supply makes the heart to pump back and this can endanger the heart's balance. The brain consumes 20% of the total oxygen required by the body, whereas if the brain is left deprived of oxygen, then the body will also starve. In the end it will cause the heart to become pounding, and make it difficult for us to breathe. Often people who suffer from stress feel their heart palpitations and many other diseases caused by stress.

5. Pinched nerve
Stress can reduce blood circulation in the brain drastically, thereby increasing the risk of suffering a stroke. The nerves and blood vessels begin to shrink or pinched together, thereby blocking the blood supply, oxygen, nutrients to the brain, and impeding the brain's ability to heal itself more quickly.

6. Depression
Stress greatly affects the release of endorphins, which makes us feel low or angry. This can lead to manic depression, where a person loses hope and feels that everything that happens is against his or her expectations. The second reason is that stress causes the level of cortisol in the brain to increase, which in turn affects the overall metabolism, thus making the depressed person tend to be inactive and experiencing lethargy.

The only way to reduce the effects of bad stress on the brain is to overcome the things that cause you to become stressed. An active and healthy lifestyle will ensure that the body receives a positive energy wave. Gradually you will begin to feel much calmer after learning to expend all the excess energy through exercising, meditating, and engaging in other recreational activities that can make you feel happier.