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Brain Health Tips Stress

Effects of Stress on the Brain and Behavior

Causes, Effects & Remedy of Stress on Brain & Behavior

Stress is the psychological perception of tension or external pressure and our body’s response to these undesired conditions. It can be both physical and mental and under stress, people face several symptoms like headache, appetite disorders, sleeping problems, depression, weakness, lack of concentration, irritability, body aches, and several others.

Stress effects on brain

Major causes of stress

Several factors from work pressure to the loss of a loved one and several other reasons can lead to stress. Here are few major causes of stress

  • Health problems
  • Relationship problems
  • Job insecurity
  • Heavy workload or targets
  • Physical abuse or trauma
  • Accidents and injuries
  • Death of loved one
  • Family problems and arguments with family members
  • Financial problems
  • Moving to new places or neighborhood problems
  • Getting stuck in traffic
  • Pollution and loud noises
  • Physical threat or danger
    Causes of stress differ for each individual based on their age and gender i.e. the causes differ for children, teenagers, elders, women, and men.

How do the body and brain respond during increased stress levels?

When our body comes in contact with stress, to cope up with it our brain sends a signal to our adrenal glands through the spinal cord to release stress hormones. These stress hormones protect our work to improve our body’s fight response. In this process, every system in our body like the central nervous and endocrine system, respiratory and cardiovascular system, digestive system, muscular system, and immune system gets alerted and protects us. Our central nervous system helps to release stress hormones whereas our respiratory and cardiovascular system raises your breath and supplies more oxygen to your body and muscle to give you more strength. Our liver produces extra glucose under stress to give our body more energy and our immune system also gets stimulated and protects our body from sudden changes. All these systems relax and return to normal after controlling stress. A certain amount of stress actually helps us to keep our body motivated and to deal with unexpected pressures, whereas excess or increased chronic stress can harm our body. When we experience increased chronic stress, our body works continuously without resting and relaxing and this declines our body’s functioning and affects our health. It leads to health complications like headaches, heart attacks, stroke, digestion problems, insomnia, and so on. Excess chronic stress also damages brain structure, cells in your brain and leads to premature brain aging. To avoid the severe effects of stress on the brain and body, it is very important to control your stress.

How to avoid stress?

How to manage stress in life is the basic question which arrives in many people mind. There are several ways to manage stress, one can easily manage stress by making a few lifestyle and other changes. Here is the stress management techniques list through which you can control and avoid stress.

  • Consuming healthy diet
  • Exercise regularly
  • Practicing several relaxation techniques like meditation and breathing exercises.
  • Getting adequate quality sleep
  • Know your stress triggers and control them
  • Make some time and spend with family and friends and also share your worries
  • Do your favorite things and hobbies
  • Accept the fact that you can do everything and seek some help
  • Do not hesitate to consult professionals if you can’t manage stress