Impact of Stress

When your body is in a constant state of alert due to chronic stress it starts negatively affecting your endocrine system, your brain’s size, structure and how it functions.

The impact of stress on the brain Let’s focus now on two specific parts of the brain, the hippocampus (which is involved with learning, memory formation, and stress control) and the pre-frontal cortex which is the part of the brain associated with concentration, judgement, decision making and social interaction.

When cortisol level rises electrical signals in the hippocampus start deteriorating and it further weakens your ability to control your level of stress. Cortisol also causes part of your brain, such as the prefrontal cortex to shrink in size. With fewer brain cells in the hippocampus it makes it harder for you to learn and remember things. Over time chronic stress may lead to depression and possibly Alzheimer’s.

So what now? Now that you know what stress is and how it negatively impacts your body we are going to move on to the next lesson where we will start addressing ways to manage your stress. Remember we don't want to completely get rid of stress as some stress is needed to function at your optimal level, but you also don't want your body to be in a constant state of alert.