Once thought of as just something that affects overworked professionals, stress is a major contributor to heart disease, depression, insomnia and a whole host of other problems. But although these are well known and well documented, did you know that stress is in fact a major contributing factor in memory problems and proper brain function?
When the body is under deep stress, it releases a hormone called cortisol which has a profound impact on your health because it directly suppresses the immune system. This makes a stressed person more vulnerable to attack from bacteria and viruses and can cause anything from generally feeling run down to full blown flu and heart attacks.
More specifically, stress causes the right side of your brain to shut down. The right brain is responsible for emotions and looking at the big picture. It is the more ‘arty and creative' part of you. This explains why artists and writers find it almost impossible to work when stressed because they cannot access the creative streak within them.
Your left brain is responsible for looking at things logically, in parts rather than in wholes. A stressed person usually becomes fixated on details and small things rather than looking at the big picture. They can often be seen to be going over and over irrelevant things, making problems seem worse than they actually are.
Stress has a profound effect on your ability to learn new things, because your brain is unable to store information in the long term memory. This is primarily because learning occurs when two synapses or links between the brain cells communicate with each other. Stress causes the release of a molecule called corticotrophin which directly interferes with the way these synapses communicate and hence affects your ability to learn.
Paradoxically, a small amount of stress can actually be good for you, as it can force you to concentrate at the task in hand and just get on with it. This explains why some people perform really well under pressure – their body is reacting to the stress which forces them to do well.
The lesson here then is achieving a balance between consistent stress which can have health implications and small doses of stress which can spur a person on to perform better. Persistent stress is a danger point on all levels and is particularly bad for those people who already have a health condition.
Using calming and meditative techniques can help center a person and reduce stress levels significantly. Daily meditation for example has been shown to have a soothing effect as well as lowering the heart rate and cortisol levels in the body. A person who meditates regularly will be able to learn faster and more efficiently, sleep better and respond to problems with a clear and open mind.
Yoga is another calming technique which helps decrease stress levels as well as energize and exercise the mind and body. People who perform yoga on a daily basis are able to exert better control over all aspects of their lives as well as being more open and receptive to new experiences and learning new things.
It is essential that you eat well, exercise daily and keep your stress levels in check if you want to have a healthy body and a healthy mind.
