The Effects of Chronic Stress on Your Brain & Memory

Stress is something we all experience at some point in time (e.g., from a deadline at work, attending an event, etc.). Stress can be helpful to keep you perky, motivated, and awake. But when stress remains too long—approximately weeks or months and even years—it has negative effects on your brain and can have an impact on your ability to remember, focus, and manage your emotions.

Most people will tell you when they find themselves in a stressful situation they begin to feel forgetful, fatigued, and/or have trouble concentrating. This is not due to a flaw but to biology. Chronic stress alters the way your brain functions.

This article will discuss how chronic stress alters both your brain and memory and why it’s critical to reduce stress so that you may have a better opportunity for good mental health in the long term.

What is Chronic Stress?

Chronic stress occurs when your body is in a state of constant alertness. After your body has fused with a stressful event it should immediately dissipate to a state of post-stress relaxation, however, with chronic stress it will stay in a state of post-stress relaxation.

Chronic stress can be created by several factors including:

• Long-term occupational demands
• Financial difficulties
• Relationship difficulties
• Ongoing physical health problems
• Insufficient sleep and feeling burned out

Chronic stress will continue to impact the brain the longer there is a presence of chronic stress. 

The Cortisol Hormone, Also Known As The Stress Hormone

When you become stressed, your body produces a hormone called cortisol. Short-term, it helps alert your brain to respond quickly.

Long-term high levels of cortisol are hazardous to your health.

Chronic high cortisol levels impact your ability to perform in the following ways:

• Interferes with communication between parts of your brain.
• Damages your brain cells responsible for memory creation.
• Causes the significant areas of your brain to shrink.
• Increases anger, frustration, and low moods.

We are not built to take daily stress continuously; our bodies simply cannot perform as well as they could without the stress.

Chronic Stress and the Area of the Brain Corresponding to Each

1. The hippocampus is our brain's memory processing center. 

What does that mean?

• The hippocampus stores brand new memories.
• It helps us retrieve old memories.
• It helps our ability to learn and concentrate on new things.

Chronic stress will shrink your hippocampus, i.e., you will not grow new cells in this area of the brain.

The long-term effects of chronic stress are:

• You forget names, places, and other day-to-day details.
• You find it difficult to learn new things.
• You find it challenging to retrieve older information from your memory.
• You feel as if you are in a mental fog.

Long-term stress individuals often say, "My memory is not what it used to be."

2. Prefrontal Cortex (Focus/Decision-Making): 

The prefrontal cortex is responsible for the following functions.

• Ability to focus/attend to an item or person.
• Ability to plan and problem-solve.
• Ability to exercise self-control, reason, and analyze options.

Chronic stress reduces the prefrontal cortex's functionality and will inhibit your abilities to:

• Concentrate on a task or project for an ample amount of time.
• Make clear, purposeful decisions.
• Stay organized.
• Control impulsive behaviors/choices.

As a result of chronic stress, you may feel mentally overwhelmed with simple tasks.

3. The amygdala regulates your response to fear, anxiety and emotion.

Chronic stress causes the following:

• Your amygdala will become overstimulated.
• You will have increased responses of fear and anxiety.
• Your emotional reactions to things will seem to be more exaggerated than they would normally be.
• Increased anxiety
• Irritability
• Over reacting even to the smallest of problems
• A feeling of danger or worry at all times

Simultaneously the brain regions that help calm you down are affected adversely and become less stimulated.

Chronic stress also impacts short-term and long-term memory.

Short-term memory issues:

• Difficulty remembering things you just read
• Losing focus when talking with someone or during a discussion
• Difficulty focusing on tasks.

Long-term memory issues:

• Inability to remember events in the past
• Weak memory consolidation
• A slower ability to learn.

Stress interferes with sleep. Sleeping is necessary so the brain can store memories. When you are tired and stressed, it creates a negative cycle which negatively impacts how the brain functions.

Long-term stress alters the structure of your brain, which increases risk for developing:

• Anxiety disorders
• Depression
• Burnout and emotional exhaustion
• Decreased motivation
• Increased fatigue

Chronic stress does not only create a negative impact on how you feel; it alters the way your brain works.

Is it possible to heal from long-term stress?

Yes! The brain has the ability to heal with time and with the right habits.

The benefits of reducing stress include:

• Reduced levels of cortisol
• Better memory
• Better connections in the brain
• Balanced emotions

While the brain will need time to repair itself, it is completely possible to do so.

5 Easy Ways to Protect Your Brain from Long-Term Stress

1. Get Plenty of Good Sleep

Sleep is key to repairing damaged brain cells from stress. Make your sleep routine consistent and limit screen time in the hour and a half before bed.

2. Find Daily Ways to Relieve Stress

Finding ways to relieve your daily stress for even 10-15 minutes each day can help you.

• Take deep breaths
• Walk in nature
• Pray or meditate
• Stretch

3. Exercise Regularly

Exercising regularly will get more blood flowing to your brain. This also helps with memory and learning.

4. Avoid Over-Stimulation

When you have a lot of things to do, break them down into small steps. Do not try to do multiple tasks at once and make sure to give yourself a break by taking a small mental break.

5. Be Socially Connected

Being social and having positive social interactions will help to calm your nervous system and help keep your brain healthy.