SubscribeFor those want to improve memory, here is some important information on stress- a very, very powerful brain buster.
Chronic stress robs you of brain power. It literally shrinks and destroys the brain regions that are crucial for memory. Let’s elaborate. Stress is not just something that’s in your mind. It is hormonal, biochemical, and physically real. When you are stressed, a special class of hormones called glucocorticoids flood your bloodstream. Glucocorticoids are the stress hormones, and they exert powerful effects on brain cells (and almost every other cell in your body).
Countless studies have shown that chronic, excessive glucocorticoid exposure shrinks and destroys your hippocampus. The hippocampus is one of the most important structures in your brain for laying down memory. If you had to pinpoint the memory engine in your brain, this would be it.
Many journal articles in the neurologic literature have shown that chronically high levels of stress and glucocorticoids are associated with hippocampal damage and memory decline.
Actually, there is quite a bit of evidence accumulating that excessive stress may play a significant role in Alzheimer’s disease and dementia.
For a related post on stress as a brain buster, click here.
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