DOES STRESS AFFECTS OUR BRAIN?

(https://www.readersdigest.ca/health/healthy-living/effects-of-stress-brain/)

In this article, the author had listed out the effects of stress to the brain and ways to calm down as the brain continues to function and recover from stress. Some of the effects are, the brain does not learn when stress happens. This is because the important structure for learning and memory, which is the neural stem cells that usually develop into neurons to transmit information, developed into something else. It develops into oligodendrocytes which cause changes in learning, memory, and emotional well-being. The oligodendrocytes, which coat neurons with an insulating material called myelin can cause mental disorders such as depression and anxiety. Next, stress causes an increase in stroke risk and this shows that psychological characteristics are important. Besides, people who often get stressed have a higher tendency of depression because the brain is unable to generate new cells. Other than that, stress also caused the brain to shrink. Stress reduces grey matter in parts of the medial prefrontal cortex, which handles self-control and emotion. The reduction of grey matter caused the brain to become smaller.

However, stress can be recovered as the brain could reverse the effects. One of them is by exercising. This could help in minimizing neural damage and prevent or reduce elevations in stress hormones. Research also found that meditation can help in reducing stress. Last but not least, sleep is an effective way to reduce stress as it is important in controlling the level of stress hormones. Stress happens to everyone and they have to take their own responsibility to manage their stress as a healthy brain is important for a healthy body. This common condition could lead to uncommon health issues if it is not treated well.

(https://www.tuw.edu/health/how-stress-affects-the-brain/)

An article written by Rebecca Bernstein, published in Health and Human Services, seems to agree with the author’s statements about stress effects on one’s brain. Firstly, Bernstein mentioned that stress can kill brain cells and even reduce the size of the brain which most likely would lead to depression, as stated by the previous author in their article. Stress has a shrinking effect on the prefrontal cortex, the area of the brain responsible for memory and learning. While stress can shrink the prefrontal cortex, it can increase the size of the amygdala, which can make the brain more receptive to stress. Bernstein also mentioned the effects of stress on the body, however, other than increased risk of having stroke, Bensteins included other chronic diseases such as heart disease, high blood pressure and diabetes. Not only that, other systems of the body will fail from working properly, and this includes the digestive, excretory and reproductive structures.

To fight off stress, Bernstein also suggested exercising regularly. PNAS points out that “interventions,” or activities that combat stress’ wear-and-tear on the brain, are effective regardless of age These activities include exercising regularly, socializing and finding purpose in life to enable plasticity.

In my opinion, I agree with the statement 'stress affects your brain". Stress is basically a natural habit of human beings and it is said that everybody could experience stress from their environment, their body and their thoughts. Whenever we feel stressed, we tend to overthink everything and this particular act is bad, as we are consuming a lot of brain cells to think. As we could see from the statement made by the author in article 1, "Neural stem cells in the hippocampus—a structure important for learning and memory—typically develop into neurons. But under chronic stress, these stem cells instead become oligodendrocytes, which coat neurons with an insulating material called myelin". Stress is a normal part of life, but when someone is constantly under stress, it could lead to emotional problems, depression, panic attacks or other forms of anxiety and worry. The author from article 2, said that "Stress has a shrinking effect on the prefrontal cortex, the area of the brain responsible for memory and learning. While stress can shrink the prefrontal cortex, it can increase the size of the amygdala, which can make the brain more receptive to stress". Hence, stress could affect our thoughts and also our behavior when we face some situations, especially when making hard decisions. I think that both the authors' comments about how to manage stress is relevant for the society, mainly to the young generations.