![]() How does chronic stress physically change the brain? Brain sizeĬhronic, or long-term, stress can affect the size of your brain and even its genetic makeup. It may release cortisol in fits and starts in response to more events, meaning you’re feeling stressed more of the time.Īnd that’s when stress can take a toll on your mind and body. While cortisol helps your mind and body handle stressful events in the short term, chronic stress can cause the HPA axis to become dysregulated. On a physical level, this releases cortisol - the stress hormone - into your system. The HPA axis works to keep your sympathetic nervous system engaged and on high alert. ![]() The hypothalamus then activates your sympathetic nervous system, the “alert“ response, which comes with an adrenaline boost and kicks your body into high gear so you’ll be ready to face the potential threat.īut after fight, flight, or freeze, your hypothalamus activates another stress response system: the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. The amygdala sends a danger signal to the hypothalamus, the part of your brain that regulates many key bodily functions like body temperature and heart rate. This stress response starts in the brain in your amygdala, a part of the brain involved with emotions such as fear. It all starts with your amygdala and stress response, commonly called fight, flight, or freeze responses - a reaction to an acute, or short-term, stressor.įor example, losing control of your car on an icy road or having a sudden confrontation with an angry family member can both cause your stress response to be activated in any of the three ways. Stress can have both short- and long-term effects on the brain.
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