How Stress Affects Your Memory
The Relationship Between Short-term Anxiety & Brain Functioning
Scientists already knew that long-term stress impairs learning and memory. Now, research shows that even short-term stress affects cognitive skills.
Maybe you’re forgetful during periods of high stress, or maybe your brain “freezes.” Or, perhaps taking a test causes you to blank on everything you've learned. Maybe you’re at your worst during a job interview (when you want to be at your best). When you’re stressed out, the anxiety and stress hormones affect your brain functioning and communication skills.
Impaired thinking ability and learning skills are common during stressful moments. Research shows that stress impairs brain functioning, which leads to poor learning skills and memory loss. Scientists have long known that long-term stress impairs brain cell communication, but they’re just now learning that even short-term stress – such as a few hours of anxiety – can negatively affect cognitive skills.
How Short-term Stress Affects Memory
Cortisol is a stress hormone that circulates through your body when you’re stressed or anxious. Researchers at the University of California found that there’s another stress hormone called corticotopin that disrupts how our brains collect and store memories.
“Stress is a constant in our lives and cannot be avoided,” said Dr. Tallie Z. Baram, the Danette Shepard Chair in Neurological Sciences in the University of California (Irvine) School of Medicine. “Our findings can play an important role in the current development of drugs that might prevent these undesirable effects and offer insights into why some people are forgetful or have difficulty retaining information during stressful situations.”
See below for links to articles about dealing with stress.
How Long-term Stress Affects Memory
The stress hormone cortisol plays a big role in long-term stress. Doctors at the Douglas Hospital Research Center found that people who have continuously high levels of cortisol perform poorly on memory tests. Their cognitive functioning – such as learning and memory skills – were impaired when they were exposed to stress over a period of three to six years.
“This study clearly shows the negative effects of long-term stress,” says Sonia J. Lupien, PhD, lead author and director of the Laboratory of Stress Research at the Douglas. “This explains why some older adults show poor brain function while others perform very well.”
Though long-term stress impairs learning, memory, and other cognitive skills, there are ways to manage the effects of stress. You may not be able to feel the stress hormone cortisol racing through your veins, but you know when you’re stressed. And you know what relieves your anxiety and tension.
Stress relief is different for everyone – massage, exercise, bubble baths, yoga, walking the dog – but one thing is the same: we all need to deal with it successfully. Stress damages not only our brain functioning, but our health as well.
We may never get rid of long or short-term stress, but we can counteract its effects.
If you found How Stress Affects Memory interesting, you might like:
- 8 Easy Stress Busters
- Psychological Stress and Your Health
- Introverts' Holiday Stress
- Why Stars Struggle With Addictions
Sources: University of California - Irvine (2008, March 13). Short-term Stress Can Affect Learning And Memory. ScienceDaily.
McGill University (2005, May 17). Too Stressed To Think?. ScienceDaily.
