World Brain Day: How chronic stress is damaging your brain

World Brain Day is observed on July 22 to raise awareness about neurological health and prevent brain disorders. For a healthy brain, we are often advised to stay away from stress. This is because it leads to a spike in cortisol levels, the body's primary stress hormone. While cortisol is essential for survival and performs several vital physiological functions, too much of it can wreak havoc in our bodies.

"Stress is not abstract. Chronic stress keeps cortisol high, and sustained cortisol drives oxidative stress inside your mitochondria and throttles their energy output," Mugdha Pradhan, functional medicine practitioner, said.

"The brain, which has a high density of mitochondria, burns more energy than any organ in the body, so it is the first place you feel the damage: fog, low mood, memory that slips. In simple words, chronic stress damages the brain," she added.

Lavleen Kaur, Chief Dietitian, agrees, “The brain is particularly vulnerable to prolonged stress, largely because it depends on a constant, steady supply of energy just to keep memory, focus, mood, and decision-making functioning properly.”

How stress damages your energy

Mitochondria are tiny structures that produce energy inside cells. When stress becomes a part of our lives for a long time, inflammation and oxidative stress are triggered, and neither process is particularly helpful for mitochondrial function. "When these cellular power plants become less efficient, energy production may start to fall while cellular wear and tear gradually increases," Lavleen says.

When this happens, it becomes hard to concentrate, recovery takes longer, sleep feels less refreshing, and fatigue becomes a frequent companion rather than an occasional visitor. Elevated cortisol levels also disrupt blood sugar regulation and place a greater energy demand on the body.

How to fight stress?

The physical effects of stress are huge and can disrupt your body and brain. This is why it is important to manage the problem by adopting certain techniques. Getting enough exercise is important and can help lower cortisol. The more you move, the better it is for your brain. Eating right is equally crucial. When we are stressed, we crave fatty foods and sweets. They make us feel good for a moment, but the crash is imminent.

It is important to have balanced nutrition and eat the right foods for brain health. Nothing beats a good night's sleep, as not getting enough of it impacts heart and brain health. Meditation and mindfulness are some of the best ways to manage stress. Create a social circle where you can pour your heart out, as sharing your genuine self with others is a great way to alleviate stress. Bottling up emotions increases the problem, and so it is important to have a few people you trust around yourself.

Even though these habits are small, they are vital to our well-being as they protect how the brain functions and how we feel.