Have you ever found your sunglasses in the refrigerator? Or forgotten the name of someone you know? Or what about when there’s something on your mind at a red light and you don’t realize the light turned green until the car behind you is honking wildly? Believe me, these things have definitely happened at certain points in my life! We all have these moments, particularly when we are feeling stressed out.

Many well-meaning healthcare practitioners tend to laugh these mishaps off or chalk them up to the normal aging process, explaining there’s not much you can do about it. But loss of mental agility is not inevitable as you get older. Stress is a very real drain on the brain at any age, and there are some practical things you can do to keep yourself mentally sharp when you’re feeling stressed. Let’s take a closer look at this connection to your adrenal health and how you can help yourself.
Your brain on stress

Most of my patients aren’t surprised when I tell them that some stress is an integral part of life. Moderate, paced or periodic stress actually helps us to learn and lay new memories, but when stress is chronic, the adrenal glands are secreting stress hormones like adrenaline, noradrenaline, and cortisol too frequently. These hormones, known as corticosteroids, are absolutely essential to life under ordinary circumstances, as well as in the face of danger, invoking powerful life-saving changes in our bodies. But when we lead a life of chronic stress, we may enter a state sometimes referred to as cortisol dominance, and this can affect brain function in powerful ways, especially when it comes to memory, attention, and learning.

Brain stress loop

Chronic unmitigated stress leads to sustained high levels of glucocorticoids, which over time can lead to cellular damage in the hippocampus, where learning and memory of new information are transferred to long-term memory. This damage in turn can interfere with the feedback loop that tells the brain when to “turn off” the stress response, fueling the cycle further.

Chronic stress can lead to the following changes in your brain:

* Cellular changes in the hippocampus, the part of the brain central to learning and memory.
* Slowed or halted neuron production.
* Diminished ability to clean up free radicals and inflammation, which can lead to accelerated brain aging.
* Disruptions in the production of neurotransmitters that help regulate our moods and cognitive function, leaving us grumpy, depressed, or forgetful.

Chronic stress can bring about a sustained stress loop, where the stress leads to increased corticosteroid release, which can damage the hippocampus (and inhibit our immune function). A damaged hippocampus leads to less regulation of cortisol and the unchecked cortisol leads to further damage to the hippocampus (see diagram). The good news is that we can interrupt and reset this cycle by the choices we make in our lives.
Think three E’s — eating, exercise, & emotional health

In today’s world nearly everyone is dealing with stress on a daily basis, but fortunately, you can minimize its effects on the brain — and body — by paying attention to three basic things: what you eat, how you exercise, and how you feel emotionally.

Eating — feed your mind. Brain function is the first to falter when you’re out of fuel. Many of my patients go long periods between meals and snacks, but if we do this while under stress, we just can’t expect the brain to keep up. Eating something nutritious three to five times a day will help keep your blood sugar even, steadily fueling your brain, and improving your capacity for learning, your memory, and your ability to pay attention.

I suggest a well-balanced, plant-rich, low-glycemic, Mediterranean-style diet. Adding protein to each meal and snack will help keep the overall glycemic load low and your blood sugar levels even. You might also consider adding cinnamon, or foods rich in chromium to help with blood sugar regulation. And because we can’t always eat a perfect diet, supplementing with specific nutrients and cofactors that target support to the brain and nervous system in general can make a tremendous difference. Here’s a list of key nutrients to offer your brain structural, regulatory, and restorative properties:

* Omega-3’s
* B complex
* Vitamin C
* Vitamin D
* Vitamin E
* Calcium
* Magnesium

For soothing your nervous system, you might consider the healing benefits of passionflower, chamomile, and valerian root. These herbs can gently dissolve stress and help you to sleep peacefully — another powerful antidote to the cumulative effects of everyday stress.

Exercise — a reasonable dose will do. Many of us grew up with the notion that we couldn’t form new brain cells after a certain point in our adulthood. But this just isn’t true! Exercise has been shown in laboratory experiments to stimulate neurogenesis — the birth of new nerve cells. So it isn’t a surprise that exercise is good for every system in our bodies.

Be mindful of the fact that if your exercise routine is causing stress in your life, then it’s time to change your plan. Extra guilt, worry, and stress around exercise can be more harmful to the brain than helpful. Experiment with different types of exercise and try to find 2-3 forms of exercise you enjoy. Rotate them to prevent boredom or feeling “stuck.” Practice breathing through your nose as you exercise, to re-engage your parasympathetic nervous system — our built-in “chill out” mechanism. And don’t forget to breathe in general! Many of us are rushing through our days and find little (if any) time to stop and just breathe. The more contemplative forms of exercise can be very helpful with this:

* Walking
* Yoga
* T’ai chi
* Qi gong

“In one rigorous study after another, exercise has emerged as the closest thing we have to a magic wand for the brain, the best building of branches, baby neurons, and along with education, perhaps, the mental padding of cognitive reserve.”  Barbara Strauch, author of The Secret Life of the Grown-up Brain, and science writer for The New York Times

For those who find themselves extremely busy (like I am) consider the concept of bursting. A “burst” in your workout includes getting your heart rate up to the point where it is difficult for you to breathe and keeping it there for about a minute or so (depending on your fitness level), and then returning to your normal rate. This way, if you only have 20 minutes to exercise, you might maximize your workout by bursting every five or 10 minutes.

Emotional health — uncover the roots of your stress. It’s so easy to get caught up in the web of stress that many of us forget to sit down and think about the roots of our stress. When you begin to contemplate the sources of stress in your life, you can often learn how to distinguish between things you cannot change and those you can, and from there be able to work toward stress management. Consider a journal or an ongoing list of things that cause you stress. Is it too little sleep? Not enough time alone? A draining job or difficult relationship? Write things down as they come to you, and when you have some time, look over your notes, and see if there are some solutions to the stressors in your life that you can change!

For more entrenched emotional patterns, stressful relationships, or situations that feel out of your control, you might try talking with a counselor, or trying the Emotional Freedom Technique, the Hoffman Process, or The Work by Byron Katie. I’ve seen tremendous results with all of these approaches.

“Mind”ful living

Good or bad, we just can’t stop the stress in our lives. But we can learn to respond to it in new ways and protect our body and mind from it. You don’t have to buy in to the myth that we just become more scatterbrained as we get older. Keeping your body, mind, and spirit healthy includes taking steps to address stress and restore balance and resilience to your adrenal glands — and this kind of self-care will bring health on every level. Support your brain every day with high quality nutrition, invigorating exercise, and honest emotional support. You’ll never forget how good it feels!

Marcell Peck is certified as an OB/GYN Nurse Practitioner and a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner, and is a member of the American Nurses Association, American Nurse Practitioner Association and American Holistic Nurses Association.  www.womentowomen.com