There are unexpected incidents in life that overturn the world and generate great stress to those who suffer. Some have the good fortune to live only once and old. But others have to get several of those blows at an early age when they are more fragile. Although most recover and move forward, in the light of new research these traumatic events would leave sequels in the brain that will only manifest later.
One study found the 15 most stressful life scenarios that would cause brain aging for at least four years. In childhood, repeating a school year, being expelled from school, the death of a parent or living with parents who abuse drugs or alcohol would be some of those extreme experiences. In adults, the most striking are the death of the couple, followed by divorce, being fired from work and being unemployed for a long time.
Specialists at the University of Wisconsin, who are responsible for the study, found that living only one of these events is equivalent to four years of brain aging and an increased risk of dementia. This means that if a 66-year-old has gone through any of these experiences he will have a cognitive performance similar to that of a 70. According to the researchers, the effect would accumulate. It was found that the higher the number of events, the poorer the cognitive health of the participants
The research brought together more than 1,300 people in the United States between the ages of 50 and 60, and asked them to perform memory and problem-solving tests to measure their cognitive ability. It also asked them to recount their lives in terms of stressful events. The results showed that the more traumatic experiences they had, the less cognitive activity.
This effect was much clearer in the African American population, which tended to suffer more than the others. For them, adverse events predicted cognitive function more strongly than other risk factors such as age, education or the presence of the Alzheimer’s gene, known as APOE-e4. This shows that early experiences in life determine the individual's future health; for this reason, experts in the Association of Alzheimer's, a group in the United States committed to eliminate this disease, think that brain health should be taken into account from childhood and not only in old age.
The relationship between stress and physical illness is demonstrated. According to psychiatrists and psychoanalysts, heart attacks, cardiovascular accidents, hypertension, gastritis and other physical ailments are closely related to this state. The novelty is that the study uncovers a link between stress and cognitive disorders, dementia and Alzheimer's disease. It is not yet clear how stress would affect the brain. Previous research has shown that this response is associated with anxiety and depressive feelings, as well as inflammatory processes in the body and decreased volume of brain mass. The damage would be caused by circulating cortisol in the brain. This proinflammatory hormone is released in stressful situations and would cause alterations in skills such as memory, calculus, abstraction, comprehension and mathematical analysis.
Although all traumatic events had the same weight for the study, some experts suggest that some have more impact than others. The death of the couple, the death of a child, the loss of a parent in childhood, divorce, incarceration, a chronic illness and being without work are, in that order, those who would occupy the first places. It is no surprise that most of the list has to do with grief. The duels get sick because they break; the loss is very great. In the case of the death of the couple clarifies that a pillar of life is lost, and it is a substitute for that function that the person had - If it gave me the economic sustenance, it is my job to learn to value myself.
Repeating a year in school also represents a duel because it is a loss not only of an academic achievement, but of the relationships that the student established with his classmates. Something similar happens with who is fired from his job. According to experts, not only is the humiliation of being withdrawn from the group, something that affects self-esteem, but also the loss of a financial status. Calamities like natural disasters, where people are stripped of their material goods and wars, are also in the list.
Interestingly among this group of stressful tragedies are also encountered everyday situations such as difficult relationships with the couple's political family. Although fighting with the mother-in-law does not seem to be at the same emotional level as the loss of a child, recent studies point out that such grunts can generate chronic stress. Newnham College at Cambridge University, conducted a research and found that these tensions are more common among women. In a sample of hundreds of families analyzed for more than two decades, 60 percent of women admitted that their relationship with their mother-in-law and their sisters-in-law had caused them chronic unhappiness and stress.
Considering that many of these situations, especially death or illness, are out of the control of people, it is important that those who live have support. It is important to recognize that these events of life affect health later, but also to be aware that in some cases such as unemployment, bankruptcies and other stressful moments of life there is scope for action and if you intervene this could avoid the consequences.
Some therapies could prevent this cognitive decline, such as mindfulness-type meditation, which helps protect the brain as scientific studies have shown. In a TED talk, psychologist Sara Lazar, linked to Harvard University, explains that yoga and meditation help lower stress levels and reduce anxiety, pain and insomnia symptoms and improve attention span. The results suggest that it could slow down the natural aging of the brain.
It is also important to know when acute stress, resulting from a traumatic situation, becomes chronic or pathological. If it does not resolve, the person becomes sicker. In these cases, it is necessary to ask for professional help.
These are the traumatic events that experts say most affect cognitive health.
Repeat one year, be expelled or withdrawn from school. Fail academically in high school or college or be sent away from home as punishment.
Unemployment of one of the parents.
Alcohol or drug abuse of one or both parents.
Being fired from work and living unemployed for a long period.
The death of a father in childhood.
The death of the couple.
Divorce of the parents.
The death or illness of a child.
The infidelity of the couple.
Problems with the political family.
Loss of housing due to natural disasters, fire or flood.
Imprisonment or serious legal difficulties.
Be sexually or physically abused.
Enter the Armed Forces and enter combat.
Bankruptcy, financial loss or staying in poverty.
Consider keeping your brain and body healthy; good way is to laugh ....
References:
http://www.wisc.edu/
https://alzfdn.org/
https://www.psychologytoday.com/
https://www.ted.com/playlists/171/the_most_popular_talks_of_all?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI78GhzeCn1QIV1x6BCh0kFwAhEAAYAiAAEgIgwfD_BwE
https://www.ted.com/
http://www.rd.com/health/wellness/effects-of-stress-brain/
http://www.newn.cam.ac.uk/
http://www.youramazingbrain.org/brainchanges/stressbrain.htm
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