Slow Down, Think Fast: Lower the Stress on Your Brain Health

Written By Jennifer Palmquist

Feeling like life’s pressures are wearing you down? Your brain might feel that way too. Stress isn’t just an emotional experience—it’s a physical one. When you’re stressed, your body releases cortisol, a hormone that helps you respond to danger. But when cortisol stays high for too long, it can harm your brain’s memory center, the hippocampus, and speed up brain aging. Chronic stress changes how your brain functions and increases your risk for memory problems and dementia. 

The good news? Managing stress completely within your control—and every step you take to reduce stress can help protect your memory, mood, and long-term brain health. If you are already exercising or making sure you get enough rest - great job! You are well on your way to managing stress and protecting your brain. In this article we will discuss the impact stress has on your brain and what you can do to minimize your risk.

But it's important to remember, this is only one of many modifiable behavioral risk factors for Alzheimer's and dementia. 

If you'd like a personalized plan, daily activities and support to help address all of your most pressing risks, sign up for a 2 week free trial of Mindr. Better brain health starts today. 

The Science of Stress

Research shows that 75%-90% of human diseases are related to the long-term impacts of stress. High blood pressure, diabetes, depression, cancer, and Alzheimer’s disease are among those stress-related diseases. These conditions are all connected by chronic mild inflammation and oxidative stress - two processes that damage brain cells and are connected to Alzheimer’s and other dementias. 

Research shows that people who experience frequent stress in midlife are more than twice as likely to develop dementia later on. Prolonged exposure to cortisol can shrink brain regions involved in memory and learning.  The brain only has so many resources. During times of stress, the brain prioritizes - redirecting resources which could be used for memory to the part of the brain which copes with stress and danger. 

Anxiety disorders, too, are more than emotional burdens - they have biological roots and long term effects on brain health. People with anxiety disorders have differences in their brains which cause an exaggerated fear response and an impaired ability to de-escalate from perceived threats. When left untreated these responses can have a physical impact on the brain making it more vulnerable to depression and dementia. Anxiety can make sleep worse, elevate blood pressure, and increase risk for depression and social withdrawal - each of which is recognized by the 2024 Lancet Commission on dementia as a modifiable risk factor for cognitive decline.

If this information makes you more stressed than ever about stress, here’s some good news: studies show that managing stress and anxiety - through mindfulness, exercise, or therapy - can lower cortisol levels, reduce inflammation, and even help your brain regrow connections in areas affected by stress. It’s never too late to take control of your stress and your brain health.

Stress and Dementia Risk

Stress and anxiety sit at the crossroads of several other dementia risk factors.

First, high cortisol levels interfere with how the brain forms and retrieves memories. Making new connections in your brain by learning new things is key to maintaining good brain health. When your brain is busy dealing with an immediate threat (the stressor), it doesn’t devote the resources it otherwise would to less immediately important functions like learning and memory.

Racing thoughts and anxious feelings also make it harder to sleep and not getting enough sleep makes coping with stress harder. When you sleep, your brain clears away waste, stores memories, and produces hormones which balance your mood, and keep your heart and blood pressure healthy.

Poor sleep and chronic stress work together to put extra pressure on your cardiovascular system. High levels of stress are as large a risk for heart disease as high cholesterol is. The link between heart health and brain health is so strong that the American Heart Association has declared that “what is good for the heart is good for the brain.” Managing stress helps keep your heart and your brain healthy. 

Stress and anxiety can be so overwhelming that they often lead people to withdraw socially or neglect healthy habits like exercise, eating well, or staying mentally active. All of these behaviors are part of the brain-healthy lifestyle identified by the 2024 Lancet Commission on dementia.

Tackling stress is like strengthening a central hub of brain health—it decreases the impact of many risk factors at once.

Simple Ways to Calm Your Mind and Protect Your Brain

Lowering your stress levels doesn’t need to be another burden on your list of things to do. Small changes to everyday habits can make a big difference in how you feel today and how healthy your brain is in the future. Try making these easy stress busters a part of your new routine. 

  • Practice relaxation daily: Try mindfulness, deep breathing, or gentle yoga.  Even five minutes of relaxation a day can lower cortisol and help your body recover from stress. Free guided meditations are available from the UCLA Mindful Awareness Research Center and the American Heart Association.

  • Get moving: Exercise is one of the best natural stress relievers. It boosts feel-good chemicals, improves mood, increases confidence and protects against other health conditions that raise dementia risk like hypertension and diabetes. Exercise gives you both immediate and long term relief from stress and anxiety. When your anxiety prevents you from exercising, you’re missing out on more than just a trim waistline.

  • Stay connected: Talking about your worries with a trusted friend, family member, or counselor lightens your emotional load, stimulates brain regions involved in empathy and communication, regulates stress hormones and boosts mood. People are naturally social creatures; healthy relationships lower stress and help us to live full healthy lives.

  • Set boundaries and rest: Your brain needs downtime. Schedule time for rest, hobbies, or simply doing nothing without guilt. Try stepping away from screens an hour before bed, taking short breaks during the day, or practicing “mini-mindfulness” moments like slow breathing between meetings.

  • Control what you can, let go of the rest: Sometimes stressors are predictable - get organized and manage those situations to minimize the stress they cause you. When stressors are out of your control, focus on your responses rather than the problem itself.

  • Seek professional support if anxiety feels overwhelming: If anxiety or stress disrupts your daily life, reach out to a professional. Treatments like cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and medication can help restore balance.

Interested in changing your habits to improve your brain health? Give Mindr a try - it’s free for 2 weeks. Live the longest, healthiest version of your life. Click here to sign up.

The Bottom Line

Chronic stress can take a toll on memory, mood, and thinking, but simple, consistent actions to calm your body and mind can help protect against cognitive decline. Managing stress and anxiety isn’t just about feeling better today - it’s an investment in your brain’s future. Each time you take a deep breath, move your body, or reach out to someone you trust, you strengthen your brain’s resilience. 

What’s Next?

Stress and anxiety can be overwhelming - just thinking about dealing with them can even create more stress in the short term. But you don’t have to figure it out on your own. Mindr can help! With Mindr, you will have access to all of these success boosting tools:

  • An easy to follow personalized risk factor management plan that fits your life

  • Daily guidance and reminders so you know exactly what to do each day

  • Frequent assessments and tracking so you can see your progress

  • A human in the loop to support and encourage you

Science tells us that if you change your behaviors, you can change your risk of developing dementia. Many studies, including the U.S. POINTER trial, a study of lifestyle changes conducted by the Alzheimer’s Association, have shown that coaching support and structured intervention plans give people making lifestyle changes a statistically significant edge over those who are self-guided.

You wouldn’t still be reading this if having a healthy brain wasn’t important to you. The lifestyle changes that will get you there are within your reach. You have the will, we’ll show you the way - one day at a time. You can do this and we can help.

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References

Jennifer Palmquist
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