The day-to-day grind can make treasured alone time hard to find. But, if you’re not scheduling time for yourself a recent study which found a link between stress and memory might convince you to pencil “me” time into your calendar.
A study published in the journal Neurology, looked at existing data from the Framingham Heart Study. By looking at MRIs from middle-aged participants (the average age was 48 years old), Harvard researchers found a correlation between higher levels of the stress hormone cortisol and reduced total cerebral brain volume in the frontal and occipital lobes of the brain. Stressed participants also scored poorer during cognitive memory tests than their counterparts.
More research is still needed to be conducted to know the full effects of stress and the brain. But, managing the stress in our lives is still an important issue. That is why at TLC we encourage long bubble baths, meditation/yoga, reading or any of your other favorite stress-busting tools.
Looking for more ways to de-stress? Follow the link below, or give TLC The Littleton Clinic a call at 720.351.2411.