Stress is already stressful. It can cause headaches, muscular tension, sleeplessness, fatigue and anxiety. And over time, stress has been shown to have a deleterious impact on our overall health, increasing our risk of heart disease, diabetes and obesity. But what about cognitive health? Does living a stressful life cause your brain to decline with time? According to Kerry J. Ressler, a professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, while the data isn’t completely clear, it does suggest a link.
“We know that in the short term, stressful events can cause a deficit in cognitive function. As the brain puts its resources towards fight or flight, there are less resources available for higher executive functioning and cognition,” says Ressler.
