Stress is triggering inflammation in your brain...

By now, most of us are clued up enough to know all the reasons why we should regard stress as an enemy to be feared. Is there anyone who has not suffered from this problem? Everyone knows about how it can ravage us. Yes, its face is familiar and yet we still fall short when it comes to perceiving the damage it can cause us, especially because some of it manifests itself "silently", says Elena Gallardo Morillo, professor of the master's programme in neuropsychology and education at the International University of La Rioja (UNIR). This is the case with brain inflammation that is caused by stress, something that is not included in the usual catalogue of symptoms.

It sounds terrible, doesn't it? Can the brain truly become inflamed for this reason? Well, of course it can, explains the expert: "When we are under stress, the inflammatory system is altered and this usually starts to manifest itself in the body. First of all, it translates into digestive problems (swollen belly and poor digestion), then the effects are felt in the heart (which pumps more or less blood depending on our level of internal tension) and thirdly, it leaves its mark on the respiratory system. In other words, stress 'sets fire' to different places." Then the body, in order to defend itself, acts as it would "against a virus".

Inflammatory cells travel throughout the body and, yes, up to the brain, which is the master of ceremonies in the body, and it causes inflammation in different parts of the brain.

Let's see, it's not like an inflammation of the body, it's not like having phlegm, it's something internal.

Unfortunately, we are feeding this inflammatory process every day. As Gallardo points out, the small doses of stress that multitasking generates in us - that is, doing several things at the same time without paying full attention to any of them.

This way of doing tasks encourages this inflammation: "We constantly fragment our attention and that has a cost: when you are doing something that requires concentration - working, studying - and someone interrupts you, you look at your mobile or go through your emails, it takes five to seven minutes for the brain to refocus," she explains. So that stop-start comes at a price: it's a drain on the brain.

Now that the neuropsychology expert has clarified that our brains do not 'swell' - yes, in our minds the concept of inflammation usually refers to swelling - she goes on to detail the areas of the brain where this inflammation is concentrated and the functions that are disrupted as a result. Basically, there are three: attention, labile memory and the one that controls executive functions.

When inflammatory cells reach this area (the frontal lobe), it causes what is known as mental fog. We find it difficult to concentrate and think clearly.

This is the short-term memory, "closely linked to the emotional", says the professor. When it is disturbed or interrupted, what happens is that we have difficulty remembering data for a short period of time.

3. Executive functions zone: You are overwhelmed by planning

"If the brain is stressed, the area of the brain that is responsible for decision-making is half anaesthetised. This means that the ability to plan is disrupted. We will only be able to organise the day to day, but in the medium term it will be difficult," she says, adding that this also means we will be in a constant state of hypervigilance, because we notice that time is slipping away from us and we are not making any progress.

"When we notice that making a decision stresses us out and that we find it difficult to plan, it is likely that stress is already doing its thing in your head."

The body 'speaks'

Stress has many effects, some of them bordering between physical and psychological, and are little known:

Hunched posture

Stress affects postural control because it makes us lose awareness of how we move. Often, it results in walking more hunched over for no apparent reason, the expert reveals.

Seated foot tapping

As she indicates, many people do this while working or studying, for example. "Excessive movement indicates high arousal. Yes, body movement reflects the state of the brain."