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Long-term stress erodes memory

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Re: Long-term stress erodes memory

#61

Post by semi-extrinsic »

ashark wrote: post #56
vivekian2 wrote: post #51

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Was the stress primarily because of sleep deprivation/multitasking with a new baby? I am just trying to understand.

Not the poster you're asking, but have 3 kids. Stress factors include: 1) Getting very, very poor sleep, which can last anywhere from 2-12 months depending on your kid and your parenting technique. 2) Higher monthly expenses, plus a potentially-giant bill for the birth, on top of a year of smaller but still substantial bills for various things. This will be worse if the pregnancy is split over two years of insurance…

> potentially-giant bill for the birth

It boggles my mind that we consider the US a first-world country when I read things like this.

Also not sure I agree about the breastfeeding being so bad. Sure, it's a bit of a chore, but most mothers I know (including my wife) found it to be a positive experience that increases attachment.

And the leaving the house/car part I also don't follow. You have one more person to dress and one more item of luggage to carry; it's hardly an exponential increase.

Otherwise I agree, esp. about stress if kid has serious health issues. (We have two kids, aged 1.5 and 4).

Re: Long-term stress erodes memory

#62

Post by robg »

okreallywtf wrote: post #31

I would be interested to know whether or not there is a relationship between stress and lack of sleep as well that could account for some of the memory issues related to stress. I was in a very stressful relationship in college that resulted also in a lot of sleep loss (although oddly I rarely had problems falling asleep probably because of exhaustion, just got way too little of it), strangely it didn't seem to affec…

Sleep is physiologically the recovery from stress. Two sides of the same physiological coin - the autonomic nervous system. Sadly, there's little work on how stress affects sleep and vice versa. Typically they've been separate academic or clinical labs.

Re: Long-term stress erodes memory

#63

Post by lkrubner »

By the far, the most stressful thing I've ever done is stay with my dad while he died of cancer. For the last two weeks of his life, I stayed at the long-term care facility he was at. I put all my client's projects on hold so I could be with him. I stayed perhaps 18 or more hours of each day. I slept in the chair next to his bed. I did my best to take care of what he needed. When he was in pain I would go out into the hall and plead with the nurses to get more pain medication, though sometimes they were hesitant because he had taken too much (long story there, and I knew nothing about how the system worked then, but apparently you have to say very specific words, which are full of legal meaning, to make clear that a person wants an unlimited supply of pain killers during their final days). When he was lucid we would talk. When he wasn't lucid, I would do what I could to comfort him. I was alone with him in the room when he died.

And after that... my concentration was gone. For a good two years. My ability to write code for 70 hours a week, and think of it as fun, was gone. My mental clarity was gone. It took a solid two years to come back, maybe three years.

My dad was my best friend and losing him hit me very hard. And I learned there are some kinds of emotional stress that take years to recover from.

Re: Long-term stress erodes memory

#64

Post by ixacto »

ashark wrote: post #56
vivekian2 wrote: post #51

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Was the stress primarily because of sleep deprivation/multitasking with a new baby? I am just trying to understand.

Not the poster you're asking, but have 3 kids. Stress factors include: 1) Getting very, very poor sleep, which can last anywhere from 2-12 months depending on your kid and your parenting technique. 2) Higher monthly expenses, plus a potentially-giant bill for the birth, on top of a year of smaller but still substantial bills for various things. This will be worse if the pregnancy is split over two years of insurance…

This is why I got a vasectomy.

Re: Long-term stress erodes memory

#65

Post by tudorw »

ashark wrote: post #56
vivekian2 wrote: post #51

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Was the stress primarily because of sleep deprivation/multitasking with a new baby? I am just trying to understand.

Not the poster you're asking, but have 3 kids. Stress factors include: 1) Getting very, very poor sleep, which can last anywhere from 2-12 months depending on your kid and your parenting technique. 2) Higher monthly expenses, plus a potentially-giant bill for the birth, on top of a year of smaller but still substantial bills for various things. This will be worse if the pregnancy is split over two years of insurance…

on 7) there are lots of different experiences amongst the women I know, breast feeding can be an incredibly positive aspect of having a baby, while it's not easy for all, most get the hang of it (babies and mums), and their are numerous health benefits for both that extend well beyond the period of nursing, so, if you're supporting someone who is trying, keep flying the flag and make sure they know you're supporting them to do something well worthwhile, as a mum if you cannot then I feel for you, yet that is how it is, don't miss the opportunity to get close while you nurse and the magic will be there :)

Re: Long-term stress erodes memory

#66

Post by neuronexmachina »

A lot of folks are focusing on the title, but I think this is the most interesting part:

> When they gave the mice a chemical that inhibited inflammation, neither the brain-cell problem nor the depressive symptoms went away. But the memory loss and inflammatory macrophages did disappear.

>And that led them to conclude that the post-stress memory trouble is directly linked to inflammation — and the immune system — rather than to other damage to the brain. That type of information can pave the way for immune-based treatments, Godbout said.

Re: Long-term stress erodes memory

#67

Post by xpaulbettsx »

lkrubner wrote: post #63

By the far, the most stressful thing I've ever done is stay with my dad while he died of cancer. For the last two weeks of his life, I stayed at the long-term care facility he was at. I put all my client's projects on hold so I could be with him. I stayed perhaps 18 or more hours of each day. I slept in the chair next to his bed. I did my best to take care of what he needed. When he was in pain I would go out into th…

That really sucks. Thanks for sharing.

Re: Long-term stress erodes memory

#68

Post by chairmankaga »

I can also confirm that I've noticed after a very stressful period of over 4 years that my memory was completely shot.

When I entered the workforce, at first I noticed I couldn't remember names at all, I would have to either concentrate on the name while ignoring the conversation in front of me, or I pay attention to the conversation but have an almost certain chance I will forget the name.

I've noticed in general that I had poor short term memory, but I never realised this issue when I was in college.

The worst part was not being able to remember what tasks I accomplished just a few hours before at work, boy that always made me feel good.

It's been driving me nuts for years, I'm unsure how much I have recovered if at all.

Re: Long-term stress erodes memory

#69

Post by Jare »

itissid wrote: post #26
cshep wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I found that learning how and when to say 'no' to your boss is a great start.

Is there some good reference on how might I do that?

My general tips (not always possible or applicable, but hey):

- Highlight the cost of doing what he says. There is always a cost, but either you or him/her may be misunderstanding or miscalculating it.

- Ask why it needs to be done.

- Offer alternatives.

- Keep in mind he/she has more to lose than you if the conversation goes bad.

- Stay polite.

Re: Long-term stress erodes memory

#70

Post by myth_drannon »

omilu wrote: post #9

>>Mice that were repeatedly exposed to the aggressive intruder had a hard time recalling where the escape hole was in a maze they’d mastered prior to the stressful period This sounds like an extreme level of stress, of course the poor mouse has memory issues. I don't think you need to worry if you have ordinary levels of stress from traffic, mortgage, kids etc... But if you live in Syria and your city gets destroyed…

Then it will be a PTSD - a mental illness.
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