> "However, it is not possible to directly examine this theory in people, because noradrenaline release cannot be selectively manipulated."
This is exactly what ADHD medication like Vyvanse or Adderall does.
What Stress Does to the Brain
101–110 of 132 posts
Re: What Stress Does to the Brain
#102It would be helpful to tag articles about animal model studies and early stage drug trials on HN, similar to [pdf] and [video] content; would tone down the clickbait/sensationalism levels without the need to modify the submission title.
Like this novelty Twitter account https://mobile.twitter.com/justsaysinmice which points out hilarity of sensational headlines that are based on distant experiments on mice.
Indeed, seeing it mentioned in another article was one of the inspirations for my comment.
On another note, does anyone know how they actually perform (f)MRI on mice?
Re: What Stress Does to the Brain
#103Some time ago I had a long period of intense stress. It is amazing how much it changes your mind and body. Muscles contract causing all kinds of insuline problems, your hormones become a mess, and all this is raising stress levels more because you don't know what is going on in your body. And then an anxiety disorder is right around the corner. And when everything is ok again your brain produces stress hormones when…
I am in such a period and have been for months. Stupid company demands we ship something no matter what, even though there is insufficient time to do all the work, and they keep adding more on top of it. I work 7 days a week, no vacations, hardly even a weekend day off much less a vacation. I even lost my temper at work and yelled a lot, something I never do. This is no way to do proper work either. At least what lit…
I was in a situation just like yours. I eventually had enough and said either pay me more or I'm leaving. The company decided to go in a different direction, which at the time was scary. It was the best thing that has ever happened to me. It gave me free time to focus on my health, develope a regular exercise routine, and refocus on what matters most in life because it certainly doesn't work. Start saving money so you are prepared, but you cannot continue to work like that. The unknown is scary, but you will come out of it stronger and better off.
Re: What Stress Does to the Brain
#104Earlier quoted context omitted.
I am in such a period and have been for months. Stupid company demands we ship something no matter what, even though there is insufficient time to do all the work, and they keep adding more on top of it. I work 7 days a week, no vacations, hardly even a weekend day off much less a vacation. I even lost my temper at work and yelled a lot, something I never do. This is no way to do proper work either. At least what lit…
Not to add another load on your mind, but the long-term issue here is that - assuming this is a crunch that ends - you will still be heavily affected for a long time during normal, non-stress periods. It takes a long pause from stress for you mind and body to stop over-producing stress hormones. I hope you situation changes for the better soon, and when it does, remember to be mindfull of yourself and accept that eve…
In my experience, the best cure for this is exercise especially running or weight lifting. It trains your brain to endure difficult and strenuous tasks. Furthermore, the endorphins that are released subconsciously start to build the association between feeling good after facing a stressful situation. You begin to look at stressful situations, not as something to be feared but something to be conquered. I used to be the biggest introvert because social interactions stressed me out. Now I thrive for that feeling of, "Man this isn't as hard as I thought it would be"
Re: What Stress Does to the Brain
#105Some time ago I had a long period of intense stress. It is amazing how much it changes your mind and body. Muscles contract causing all kinds of insuline problems, your hormones become a mess, and all this is raising stress levels more because you don't know what is going on in your body. And then an anxiety disorder is right around the corner. And when everything is ok again your brain produces stress hormones when…
This is kind of what CBT and also exposure therapy is about.. recognizing the pathway and then providing an alternate resolution. At some point you should be able to reduce the stress response to specific triggers to a distant memory. You can certainly treat a phobia and anxiety this way.
Re: What Stress Does to the Brain
#106Some time ago I had a long period of intense stress. It is amazing how much it changes your mind and body. Muscles contract causing all kinds of insuline problems, your hormones become a mess, and all this is raising stress levels more because you don't know what is going on in your body. And then an anxiety disorder is right around the corner. And when everything is ok again your brain produces stress hormones when…
I am in such a period and have been for months. Stupid company demands we ship something no matter what, even though there is insufficient time to do all the work, and they keep adding more on top of it. I work 7 days a week, no vacations, hardly even a weekend day off much less a vacation. I even lost my temper at work and yelled a lot, something I never do. This is no way to do proper work either. At least what lit…
Happened to me last year so I can empathize. Hope you find a way out.
Re: What Stress Does to the Brain
#107Earlier quoted context omitted.
Not to add another load on your mind, but the long-term issue here is that - assuming this is a crunch that ends - you will still be heavily affected for a long time during normal, non-stress periods. It takes a long pause from stress for you mind and body to stop over-producing stress hormones. I hope you situation changes for the better soon, and when it does, remember to be mindfull of yourself and accept that eve…
> It takes a long pause from stress for you mind and body to stop over-producing stress hormones. I can vouch for this, I feel like I have been permanently damaged from a multi-year stressful job. Speaking of stress hormones, does anyone in this thread know if there's some quantitative way to measure stress hormone levels, even if it's only somewhat accurate? The best real relief I've managed to find is microdosing p…
Yes, stress levels are tied to cortisol levels in the bloodstream. This is especially bad for your physical health as it will cause you to store fat and crave sugary foods. The single best thing you can do is exercise 5 times a week for at least 45 minutes. It will retrain your brain to embrace stress because of the endorphin reward you get after. I promise you, the gym is never as hard as people make it out to be in their mind. 90% is just showing up. Don't take shrooms, you're just messing up your brain chemistry even more with a temporary bandaid. Furthermore, you're treating yourself with a drugs side-effect. If anything the drug you are looking for is Ativan or Xanax. I'm someone who used to be majorly overweight, overworked and stressed to no end, but exercise changed my life.
Re: What Stress Does to the Brain
#108Some time ago I had a long period of intense stress. It is amazing how much it changes your mind and body. Muscles contract causing all kinds of insuline problems, your hormones become a mess, and all this is raising stress levels more because you don't know what is going on in your body. And then an anxiety disorder is right around the corner. And when everything is ok again your brain produces stress hormones when…
The worst thng about that, at least for me, was that I actually liked it. I felt alert, productive, full of energy. Things moved gast and I felt on top of them, it was just great. When things changed, arguably forvthe better, I kind of wanted the previous status back. Took me quite a while to cool down again, yet I still prefer high pressure high speed environments. Funn thing is, my body felt good too. I was healthy…
Where there any negative consequences?
Re: What Stress Does to the Brain
#109Stress is such a stupid thing. Here in London, you're almost celebrated for having a stressful job. Neither does it improve productivity in the long term, nor does it support a healthy life. I wished more managers would understand that.
Re: What Stress Does to the Brain
#110Paul Tough's book, "How Children Succeed" [1] has a great section on how mother rats (called dams) can significantly counteract the stress of their offspring (called pups): "Scientists in rat labs are always picking up baby rats to examine them or weigh them, and one day about ten years ago, researchers in Meaney’s lab noticed a curious thing: When they put the pups back in the cages after handling them, some dams wo…
This is so interesting, thank you for sharing. I was recently thinking about affection in my own early childhood - I grew up with loving parents (and grandparents) who were happy to hug me etc. The only 'weird' thing that stands out in terms of affection offered by my family is that my mom was apparently afraid to hold me for the first few days after my birth - I was her first child and she was worried she'd drop or…
We know human touch is important and that a lack of it will cause severe psychological problems. The evidence is from Russian orphans with kids who were never held or touched. There is also evidence with monkeys and the wire doll mothers. This falls under the wider psychological theory Attachment and need for the infant to have its needs met which is very dependent on the parent. Attachment is probably a life long thing too.
As kids develop they shift from being parent oriented to peer oriented.
There are some cultural aspects as well, you see this largely expressed in greetings and maybe extended family interactions.
As for a rat pup or infant refusing affection it is a warning sign for autism spectrum disorder for sure.