Chronic stress actually changes your brain structure, according to a 2007 study in Physiological Reviews, which may make it harder for your brain to “turn off” the stress response over time. That’s worrisome because too much tension speeds up aging by increasing free-radical attacks, exposing your body to a continual flood of stress hormones such as cortisol, degrading your thymus gland and weakening your immune system, reducing cell communication, and creating constant low-grade inflammation, reports a 2009 study in the Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences. Overall, the researchers note, chronic stress leads to premature aging of key body systems that help you adapt to stress and respond to stressful challenges.
Continually high levels of cortisol can reduce bone density and trigger shifts in body composition as well, reducing muscle and encouraging fat to settle around your middle. That can put you at risk for osteoporosis, metabolic syndrome, and diabetes. Stress also accelerates some biomarkers of aging, including shrinking your telomeres, the protective caps on the ends of chromosomes. Telomeres naturally shorten every time a cell divides, and when they get short enough the cell dies, which may cause or contribute to some age-related diseases.
In addition to physical wear and tear, anxiety can also take a toll on your mental and emotional health. For instance, stress may make older adults more prone to depression, notes the American Association of Geriatric Psychiatry. It’s linked to cognitive decline, and it can also drain your energy and keep you from appreciating life’s pleasures. However, research suggests that lifestyle changes such as exercise, diet, and social support can actually reverse the brain changes brought on by chronic stress. That means managing stress can lengthen your life span while increasing your quality of life, allowing you to enjoy the healthy years to come.
It bears repeating that exercise is one of the best ways to beat stress. It can help you burn off extra physical and mental energy, boost feel-good neurotransmitters to lift your mood, and help you sleep better. It also directly counteracts some of the harmful effects of chronic stress that age you beyond your years, including strengthening your muscles and bones, keeping you trim, recharging your immune system, and warding off depression. In addition, exercise can actually slow the shrinking of your telomeres and protect them against stress-related cell death, according to a 2009 study in the journal Circulation. It also helps your body adapt to stress and be more resilient over time.
Interestingly, the stress response activates the reward center of the brain, along with the adrenals, the nervous system, and the pain relief areas. The reward is the relief you experience once the stress has passed. One reason why physical activity works so well to alleviate anxiety is because many people report the same thing with exercise—they may not enjoy doing it, but they feel so much better afterward that the promise of reward is enough to get them to lace up their sneakers.
You may not be able to eliminate chronic stressors, such as financial stress or caregiving, but you can change how you react to them. In addition to regular exercise and a healthy diet, sleep and good coping strategies are also critical. Restorative sleep can help refresh your perspective and make stressors seem easier to deal with. And healthy older adults practice acceptance, not worrying, and taking things one day at a time to cope with their stress, notes a 2001 study in the Journal of Aging and Health. Research also shows that maintaining strong social ties, pursuing religious and spiritual beliefs, managing your expectations and goals, and participating in activities you find meaningful can reduce stress and its harmful effects.
Additionally, you can teach yourself to elicit the relaxation response instead of staying constantly on edge. Try meditation, breathing exercises, yoga, biofeedback training, or even stroking a beloved pet. While doing these activities in the face of a stressor can help you calm down in the moment, practicing them regularly can retrain your parasympathetic nervous system (which helps you feel more relaxed) to be in charge more of the time.