The scientist’s guide to stress busting

Long-term anxiety can trigger both physical and mental health issues – but neuroscience expert Ginny Smith believes having an understanding of our brain chemicals will help us cope

For many of us the last year has been filled with stress and anxiety. It isn’t surprising, considering we are dealing with a pandemic the likes of which hasn’t been seen for 100 years. But it’s not good for our health.

Our stress reaction has evolved to protect us. When we see something frightening, the brain’s amygdala triggers the release of adrenaline and cortisol – often called the stress hormone – into our bloodstream.

These cause a cascade of reactions to help us deal with threat. Heart rate and breathing rise to boost oxygen circulation, blood sugar increases so our muscles can work to their full potential, and non-vital processes like digestion and the immune system are shut down to conserve energy.

In extreme cases, the bladder releases urine to avoid the extra weight slowing you down.

If faced by a bear, this gives you the best chance of outrunning it or winning a fight. Unfortunately, in the modern world, we tend to face long-lasting problems that fighting, fleeing or weeing just won’t help.

And this long-term stress can lead to health problems including headaches, susceptibility to infection, heart disease and high blood pressure, depression and anxiety.

But neuroscientists are starting to unpick the ways our body regulates our stress system, providing evidencebased methods to cut its impact.

Promote oxytocin

It has been long known that people with strong social support networks are more resilient to stress and the mental health conditions linked to it.

Being around friends or family can reduce activity of the stress system, potentially due to the chemical oxytocin.

First found to be linked to birth and lactation, oxytocin is released when we are close to someone we care about – either physically or mentally. And research suggests that increasing levels of oxytocin counteracts some negative impacts of stress.

The chemical is also released when pressure is applied to our skin, so you can boost circulating levels with something as simple as a hug or massage.

If you aren’t able to interact with other people, experts also believe that giving yourself a hand or head massage, or using a weighted blanket, may provide some of the benefits of a hug, while stroking a pet has a similar effect and has been proven to reduce stress.

Get enough sleep

One of the biggest factors in resilience to stress is sleep. Usually, our emotion system, including the amygdala, is kept in check by the prefrontal cortex, behind our eyes. This area calms the feeling of panic when you see a spider in the bath before realising it’s actually just fluff.

Basically, our amygdala reacts to potential threats and the prefrontal cortex decides if it’s really worth worrying about. But when we are sleep deprived, the interactions between the two weaken and it is harder to calm the amygdala.

In order to give yourself the best chance of managing stress, aim for seven to eight hours sleep a night. For many, however, this isn’t easy.

Luckily, science has tricks to help. One chemical that tells us it is bedtime is melatonin. Tied to your body clock, it goes awry when you are jet lagged. Its release is set, in part, by our exposure to light. Bright light tells your brain it is morning, so it doesn’t release melatonin. As light levels drop in the evening the chemical is released, making you sleepy.

Exposure to bright light late in the day, particularly blue light from phones and TVS, can mess with the system.

To keep it functioning optimally, get lots of light early in the day, then limit screen use or use a yellow tint to dim them in the evening.

Additionally, don’t eat too late and ensure your bedroom is dark, cool and quiet. Cut down on caffeine too – it blocks a chemical in the brain that tells it how long you have been awake. Too much, too late causes problems.

Make time

There are loads of techniques for managing stress and really, it’s a case of finding one that works for you. Meditation, yoga and tai chi can be effective stress reduction tools. They involve controlled deep breathing, which help calm the stress response, reducing heart rate and cortisol levels.

By meditating regularly, people become better at regulating their emotions and are less likely to spend time thinking about negative events (called rumination, which is linked to depression). So these can be valuable tools to help you reduce your stress.

Others prefer exercise for de-stressing. Interestingly, while many attribute their ‘runner’s high’ to endorphins, the evidence that they are responsible for the good mood many feel after exercise is actually limited.

Animal studies have shown, however, that a workout changes the levels of brain chemicals serotonin and dopamine, which may contribute to its mood-boosting effects.

Another technique is gratitude. Whether keeping a journal or practising loving kindness meditation, evidence shows that counting your blessings can teach the brain to focus on the positives and become more resilient to stress.

● Overloaded: How Every Aspect of your Life is Influenced by Your Brain Chemicals, by Ginny Smith (£16.99; Bloomsbury Sigma) is out now.

‘‘ Being around friends or family can reduce the activity of the stress system

■ If you are struggling with symptoms of anxiety or depression, seek help from a medical professional.