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It added how anxiety is likely an early predictor of future cognitive decline and possibly future cognitive impairment. One study in the International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry found that anxiety disorder is interrelated and inseparable with loss of memory.

Research like the study published in Brain Sciences acknowledges the relationship between high levels of anxiety and memory loss. That’s because anxiety and stress tax the body’s resources. Memory loss can result if that process occurs when fear or anxiety is excessive or persists beyond developmentally appropriate periods. When your body reacts to real or perceived threats, electrical activity in the brain increases and produces adrenaline and cortisol. The stress response sheds light on how repeated anxiety can lead to memory loss. How Anxiety and Memory Loss Are Connected There is also negative psychological impact, such as with your memory. Chronic stress can lead to physical problems like headaches, breathing problems, and increased risk of hypertension, heart attack, and stroke. “But we know from other research that high levels of anxiety can cause people to reach a tipping point, which impacts their memories and performance.”Įxcessive anxiety can exhaust your body and undermine benefits associated with the stress response. “To some degree, there is an optimal level of anxiety that is going to benefit your memory,” according to Fernandes. Of course, there is a limit to that effect. “Their memories were more emotionally tinted,” said the study’s co-author Myra Fernandes, “and as a result rendered more memorable.” The study verified previous research suggesting that emotional content can strengthen memories. Memory performance didn’t differ based on anxiety levels, but the study found that the group with higher anxiety was able to remember words displayed over negative images. The two groups were asked to answer questions about the spelling or meaning of words overlaid onto neutral images, like a house, or negative images, like a car accident. No participants had clinically significant levels of anxiety. Researchers split participants who had levels of anxiety into two groups: those with “low” and “high” anxiety. This notion is verified in research, although there are caveats.Įveryday anxiety can help you remember things better, according to a study published in Brain Sciences. The stress response helps you confront life-threatening situations, and its benefits extend to psychological functions like memory. If the threat wasn’t life-threatening, your body can overreact to the stressor, which may lead to negative effects on your physical and psychological health.

If the life-threatening event has passed but you still perceive it to be present, the stress response will continue. Note that the stress response will continue when the threat is simply perceived to be present. If the threat is still present, your body will keep certain parts of the nervous system “pressed down” like a gas pedal.

If the threat has passed, cortisol levels will fall, and your body presses the “brake” on everything. Similar to how a car regulates speed, your body is able to regulate its stress response. Cortisol is your body’s main stress hormone and acts like a built-in alarm system to control mood, motivation, and fear. If your brain still perceives danger, it releases cortisol to keep your body on high alert.

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That applies to a series of events that includes your body pumping adrenaline through your bloodstream, causing physiological changes like increased pulse rate and blood pressure, rapid breathing, and sharper senses. If they are considered dangerous, a distress signal is sent to the brain’s command center (hypothalamus).Īll of this takes place so quickly that you aren’t aware of what’s happening. When you perceive danger, a distress signal is sent from the eyes or ears to an emotional processing area of the brain (amygdala), which interprets the images and sounds. The stress response begins in your brain, according to Harvard Health Publishing. Your body’s “fight-or-flight” reaction helps you counter real or perceived life-threatening situations quickly, and that includes when you’re anxious. Understanding how anxiety and memory loss are connected begins with the stress response. As a result, persistent anxiety and memory loss are associated. One part of the body affected by anxiety and stress is the nervous system, which plays a primary role in basic functions like memory and learning. Anxiety disorders make up the most common type of mental disorders, affecting nearly 30 percent of adults at some point in their lives. Excessive amounts of fear or anxiety, however, can lead to anxiety disorders.