Alzheimer’s Disease – In Depth

Alzheimer’s Disease is fairly well-known as a neurodegenerative disorder that affects the memory and behaviors of older people. However, besides age being a huge risk factor for contracting Alzheimer’s, what most people probably do not know is that elevated stress levels can also lead to the development of the disease.

When people get stressed their glucocorticoid levels rise, and unusually high glucocorticoid levels have been known to have an impact on Alzheimer’s patients. When those who have the gene for Alzheimer’s are monitored, it has been found that stress contributes to a faster progression of the disease. Additionally, studies have been performed on mice, which have found that increased glucocorticoid levels and, subsequently, elevated levels of stress have had a negative impact on memory and behavior. This is not a good sign for Alzheimer’s patients, as living stressful lives can lead to a much quicker deterioration of their mental abilities, which the disease already depletes at a swift rate.

Life without stress is a nearly impossible feat, and it is not even guaranteed that leading a highly stressful life will cause Alzheimer’s. This is because everyone deals with stress differently, and some people have a higher sustainability toward it than others. What can be done, however, is to manage the stress levels of those already living with the disease as efficiently as possible. It is true that stress cannot be avoided, but as long as it is monitored and limited sufficiently, then the progression of the disease can potentially be stunted for a longer amount of time than it would have been otherwise. Even if someone does not have Alzheimer’s Disease, they should still work to maintain their stress levels as much as possible because stress is a risk factor for plenty of other diseases and disorders. Stress, ultimately, should be treated similarly to factors such as diet and exercise in order to ward off potential health complications.

References:

https://www-sciencedirect-com.ccny-proxy1.libr.ccny.cuny.edu/science/article/pii/S1043661817316857