Stress, not chemo brain, may be the reason many women with breast cancer experience cognitive decline, says new research, published in the Journal for Clinical Psychology in Medical Settings, finds that women who have undergone surgery for breast cancer but who have not yet received chemotherapy or hormone-replacement therapy can experience similar cognitive deficits as women undergoing chemotherapy. Women undergoing chemotherapy treatment often have decreased verbal fluency or loss of memory and attention.  “Women who reported higher stress levels also performed lower on memory and attention tests,” says Stephanie Reid-Arndt, associate professor of health psychology at the University of Missouri. “It appeared that passive coping strategies, such as denial, disengagement, and helplessness, contributed to this relationship. This suggests lacking proactive ways to deal with stress can contribute to patients’ experience of cognitive difficulties.”View full size

Stress, not chemo brain, may be the reason many women with breast cancer experience cognitive decline, says new research, published in the Journal for Clinical Psychology in Medical Settings, finds that women who have undergone surgery for breast cancer but who have not yet received chemotherapy or hormone-replacement therapy can experience similar cognitive deficits as women undergoing chemotherapy.

Women undergoing chemotherapy treatment often have decreased verbal fluency or loss of memory and attention. 

“Women who reported higher stress levels also performed lower on memory and attention tests,” says Stephanie Reid-Arndt, associate professor of health psychology at the University of Missouri.

“It appeared that passive coping strategies, such as denial, disengagement, and helplessness, contributed to this relationship. This suggests lacking proactive ways to deal with stress can contribute to patients’ experience of cognitive difficulties.”

(Source: futurity.org)

During REM sleep there is a sharp decrease in a brain chemical associated with stress. Reprocessing difficult memories in such an environment makes coping with them easier.  Published in Current Biology, the study offers some of the first insights into the emotional function of Rapid Eye Movement (REM) sleep, which typically takes up 20 percent of a healthy human’s sleeping hours. Previous brain studies indicate that sleep patterns are disrupted in people with mood disorders such as PTSD and depression. The research unlocks many of the mysteries linking sleep to learning, memory, and mood regulation—and shows the importance of the REM dream state. Matthew Walker, associate professor of psychology and neuroscience at the University of California, Berkeley.View full size

During REM sleep there is a sharp decrease in a brain chemical associated with stress. Reprocessing difficult memories in such an environment makes coping with them easier. 

Published in Current Biology, the study offers some of the first insights into the emotional function of Rapid Eye Movement (REM) sleep, which typically takes up 20 percent of a healthy human’s sleeping hours. Previous brain studies indicate that sleep patterns are disrupted in people with mood disorders such as PTSD and depression.

The research unlocks many of the mysteries linking sleep to learning, memory, and mood regulation—and shows the importance of the REM dream state.

Matthew Walker, associate professor of psychology and neuroscience at the University of California, Berkeley.

Laughter is the Best Medicine

A study done at the University of Maryland Medical Center suggests that a good sense of humor and the ability to laugh at stressful situations helps mitigate the damaging physical effects of distressing emotions.

The study, which is the first to indicate that laughter may help prevent heart disease, found that people with heart disease were 40 percent less likely to laugh in a variety of situations compared to people of the same age without heart disease.

Michael Miller, M.D., F.A.C.C., director of the Center for Preventive Cardiology at Michael Miller, M.D. Professor of Medicine, Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine Director, Center for Preventive Cardiology the University of Maryland Medical Center says. “We don’t know yet why laughing protects the heart, but we know that mental stress is associated with impairment of the endothelium, the protective barrier lining our blood vessels. This can cause a series of inflammatory reactions that lead to fat and cholesterol build-up in the coronary arteries and ultimately to a heart attack,”

When we laugh we lower our blood pressure, it increases the blood flow to the heart and pumps more oxygen into the blood. It also strengthens artery walls.

I had one of those days, yeap, I did. A day when the epinephrine and norepinephrine (adrenalin) get a pumping. Sometimes the day brings you a nonstop series of incompetent people. You feel like doing a Clint Eastwood, but ya don’t.

What do you do with your reactivity? Today I took all the reactivity generated from the stressors and challenged incompetency.

Calmly, but firmly allow people the grace to self correct. Letting people slide is not healthy. How you do it determines if you are and will continue to be healthy.

The beauty of the Internet is you can find stuff that can “make your day” in an enjoyable way, like finding these 100 best movies lines;

One can choose to be physiologically reactive, or take a moment and make your day a good one. We’re pre-programmed to manage all things, not just some things or good things, all things! I’ll post more of how, but do you ever find yourself quoting a movie line? What are your favorites? Is one of your favorites missing?