Stress & Wellbeing

The Unique Effects of Stress in Older Adults

As we age, our relationship with stress changes. The American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) notes that while older adults are, on average, more mentally resilient to stress than younger adults, their bodies are also more physically sensitive to the effects of stress. 

Why do older adults stress less? With age, we gain life experience, self-knowledge, and time perspective. These may be helpful in dealing with stressful situations. Older adults are more likely to:

• Disengage from stressful situations
• Focus on the positives
• Use coping skills to limit the development of stressful situations
• Adapt when life is demanding too much
• Focus on closer relationships where fewer conflicts arise
• Emphasize positive over negative experiences

On the flipside, our bodies become more vulnerable to the effects of stress as we age.  In particular, chronic stressors such as health concerns, caretaking, and finances affect body systems that can, in turn, increase dementia risk.

1. Cortisol - the “stress hormone” 
   Stress triggers the release of cortisol, a hormone that increases immune system activity (a response also known as inflammation). While the immune system plays a critical role in defending the body from pathogens, excess immune activity can cause this defense system to turn on its host and attack the body itself. An article from Harvard Medicine explains how chronic inflammation in the brain may provoke cognitive decline.
   
   While people of all ages are susceptible to stress-related inflammation, older adults tend to release more cortisol than younger adults and take longer to return to baseline after stress-inducing events. Cortisol also tends to provoke stronger inflammatory responses in older people.
   
   
2. Adrenaline - the “fight-or-flight hormone”
   Stress also activates the fight-or-flight system by releasing adrenaline. Along with cortisol, this hormone prepares our bodies to fight or flee by increasing blood pressure to maximize blood flow (and, in turn, oxygen) to the heart and skeletal muscles. Chronically high blood pressure can causes our arteries to thicken and harden, reducing blood flow to the brain and increasing risk of cognitive decline. These physiological responses occur across the lifespan, but older people take longer to bounce back after stressful events.

---

While it may not be possible to eliminate stressors from our lives, we can take steps in everyday life to manage how we perceive stressful situations and control the physiological impacts of stress. Selected suggestions from the AARP article include:

---

Source: 
American Association for Retired Persons. What Stress Does to Your Body After 50.