We all have felt overwhelmed with stress at different points in our lives. Some people have dealt with more severe stress than others and each person handles it differently. A 40 year long study was recently concluded and determined there to be links between women who experienced severe stress and then developed Alzheimer’s years later.
Scientists at the University of Gothenburg in Sweden began the study in 1968 where they analyzed 800 women ages 38-54. They met with them 6 times throughout a 38 year period and each went through a series of neuropsychiatric tests.
Each of the women were initially asked about 18 different stressors in life, including:
- Divorce
- Death of a spouse
- Alcoholism
- Unemployment
- Numerous other stressful issues…
Some of the many symptoms that are associated with stress include irritability, sleeplessness, and depression.
The study showed that the number of stressors each woman experienced was an indication of the severity and the amount of stress symptoms they would exhibit.
The study also revealed that the more amount of stressors women dealt with at the beginning of the study were 21% more likely to develop Alzheimer’s and 15% more likely to develop a form of dementia.
Psych Central discusses how the women that seemed to develop Alzheimer’s also dealt with the disease of neurosis which is a personality trait described as being easily distressed. At the beginning of the study, each of the women took a personality trait test which focused on if a person is introverted or extroverted and their levels of neuroticism as well as other personality questions.
Researcher Lena Johansson, PhD at the University of Gothenburg stated that “We could see that the women who developed Alzheimer’s disease had more often been identified in the personality test 40 years earlier as having neurotic tendencies.” The study revealed that more shy women who had neurosis tendencies were more likely to develop Alzheimer’s.
Johannson also stated that “Studies have shown that long periods of stress can increase the risk of Alzheimer disease and our main hypothesis is that it is the stress itself that is harmful. A person with neurotic tendencies is more sensitive to stress than other people.”
Out of the people initially interviewed in 1968, 105 of them developed Alzheimer’s, with most of them having frequent, constant and severe stress.
More than 5 million Americans are living with the awful disease of Alzheimer’s according to the Alzheimer’s Association. Two thirds of the people affected are women.
If you have questions regarding your health or stress level that may be affecting your health, please contact our Gainesville or Lake City office for a well women’s visit. It is vital to take care of ourselves in every way!
