Fitness

The Power of Yoga: Boosting Brain Function and Reducing Stress

Can individuals improve their brain function by incorporating yoga as part of their routine to reduce stress and improve mental health?

Introduction

Many people are impacted by life stressors that can cause overlapping risk profiles in their bodies. Stress or cortisol is a vital hormone that affects organs and tissues in the body and can help regulate the body’s response to stress. Whether preparing for a big presentation, studying for an important exam, or dealing with a heavy workload, stress can play a part in these scenarios. Too much stress can impact not only the musculoskeletal function of the body but also brain function, which is why many individuals are looking for ways to lower stress levels in their bodies and give their brains a break. Today’s article looks at how stress is associated with brain function and how therapeutic exercises like yoga can improve brain function and relieve stress. We discuss with certified medical providers who inform our patients how stress can have a negative impact on the brain’s functionality. While asking informed questions to our associatedΒ medical providers, we advise patients to incorporate various therapeutic exercises like yoga to help lower stress levels in the body and improve brain function.Β Dr. Alex Jimenez, D.C., encompasses this information as an academic service. Disclaimer.

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Stress & Brain Function

How often do you get headaches or migraines, causing you to be anxious constantly? Do you feel muscle tension or pain after a long, strenuous day? Or do you feel more tired throughout the day even though you slept a full night? Many scenarios correlate with stress and can impact a person’s well-being. While stress is often correlated with negative emotions , it is an acute adaptive response to environmental stimuli in the body and the brain. (McEwen & Akil, 2020) Now, the brain and stress have a wonderful relationship with each other, as the brain is the main controller for the body, providing neuron signals to each of the body’s systems and helping with stress reactivity when environmental factors are in play. Cortisol is a stress hormone that, at the basal levels, is highly important for maintaining healthy brain development and function. When dealing with a highly stressful situation can cause cortisol levels to be elevated and lead to the development of free radical formation that is toxic to the brain. (Herzberg & Gunnar, 2020)

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When high-stress levels start to impact brain function in the body, the brain can inform the immune system to produce an excess of inflammatory cytokines to attach themselves to healthy cells and lead to the development of stress-induced inflammation caused by repeated social defeat (RSD). When RSD starts to activate the immune cells in the brain, it can enhance neuroinflammation and influence the endothelial cells of the brain to recruit and transport the peripheral monocytes into stress-sensitive neural regions. (Bower & Kuhlman, 2023) When this happens, it can take a person a long time to reduce their stress levels. However, many individuals who are dealing with stress can find therapeutic ways to not only reduce their stress levels but also protect and improve their brain function.

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Is Motion Key To Healing- Video


Yoga For Brain Function

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When it comes to reducing stress, many people can incorporate hobbies or therapies that they enjoy and help relax their bodies. One of the various therapies that can help reduce stress and improve brain function is yoga. Yoga is a mindfulness-based intervention that can be used for pain management and help improve pain-like symptoms associated with stress. (Krese et al., 2022) Now, yoga is incorporated into a non-surgical treatment plan for many individuals who have chronic stress affecting their bodies while improving their brain function. When people start doing yoga for the first time, a professional yoga instructor will begin to show them various poses to help stretch their muscles that are tight from the impact of stress, clear their minds from everyday stressors, and even restore their balance. Yoga may be highly effective for many individuals since it is a community-based and holistic intervention that can improve brain function through breathwork, stretching, and holding various postures and meditation. (Stephens et al., 2023) Additionally, yoga can help enhance the brain structure to improve the neurocognitive function of balance and concentration. (Babakhani et al., 2024)

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Yoga Equals Stress Relief

Additionally, when people start to incorporate yoga as part of their routine, they will notice their stress levels go down due to being more mindful about what stressors are affecting them and making small changes in their lifestyle. At the same time, yoga can help stretch and strengthen weak muscles by enhancing motor capacity, including muscle strength, balance, and flexibility, and improving non-motor symptoms like alleviating cognitive impairment. (Fan et al., 2020) This is because exercises like yoga can help relieve stress, and when a person is concentrating on going to yoga, they will begin to see improvement in their bodies and brain function. Utilizing the beneficial properties of yoga can help many people be more mindful of their minds and bodies while also improving their brain function.

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References

Babakhani, M., Rahzani, K., Hekmatpou, D., & Sheykh, V. (2024). The effect of super brain yoga on the cognitive function of hemodialysis patients. Heliyon, 10(16), e36384. doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e36384

Bower, J. E., & Kuhlman, K. R. (2023). Psychoneuroimmunology: An Introduction to Immune-to-Brain Communication and Its Implications for Clinical Psychology. Annu Rev Clin Psychol, 19, 331-359. doi.org/10.1146/annurev-clinpsy-080621-045153

Fan, B., Jabeen, R., Bo, B., Guo, C., Han, M., Zhang, H., Cen, J., Ji, X., & Wei, J. (2020). What and How Can Physical Activity Prevention Function on Parkinson’s Disease? Oxid Med Cell Longev, 2020, 4293071. doi.org/10.1155/2020/4293071

Herzberg, M. P., & Gunnar, M. R. (2020). Early life stress and brain function: Activity and connectivity associated with processing emotion and reward. Neuroimage, 209, 116493. doi.org/10.1016/j.neuroimage.2019.116493

Krese, K. A., Donnelly, K. Z., Etingen, B., Bender Pape, T. L., Chaudhuri, S., Aaronson, A. L., Shah, R. P., Bhaumik, D. K., Billups, A., Bedo, S., Wanicek-Squeo, M. T., Bobra, S., & Herrold, A. A. (2022). Feasibility of a Combined Neuromodulation and Yoga Intervention for Mild Traumatic Brain Injury and Chronic Pain: Protocol for an Open-label Pilot Trial. JMIR Res Protoc, 11(6), e37836. doi.org/10.2196/37836

McEwen, B. S., & Akil, H. (2020). Revisiting the Stress Concept: Implications for Affective Disorders. J Neurosci, 40(1), 12-21. doi.org/10.1523/JNEUROSCI.0733-19.2019

Stephens, J. A., Hernandez-Sarabia, J. A., Sharp, J. L., Leach, H. J., Bell, C., Thomas, M. L., Buryznska, A. Z., Weaver, J. A., & Schmid, A. A. (2023). Adaptive yoga versus low-impact exercise for adults with chronic acquired brain injury: a pilot randomized control trial protocol. Front Hum Neurosci, 17, 1291094. doi.org/10.3389/fnhum.2023.1291094

Disclaimer

Post Disclaimer

Professional Scope of Practice *

The information herein on "The Power of Yoga: Boosting Brain Function and Reducing Stress" is not intended to replace a one-on-one relationship with a qualified health care professional or licensed physician and is not medical advice. We encourage you to make healthcare decisions based on your research and partnership with a qualified healthcare professional.

Blog Information & Scope Discussions

Our information scope is limited to Chiropractic, musculoskeletal, acupuncture, physical medicines, wellness, contributing etiological viscerosomatic disturbances within clinical presentations, associated somatovisceral reflex clinical dynamics, subluxation complexes, sensitive health issues, and/or functional medicine articles, topics, and discussions.

We provide and present clinical collaboration with specialists from various disciplines. Each specialist is governed by their professional scope of practice and their jurisdiction of licensure. We use functional health & wellness protocols to treat and support care for the injuries or disorders of the musculoskeletal system.

Our videos, posts, topics, subjects, and insights cover clinical matters, issues, and topics that relate to and directly or indirectly support our clinical scope of practice.*

Our office has reasonably attempted to provide supportive citations and has identified the relevant research studies supporting our posts. We provide copies of supporting research studies available to regulatory boards and the public upon request.

We understand that we cover matters that require an additional explanation of how it may assist in a particular care plan or treatment protocol; therefore, to further discuss the subject matter above, please feel free to ask Dr. Alex Jimenez, DC, or contact us at 915-850-0900.

We are here to help you and your family.

Blessings

Dr. Alex Jimenez DC, MSACP, RN*, CCST, IFMCP*, CIFM*, ATN*

email: coach@elpasofunctionalmedicine.com

Licensed as a Doctor of Chiropractic (DC) in Texas & New Mexico*
Texas DC License # TX5807, New Mexico DC License # NM-DC2182

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Presently Matriculated: ICHS: MSN* FNP (Family Nurse Practitioner Program)

Dr. Alex Jimenez DC, MSACP, RN* CIFM*, IFMCP*, ATN*, CCST
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