What Burnout Does to Your Brain

Burnout has been known to dysregulate the body’s stress response system, leading to heightened anxiety and emotional reactivity. It also negatively affects the brain by reducing neuroplasticity – a process that helps the brain adapt to and overcome chronic stress.

Over time, burnout can deplete mental reserves, causing you to become impatient and irritable with those closest to you. This is because burnout reduces your ability to think clearly and efficiently.

Changes in the Brain’s Structure

A lot of people see job burnout as an emotional or mental problem, and it certainly has those effects. But it’s also a very real physical issue — something that physically changes the structure of your brain.

You’ve probably noticed that when you’re burnt out, your thinking becomes a bit foggy and you may have a tendency to snap at others over things that would normally not bother you. That’s because burnout depletes your energy and makes it hard to focus, which can affect both your emotions and your ability to control yourself.

Several studies have demonstrated that burnout alters the functioning of specific brain structures and circuits. For example, a team of psychological scientists in Sweden recently conducted an experiment in which they compared 40 study participants who were suffering from burnout (defined as having a lowered sense of passion for work) to a group of their peers who weren’t experiencing any such symptoms. They then used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to compare the activity levels of both groups’ brains.

One of the key findings was that burnout can negatively impact the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, which is responsible for regulating stress hormones like cortisol. The longer you suffer from burnout, the more likely it is that your HPA axis will become overactive, which can lead to a chronically elevated cortisol level and eventually interfere with normal brain function.

Researchers also found that the burned-out group showed greater activation in their amygdala, a brain region known to play a role in emotional reactions, including fear and aggression. They also had weaker connections between their amygdala and the mesial prefrontal cortex, a brain area involved in executive functions.

Burnout also reduces the brain’s neuroplasticity, which is the process by which your neurons reorganize themselves in response to new experiences. This, in turn, can hinder learning and problem-solving skills. Lastly, research suggests that the cognitive decline caused by burnout can last even after your feelings of exhaustion subside. In short, burnout can be a very serious and dangerous problem. That’s why it’s important to pay attention to the warning signs of job burnout and take action before it gets worse.

Increased Cortisol Levels

Researchers have found that burnout leads to higher levels of cortisol, a hormone that is associated with stress. Chronic exposure to high levels of cortisol over time actually changes the way the brain responds to stressors. It causes the brain’s “fight-or-flight” response to become the norm and reduces the prefrontal cortex’s ability to counteract this by using logic, perspective, and reappraisal techniques. This leads to an overabundance of stress and a loss of control over emotions like anger, frustration, and depression.

Having an overabundance of cortisol also has a negative effect on the body’s ability to perform. In fact, a 2022 study published by the Association for Psychological Science found that people who are burned out perform worse on tasks than those who aren’t. This is because when you are in a state of burnout, the amygdala—which is responsible for responding to emotional stimuli—is enlarged and has weaker connections with other parts of the brain, which can lead to impulsive behavior.

Burnout also causes the hippocampus to shrink and disrupts neurotransmitters, which can cause cognitive decline even after burnout symptoms subside. Additionally, the part of the brain that controls memory and problem-solving is weakened by burnout, making it harder to learn.

As the number of people suffering from burnout rises, the need for more and better ways to manage stress is necessary. Fortunately, it’s possible to counteract the negative effects of burnout with a few lifestyle modifications. For example, consuming too much caffeine—which is often used to mask fatigue and help people perform at work—is not good for burnout victims. Rather, doing low-intensity exercise like yoga or stretching can help.

As the pandemic continues, it is important to retrain our brains so that we can deal with stressors in a healthy and sustainable way. To avoid burnout, it’s essential to practice self-care and get enough rest. This includes sleep, which is critical to brain health. Getting adequate rest allows your brain to heal and recharge, so you can be a healthier, happier employee. For more tips to combat burnout, check out our blog on managing burnout at work.

Decreased Neuroplasticity

The resulting brain changes due to burnout can be so severe that they reduce your ability to learn and adapt, which is a significant factor in professional growth. It also negatively affects your memory, executive functioning and multitasking abilities. The decrease in the brain’s plasticity is caused by cortisol’s interference with neurotransmitters and the hippocampus. These effects on the brain can be long-lasting and even recur after you feel better physically.

Researchers have found that people who are experiencing burnout have less functional connectivity between different parts of the brain and this decrease makes it hard to learn. It is not unlike the way that our ability to learn diminishes as we age, but it occurs much more quickly in people who experience chronic stress. This is a result of the chronic stress disrupting the production and release of certain brain chemicals, including BDNF (Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor), which is required for new connections to form and old ones to be reestablished.

Another consequence of burnout is that it can make it difficult to focus and concentrate, which further interferes with learning. The stress-induced thinning of the prefrontal cortex, which is necessary for attention shifts and cognitive flexibility, can cause problems such as difficulty shifting attention, impaired working memory and diminished problem-solving. The good news is that these changes can be reversed with proper management and a reduction in stress levels.

Research in both rats and humans shows that these negative changes in the brain can be reversed with sufficient rest and time away from work. In addition, a study in humans in 2018 found that cognitive behavioral therapy for burnout reduced the size of the amygdala and improved prefrontal cortex function.

It might be tempting to grit your teeth and keep pushing through the burnout to get that project done, but this is likely to do more harm than good. Whether the burnout is emotional or mental, it is taking a toll on your brain and it is not worth the risk of serious injury. If you find yourself in this position, talk to your doctor about what you can do to recover from burnout.

Cognitive Decline

Cognitive decline happens to all of us in small degrees over time. But when it occurs in large amounts, it’s a sign of a more serious health issue. Cognitive decline can also signal a specific type of mental illness or injury, such as traumatic brain injury, stroke, Alzheimer’s disease, and depression.

A growing body of research indicates that burnout leads to a similar cognitive decline as these other conditions. When you’re burned out, your brain’s control circuits get fried by chronic stress and high levels of cortisol. This robs you of your ability to think clearly, solve problems, and stay focused.

It also decreases your cognitive flexibility, making it harder to adapt to new situations and people. For example, you may find it hard to remember names or keep up with conversations. You might draw blanks even when thinking of familiar things, like your cell phone or the keys to your car.

Other studies have shown that when you’re burned out, the area of your brain responsible for regulating emotions (the amygdala) gets enlarged. This leads to increased sensitivity to negative emotions and feelings of helplessness. And it reduces the connections between the prefrontal cortex and the amygdala, which makes it harder to control your thoughts.

In addition to these brain changes, you might experience more frequent headaches and digestive problems, which make it difficult for you to focus. As a result, your work may suffer, and you might lose interest in it. Eventually, you might stop showing up for work or stop being attentive to your friends and family.

The causes of cognitive decline can vary from person to person, but the most common symptoms include a lack of motivation, difficulty concentrating, and emotional exhaustion. In the short term, these symptoms are manageable with a healthy workload and proper scheduling of breaks. But in the long term, untreated burnout can lead to a vicious cycle of increasing stress and decreasing efficiency.

The good news is that burnout can be reversed with the right combination of tools, self-care, and support systems.