Because allostatic load is defined as the cumulative effects of stress and your body’s responses to that stress, the load and associated cellular damage increase with age, no matter how well-functioning the system is. In particular, normal age-related changes in structures that regulate allostasis, the hippocampus and the prefrontal cortex, make healthy allostasis more difficult to maintain. Higher load has also been associated with reductions in the brain’s gray matter. Three recent studies have also linked sleep disturbances to increases in load.
