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Stress
And its effects on the body
Stress
A reaction to everyday demands or threats. The
stress response occurs when a real or perceived
threat or challenge is encountered. It is your
body’s response to whatever is demanded of you.
You do not have control over your body reacting to
the demands—hormones are released without
your prior consent .
Stress can be either negative or positive.
Positive stress
Eustress—You perceive the demand as a challenge—you
want to accomplish something or the demand (job
promotion, state championship game, etc.). This type of
stress motivates you to become a better person because it
encourages you to practice, study, work harder, etc. in order
to perform well.
Distress-negative stress—you
perceive the demand as a threat, it is
too overwhelming for you to
accomplish, you feel as if you have no
control over the situation or nothing to
help you deal with it—you see no end
to the problem (a divorce or break-up,
an illness or disability, a tough exam)
The Body’s Stress Response
The “fight-or-flight” stress response involves may of
biological changes that prepare us for emergency action.
When danger is sensed, a small part of the brain called the
hypothalamus sets off a chemical alarm. The sympathetic
nervous system responds by releasing a flood of stress
hormones, including adrenaline, norepinephrine, and
cortisol. These stress hormones race through the
bloodstream, readying us to either flee the scene or battle it
out.
Heart rate and blood flow to the large muscles increase so
we can run faster and fight harder. Blood vessels under the
skin constrict to prevent blood loss in case of injury, pupils
dilate so we can see better, and our blood sugar ramps up,
giving us an energy boost and speeding up reaction time. At
the same time, body processes not essential to immediate
survival are suppressed. The digestive and reproductive
systems slow down, growth hormones are switched off, and
the immune response is inhibited.
More on the Body’s Response to
Stress
The release of the stress hormones cause:
Diversion of the blood from less vital to more vital
organs.
Increase in the heart rate to supply more blood
quickly.
Increase in the blood pressure to supply blood
efficiently.
Increase in the respiratory rate to get more oxygen
from the atmosphere.
Muscles tense
Breakdown of glycogen stores in liver and muscle
to get more glucose.
Physical Responses to Stress
Below are indications that a person may be experiencing too
much stress if there is no physical cause behind the issue:
Physical Signs: headaches, trembling or twitching, upset
stomach, migraines, sweating, rash, constipation, diarrhea,
pounding heart, muscle aches and tightness, trouble
sleeping, grinding teeth, dry mouth, nervous twitches or tics,
dizziness, back pain, ringing in ears.
Emotional Signs: Frustration, nervousness, boredom,
edginess, feeling powerless, being quick to anger,
impatience, mood swings, worrying, loneliness, confusion,
crying, low self-esteem, becoming easily upset without
cause.
Mental Signs: Trouble reading or thinking clearly, lack of
creativity, constant worry, obsessive thoughts, inability to
make decisions, forgetting, losing sense of humor and
perspective.
Behavioral Signs: not eating, overeating, compulsive
talking, verbal or physical outbursts, fidgeting, using alcohol,
caffeine, or other drugs, smoking, gambling, tapping feet,
drumming fingers, hurrying, forgetting one’s value,
withdrawing, reckless, and high-risk behaviors like driving
too fast.
Chronic Stress
When the stress factor is persistent or repetitive,
the body keeps secreting the stress hormones
(adrenaline & cortisol) and their blood levels
remain continuously at a higher level and they
continue to affect your body physically.
Persistently having high levels of stress hormones
can have negative effects on your health. Things
that cannot be easily resolved or that you have to
deal with day after day (i.e., bad relationships, a
family member dying, a disease, etc.) can cause
chronic stress because those problems can go on
and on and it is hard to know when it will end.
Cortisol
Higher and more prolonged levels of
cortisol in the body (a hormone that is
released from having chronic stress)
have been shown to have negative
effects such as:
Impaired cognitive performance
Decrease in muscle tissue
Lowered immune system
Increased abdominal fat
Psychosomatic Response
This is evidence of the mind affecting the
body.
Stress maybe causing physical signs of
poor health.
There are no physical reasons for why a
person may be experiencing physical
problems—they are related to stress and
the hormones that are released. If a
person goes to the doctor with migraines,
irritable bowel syndrome, etc. and no
physical cause can be found, stress might
be the likely answer to the problem.
So why do some people get more
stressed than others?
People do an assessment (mostly
unconscious) of the demand and
determine if they have the resources
to accomplish that demand. If they
feel as if they are in control of the
demand and they have resources to
help them accomplish it then they
don’t feel “stressed”, but if they
perceive that they have little control
over the situation or little resources
they get “stressed.”
Resources
When people do an assessment of the demands
that are placed on them, they decide if they
have the resources available in order to meet
those demands. Resources can be things like
time, knowledge, support from teachers,
family, or friends, personality traits
(responsible, organized, etc.) People who feel
like they don’t have enough time because of
the number of things they are involved in will
probably always feel stressed! They are
lacking an important resource.—Time!!!
Stress Management
Time management is a tool for
managing stress since it can help you
better use time as a resource
Talking to others to help you get a
better perspective on things—ask
people for support
Exercise!!
See Stress Reduction Techniques
page for more information
DASS
Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale—
used to determine if a person maybe
experiencing high levels of depression,
anxiety, and stress. Sometimes we are so
busy and consumed with things that we
don’t stop to think about our mental
health—to realize that we can be happier,
less stressed, and less anxious.
Take the DASS in order to determine your
stress, anxiety, and depression levels.