Physiology

Special Stressors

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Manage Body

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Breathing

Final Tips

Stress: Causes and Effects

We always tend to think that mental and physical Stress is the outcome of today's fast paced lifestyle. Nothing is far from true! Stress has been an integral part of human survival since the beginning of time. Stress indeed is an active force which helps us take up the challenges that day to day life throws at us. But, like everything else in this world, Stress, when it passes a certain limit begin to harm our body and mind. Which brings us to the Question

What Is Stress?

Hans Selye defined Stress as "any event which may make demands upon the organism, and set in motion a non-specific bodily response which leads to a variety of temporary or permanent physiological or structural changes"

How Does Stress Affect Our Body?

The above diagram should give a general idea how deep is the effects of Stress on Body.

When does stress occur?

       Imagine our daily life similar to a balance with the resources on one hand and the demands on the other hand. Resources could be internal or external. Internal resources are our intelligence, thought and wisdom and what we have accumulated with these; viz., education, training, love etc. External resources are those which we have gained as a result of good use of the internal resources, our wealth, bank balance, friends and relatives, properties (movable and immovable) and such.     Demands on our mind and body come from different sources, personal, familial, socioeconomic and attitudinal. If there is optimum balance between the demands and resources, the stress is under control. When there is an imbalance, stress starts building up.

How does our body react to stress?

       Psychoneuroimmunology has grown in leaps and bounds during the last decade and our knowledge of response of body to stress is also vast.

       The reaction of body to stress is generally known as the General Adaptation Syndrome:

GAS has three stages:

1. The alarm reaction

2. The stage of Resistance

3. The stage of exhaustion

01.The Stage of Alarm Reaction : This is also known as the 'fight or flight 'response. As soon as our body is faced with a stressful situation, our body explodes with a sudden surge of energy with flooding of hundreds of hormones and chemical activators into the blood stream. We become alert and ready to meet any threat. The main players in this stage are heart, lungs, brain, nervous system and the muscles, all stimulated by the release of hormones. Arousal is initiated by hypothalamus by release of endorphins, the natural painkillers. At the same time, adrenaline is secreted by the adrenal glands. Adrenaline causes palpitations, increased blood pressure and release of vital nutrients. It also causes muscle tension and makes breathing faster and shallower. Nor adrenaline is also secreted, and is associated with positive ecstatic arousal. Another hormone, cortisol, converts glycogen stored in the liver into blood sugar, thus stimulating the brain and whole body with instant energy. In males, the hormone testosterone is released, and provides the required surge of strength. Thyroxin, released by thyroid gland, stimulates the metabolic system and regulates the oxygen consumption. Our digestive system slows down, as blood is diverted to essential organs required to meet the immediate threat

02.The Stage Of Resistance: Once the alarm reaction is established and the immediate threat is faced, the body moves onto a resistance phase, where the bodily functions put on alert are reverted back to a near normal state. The heart rate, respiratory rate and metabolic activities come down to a maintenance level; the body is still ready and alert. More cortisole, thyroxin etc are released to speed up the tissue repair, which may have been damaged during stress.

03. The Stage Of Exhaustion: Emotions such as anger, anxiety and impatience etc are continuous stress stimulators, and without our knowledge, our body is put in (and stays in!) a 'fight' mode. Overdose of adrenaline often cause irritability and uneasiness. Nor adrenaline excess makes us feel disconnected and high. Too much of cortisol will suppress the immune system, making us vulnerable to a host of diseases. Extra sodium is retained, affecting the cardiovascular and excretory systems adversely. Thus our body goes into exhaustion and breakdown due to continuous uncontrolled stress. Emotionally, we are depressed, anxious, disoriented, insecure and frustrated. If this goes on unchecked, family breakdown, mental illness, alcoholism and drug dependency all sets in adding to the already present armamentarium of problems.

Eustress: Good stress, helps us in improving our performance.