Emily Rowe
Dr Dwyer
English 1301
30 October 2018
When You are Your Own Nervous System
You are stuck in traffic, late for work or class, watching the seconds turn into minutes. Your hypothalamus, the control tower in the brain, chooses to relay the order: Deploy the stress hormones. These stress hormones are what trigger the body's “fight or flight” response. Your heart and breathing quicken, and your muscles tense, ready for combat. This response was created to protect you from danger by preparing you to react. However, when this response continues, day after day with no external threats, it could put your health at risk.
Stress is a natural physical and mental reaction to external effects. Everyone experiences stress differently. Anything from everyday duties like their job and family to severe life events such as sickness, war, or the death of a loved one can produce stress. For quick, short-term conditions, stress can be beneficial to your health. It can help you cope with potentially pressing situations. Your body reacts to stress by releasing hormones that raise your heart and breathing rates and ready your muscles to respond.
According to Shawna Freshwater, Ph.D.'s article "3 Types of Health and Health Hazards" There are three different types of stress, for example, acute stress, episodic acute stress, and chronic stress. Everyone experiences acute stress as it is the body’s instantaneous response to a new and challenging situation. This is the kind of stress you may feel if you almost got into a car accident. However, Acute stress can also be triggered by something you enjoy, like that thrill you experience when on a roller coaster or bungee jumping 100 feet off a bridge. Typically acute stress does not do any harm to the body, it may even be good for it. Stress-inducing situations give your brain and body practice in producing the best way to apply a response to stressful situations later on.
Per Ann Pietrangelo and Stephanie Watson's article on "Effects of Stress on Your Body" Severe acute stress is another story. This kind of stress is triggered when you have suffered a life-threatening situation and can lead to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or additional mental health issues. Episodic acute stress is when you have recurring episodes of acute stress. This may occur if you feel constant anxiety about things you suspect may happen in the future. You may think that your life is a catastrophe and you go straight from one crisis to the next. As with severe acute stress, episodic acute stress can harm your physical and mental well-being.
"When you have high-stress levels for an elongated span of time, you have chronic stress," Dr. Freshwater says. "Which can be damaging to your health." Anxiety, cardiovascular disease, depression, high blood pressure, a weakened immune system are all examples of its effects on your mind and body. "Chronic stress can also lead to various ailments, including headaches, stomach pain, and problems sleeping."
Your central nervous system (CNS) controls the “fight or flight” response. According to Dr. Timothy J. Legg article "Basics of Stress" Inside the brain, "…The hypothalamus gets the ball rolling, telling your adrenal glands to release the stress hormones adrenaline and cortisol. These hormones rev up your heartbeat and send blood rushing to the areas that need it most in an emergency, such as your muscles, heart, and other important organs. When the perceived fear is gone, the hypothalamus should tell all systems to go back to normal." However, if the CNS does not revert back to normal, the response will continue. Chronic stress is also a part of behaviors like eating disorders, alcohol or drug abuse, and social withdrawal.
Stress hormones also take a toll on your respiratory and cardiovascular systems. According to the American Psychological Association, "While the stress response is occurring, your breathing quickens in an effort to distribute more oxygen and blood to your body. If you already have breathing conditions like asthma or emphysema, stress can increase those effects and make it harder to breathe." Your heart also beats rapidly. Under stress, your blood vessels tighten and avert more oxygen to your muscles to give them the strength in preparation for action. Although, this also increases your blood pressure, which puts you at a greater risk of having a stroke or heart attack.
Your digestive system can also be harmed. Pietrangelo and Watson state "Under stress, your liver produces extra blood sugar (glucose) to give you a boost of energy. If you’re under chronic stress, your body may not be able to keep up with this extra glucose surge. Chronic stress may increase your risk of developing type 2 diabetes." The number of hormones, accelerated breathing, and raised heart rate can also cause disruption within the digestive system. Heartburn or acid reflux is common due to an increase in stomach acid. Stress may change the way food moves in your body, leading to diarrhea or constipation, nausea, vomiting, or stomach ache are also common.
As mentioned in the introduction, under stress, muscles tense up to protect you and your body from getting injured. They typically relax at the same time you relax, however, if you’re always stressed, your muscles will continue to tighten. Pietrangelo and Watson state "Tense muscles cause headaches, back and shoulder pain, and body aches. Over time, this can set off an unhealthy cycle as you stop exercising and turn to pain medication for relief."
Due to the toll stress takes on your body and mind, it is common to lose sex drive. While acute stress may cause the production of a larger number of testosterone in men, the effect fails to last. If a man is continually stressed, his testosterone levels will begin to plummet causing sperm production to decrease resulting in erectile dysfunction. The Healthline Editorial Team wrote that "…chronic stress increases the risk of infection for male reproductive organs like the prostate and testes. For women, stress can affect the menstrual cycle. It can lead to irregular, heavier, or more painful periods. Chronic stress can also magnify the physical symptoms of menopause."
Stress incites your immune system, in critical situations, this can be beneficial as it may prevent infections and help you heal quicker. However, stress hormones can impair your immune system over time, making your body more vulnerable to foreign invaders. Pietrangelo and Watson wrote "People under chronic stress are more susceptible to viral illnesses like the flu and the common cold, as well as other infections. Stress can also increase the time it takes you to recover from an illness or injury."
With all the negatives, there are ways to prevent or reduce them with stress management tips. However, to manage stress, you need to know what is causing it
According to the Mayo Clinic Staff, Some examples of causes of acute or chronic stress include: living through a disaster Natural or manmade), living with chronic illness, surviving a life-threatening accident or illness, or being the victim of a crime.
Experiencing familial stressors such as an abusive relationship, an unhappy marriage, prolonged divorce proceedings or child custody issues, caregiving for a loved one with a chronic illness, living in poverty or being homeless, employed in a dangerous profession or military deployment, hating your job, having little to no work-life balance with long hours are also causes of high stress.
There’s no limit to the experiences or issues that can cause a person stress because of their diversity. Whatever the cause, the effect on the body can be serious if left unmanaged.
However, The purpose of stress management isn’t to get rid of it entirely. It’s not only impossible but, as mentioned in the beginning, stress can be healthy in some circumstances. According to an article written by Psychology Today, "In order to manage your stress, first, you have to identify or your stress triggers and which of those things can be avoided. For the ones that can not, figure out ways to cope with those negativities." Over time, managing those stressors may help lower your risk for stress-related diseases while helping you feel better on a day-to-day basis.
Here are some basic ways to start managing stress from The Anxiety and Depression Association of America: first, maintain a healthy diet, try to get 7-8 hours of sleep each night, exercise regularly, limit your use of caffeine and alcohol and drink water instead, stay socially connected to friends and family so you can get and give support, make time for relaxation and self-care. Finally, The ADAA states meditation techniques such as deep breathing are the bases of the reduction of stress.
Dr. Legg warns "If your stress comes across as unmanageable or seems to be accompanied by anxiety or depression, see your doctor right away." These illnesses can be managed with treatment from a mental health professional in severe cases.
Works Cited
Mayo Clinic Staff. “How Stress Affects Your Body and Behavior.” Mayo Clinic, Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, 28 Apr. 2016, www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/stress-management/in-depth/stress-symptoms/art-20050987.
Ann Pietrangelo and Stephanie Watson. “The Effects of Stress on Your Body.” Healthline, Healthline Media, 5 June 2017, www.healthline.com/health/stress/effects-on-body#1.
Legg, Timothy J., PhD, CRNP. “The Basics of Stress” Healthline, Healthline Media, June 1, 2018, https://www.healthline.com/health/stress.
Ph.D. Freshwater, Shawna. “3 Types of Stress and Health Hazards.” Spacious Therapy, 18 Jan. 2018, spacioustherapy.com/3-types-stress-health-hazards/.
Steve Tovian, PhD, Beverly Thorn, PhD, Helen Coons, PhD, Susan Labott, PhD, Matthew Burg, PhD, Richard Surwit, PhD, and Daniel Bruns, PsyD. “Stress Effects on the Body.” American Psychological Association, 2018, www.apa.org/helpcenter/stress-body.aspx.
“Tips to Manage Anxiety and Stress.” Anxiety and Depression Association of America, ADAA, 2017, adaa.org/tips-manage-anxiety-and-stress.
Esposito, Linda. “What to Do When Your Anxiety Won't Go Away.” Psychology Today, Sussex Publishers, 18 May 2015, www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/anxiety-zen/201505/what-do-when-your-anxiety-won-t-go-away.