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What is Stress?
Stress is an automatic reflex in the sight of “fight or flight”, which in other words is simply when your body responds to a danger. It acts as a protection mechanism by triggering a variety of chemicals to be released in the body that give you extra strength and energy to protect yourself and react to any danger.
However there are different types of stress, good and bad ones, so it is important to monitor your stress level. If your stress level goes too high, there may be damaging effects on your health, such as high blood pressure, increased risk of heart disease and mental problems. Therefore, next time you feel like your symptoms have worsen or increased, see your GP for ways to help.
Good stress sharpens your senses, gives you extra adrenaline and helps you focus more when studying for exams or during a competitive game. Bad stress has additional signs, making the stress levels higher than usual. This type of stress might shut down your body functions and prevents you from thinking, feeling or reacting.
The Stress Pathways
When you are stressed, two hormones are released from the brain: cortisol and adrenaline. These hormones cause the effects that you experience when you’re stressed, such as increased heart rate, headache and chest pains. The human body has two stress responses: the acute stress response and the chronic stress response.
The acute stress response, also known as the sympathy adrenal medullary ‘SAM’ pathway, is an unexpected and immediate danger response during “fight or flight” events. In this stress response pathway, the sympathetic nerves stimulate the body organs immediately and directly. This results in the “fight or flight” responses, such as increased heart rate and breathing rate, sweating, nausea and so on in order to protect the body. There is also a slow release of adrenaline from the adrenal gland in the kidneys as well to prolong the “fight or flight” response effects. Adrenalin stops when there is no more danger and allows the body to return back to normal.
The other response is the chronic stress response, also known as the hypothalamo pituitary adrenal ‘HPA’ pathway, and this is when stress is experienced for extensive periods of time. In this of response, the hypothalamus in the brain detects this long period of stress and releases CRF (corticotrophin releasing factor) to the pituitary gland via the bloodstream. This triggers ACTH (adrenocorticotropic hormone) to be released into the bloodstream from the pituitary gland to the adrenal cortex in the kidney, which releases corticosteroids, including cortisol. Cortisol is the stress hormone that causes all the stress effects on the body, such as increases blood pressure, weaker immune system and increases heart rate.
What are the Causes of Stress?
There are many different triggers that cause stress levels to go beyond normal comfort ranges and these depend on the person. Everyone have different triggers for stress. Some people worry excessively about their first day of school, whereas some are not affected. All in all, everyone experiences stress differently and it is hard to exactly define your levels of stress.
Events relating to school, work, life changes, relationships and money are some of the common causes of stress for the majority. However, there may be things that you could be making yourself stressful without any other external event. You could be a pessimist: always talking negatively to yourself causing chronic worry. You could be a perfectionist: you have unachievable expectations and narrow thinking.
Stress levels vary from person to person as they depend on past life experiences, emotional awareness, personal relationships and personalities. People with good and healthy relationships with friends and family tend to have lower stress levels as they have a strong support network that they can use when they want to talk about an issue. Having control, preparation and balancing emotions are also important factors to maintaining stress levels at comfort zones.
What are the Symptoms?
Everyone experiences similar symptoms for stress. However the more symptoms you have, the higher your stress levels become. There are many different types of symptoms.
Physical Symptoms
- Increase heart rate
- Chest pains
- Nausea, dizziness
- Diarrhea or constipation
- Frequent colds
- Headache
- Indigestion, heartburn
- Weight loss or gain
Behavioral Symptoms
- Increased or decreased eating
- Altered sleeping patterns
- Increased consumption of alcohol, drugs and cigarettes
- Procrastination
- Isolation
- Nervous habits (e.g. nail biting, teeth grinding, pacing)
Cognitive Symptoms
- Inability to concentrate
- Feeling anxious
- Feeling very pessimistic
Emotional Symptoms
- Feeling agitated and irritable
- Low self esteem and confidence
- Feeling overwhelmed
- Feeling lonely and depressed
Studies have also shown that long-term exposure to stress may lead to serious health consequences and endocrine disorders. Some of these include poor glycemic control, abnormal thyroid functions, obesity, heart disease, digestion problems and gonadal dysfunction. There are also mental consequences, such as anxiety, depression, sleeping problems and lack of memory and concentration.
Dealing with Stress
Lifestyle changes, such as eating a healthy diet, exercising and having good sleeping habits, are key to lowering stress from high levels. However it is important to identify your stress triggers and the symptoms that accompany these, as this will help you manage and deal with stress. Trying simple relaxation techniques and breathing exercises may help you deal with stress immediately.
There are also different types of therapy available for long-term treatment. These include cognitive behavioral therapy, counseling hypnotherapy and neuro-linguistic processing. To find out more about dealing with stress, simply book an appointment with your GP about your concerns.
Sources:
NCBI. 2011. Stress and hormones. Retrieved from: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3079864/
PsychTeacher. Stress pathways. Retrieved from: http://www.psychteacher.co.uk/stress/stress-pathways.html
AnxietyUK.org. Stress. Retrieved from: https://www.anxietyuk.org.uk/get-help-now/anxietyinformation/anxiety-disorders/stress/
HelpGuide.org. Stress symptoms, signs and causes. Retrieved from: http://www.helpguide.org/articles/stress/stress-symptoms-causes-and-effects.htm#what
