Stress and Health

                                      Stress and Health 

  Stress is a response to pressure or threat. Under stress, we may feel tense, nervous, or on edge. The stress response is physical, too. Stress triggers a surge of a hormone called adrenaline that temporarily affects the nervous system. 

In medical terms, stress is described as" a physical or psychological stimulus that can produce mental tension or physiological, reaction that may lead to illness". When you are under stress, your adrenal gland releases corticosteroids, which are converted to converted to cortisol in the bloodstream. Cortisol has an immune suppressive effect in your body.

  Stress is born with modern society. Better still it is a real disease whose causes lie in the frenetic rhythm of metropolitan life. On the contrary, the past generation was not under the stress pressure. Hence not always the progress creates advantages. 

  The reason of stress in modern world are different, principally due to the increase of daily activity, The race to money, dissatisfaction, urban traffic, overcrowding, together also influence psychologically men determining a state of stress, Consequently, everyone who lives actively their time is stressed; the children who apparently seems to have not problems, actually assimilate it through their parents. As their parents, children are too busy, not only with school commitments but sport and play activity too. 

 On the contrary, past generation did not have such daily activity. Work hours were greater as distractions were fewer. They spent their time with family. The cities were not overcrowded, no traffic, no pollution, but surely the service were not as today. The man lived in a different way, almost contenting himself of what he had. As result the stress was less, probably one-time life was different and better than nowadays. 

 In conclusion with the passing of time, the things seem to be changed in positive but evidently is not right. In the past there was less stress than today, it is strange but the increase of the activity has raised the stress. 

The Effects of stress on your body: 

   Stress in any change in the environment that requires your body to react and adjust in response. The body reacts to these changes with physical, mental, and emotional responses. 

 Stress is a normal part of life. Many events that happen to you and around you and many things that you do yourself put stress on your body. You can experience good or bad forms of stress from your environment, your body and your thoughts. 

How Does Stress Affects Health???

  The human body is designed to experience stress and react to it. Stress can be positive(eustress) such as a getting a job promotion or being given greater responsibilities keeping us alert and ready to avoid danger. Stress becomes negative(distress) when a person faces continuous challenges without relief or relaxation between challenges. As a result, the person becomes overworked and stress-related tension builds. 

 Distress can lead to physical symptoms including headaches, upset stomach, elevated blood pressure, chest pain, and problems sleeping. Research suggests that stress also can bring on or worsen certain symptoms or diseases. 

    Stress also becomes harmful when people use alcohol, tobacco, or drugs to try to relieve their stress. Unfortunately, instead of relieving the stress and returning the body to a relaxed state, these substances tend to keep the body in a stressed state and cause more problems. Consider the following: 

 Forty-three percent of all adults suffer adverse health effects from stress. 

 Seventy-five percent to 90% of all doctor's office visits are for stress-related ailments and complaints.

  Stress can play a part in problems such as headaches, high blood pressure, heart problems, diabetes, skin condition, asthma, arthritis, depression, and anxiety. 

  The occupational safety and health administration declared stress a hazard of the workplace. Stress costs American industry more than $300 billion annually. 

 The lifetime prevalence of an emotional disorder is more than 50% often due to chronic, untreated stress reaction. 

The Effects of Stress on Your Body: 

  

  You're sitting in traffic, late for an important meeting, watching the minutes tick away. Your hypothalamus, a tiny control tower in your brain, decides to send out the order: Send in the stress hormones! These stress hormones are the same ones that trigger your body's "fight or flight" response. Your heart races, your breath quickens, and your muscles ready for action. This response was designed to protect your body in an emergency by preparing you to react quickly. But when the stress response keeps firing, day after day, it could put your health at serious risk. 

 Stress is a natural physical and mental reaction to life experiences. Everyone expresses stress from time to time. Anything from everyday responsibilities like work and family to serious life events such as a new diagnosis, war or death of a loved one can trigger stress. For immediate, short-term situations, stress can be beneficial to your health. It can help you cope with potentially serious situations. Your body responds to stress by releasing hormones that increase your heart and breathing rates and ready your muscles to respond. Yet if your stress response doesn't stop firing, and these stress levels stay elevated far longer than is necessary for survival, it can take a toll on your health. Chronic stress can cause a variety of symptoms and affect your overall well-being. Symptoms of chronic stress include: 

Irritability, Anxiety, Depression, Headaches, Insomnia. 

Central Nervous and Endocrine Systems: 

 Your central nervous system(CNS) is in charge of your"fight or flight" response. In your 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.If the CNS fails to return to normal, or of the stressor doesn't go away, the response will continue. Chronic stress is also a factor in behaviors such as overeating or not eating enough, alcohol or drug abuse, and social withdrawal.  

Respiratory and Cardiovascular Systems:  

  Stress hormones affect your respiratory and cardiovascular systems. During the stress response, you breath faster in an effort to quickly distribute oxygen-rich blood to your body. If you already have a breathing problem like asthma or emphysema, stress can make it even harder to breathe problem like asthma or emphysema, stress can make it even harder to breathe. Under stress, your heart also pumps faster. Stress hormones cause your blood vessels to constrict and divert more oxygen to your muscles so you'll have more strength to take action. But this also raises your blood pressure. As a result, frequent or chronic stress will make your heart work too hard for too long. When your blood pressure rises, so do your risks for having a stroke or heart attack.  

Digestive System:

  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. This rush of hormones, rapid breathing, and increased heart rate can also upset your digestive system. You're more likely to have heartburn or acid reflux thanks to an increase in stomach acid. Stress doesn't cause ulcers (a bacterium called H.pylori often does) but it can increase your risk for them and cause existing ulcers to act up. Stress can also affect the way food moves through your body, leading to diarrhea or constipation. You might also experience nausea, vomiting, or a stomachache. 

Muscular System: 

  Your muscles tense up to protect themselves from injury when you are stressed. They tend to release again once you relax, But if you are constantly under stress, your muscles may not get the chance to relax. Tight 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. 

Sexuality and Reproductive System: 

 Stress is exhausting for both the body and mind. It' not unusual to lose your desire when you are under constant stress. While short-terms stress may cause men to produce more of the male hormone testosterone levels can begin to drop. This can interfere with sperm production and cause erectile dysfunction or impotence. Chronic stress may also increase 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. 

Immune System: 

   Stress stimulates the immune system, which can be plus for immediate situations. This stimulation can help you avoid infection and heal wounds. But over time. stress hormones will weaken your immune system and reduce your body's response to foreign invaders. People under chronic stress are more susceptible to viral illness like the flu and common cold, as well as other infection. Stress can also increase the time it takes you to recover from an illness or injury. 

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