Introduction
A stressful situation can bring about changes in the body. This change is due to the body's response to either physiological or psychological stress. Stress hormones play a role in such situations. The response is considered a survival mechanism. It helps individuals and other mammals react quickly to life-threatening situations.
What Is the Stress Response?
Stress is a state of worry or mental tension caused by a difficult situation. Everyone faces stressful situations, and the body tends to react to them. A stressful condition may result in heart-pounding, quickened breathing, muscle tension, and sweating. The combined reactions may be called a fight-or-flight response.
Organized or instantaneous hormonal changes and physiological responses help to fight back stress or flee for safety. Some individuals may overreact to day-to-day activities like traffic jams, work pressure, and family difficulties.
Over the years, researchers have discovered stress reactions and their physiological or psychological effects on the body. Time and repeated stress may have a serious impact on the body.
Research has found that repeated stress may cause high blood pressure, promote clogging deposits in the arteries, and cause brain changes that contribute to anxiety, depression, and addiction. Research has suggested that chronic stress may result in obesity either through direct mechanisms (individuals may eat more) or indirectly (disturbance in sleep or exercise).
Chronic stress may lead to many health issues.
These include
-
Diabetes may occur.
-
Occurrence of heart-related diseases.
-
A stroke may occur.
-
Appearance of metabolic syndrome
-
Mental health problems like depression and anxiety.
-
Sleep disturbances like insomnia.
-
Individuals may be susceptible to infections.
-
Skin issues like eczema and acne.
-
Problems with the menstrual cycle.
What Is the Mechanism of Stress Response?
The stress response starts in the brain. When an individual faces danger, the eyes and ears send signals to the amygdala, an area in the brain responsible for emotional processing. The amygdala identifies images and sounds and sends signals to the hypothalamus, which is like a command center. It communicates with other body parts through the autonomous nervous system (ANS).
ANS controls many functions, such as breathing, blood pressure, heartbeat, dilatation or constriction of blood vessels, and small airways called bronchioles. ANS has two components. These include the sympathetic nervous system and the parasympathetic nervous system. The sympathetic nervous system may trigger a fight-or-flight response, providing energy to respond to the danger or stressful situation. The parasympathetic nervous system helps calm the body by providing rest and digesting responses after danger has passed.
When the amygdala sends a signal, the hypothalamus activates the sympathetic nervous system and sends signals through the autonomic nerve to the adrenal glands. As a response, the adrenal glands produce epinephrine hormones (adrenaline) in the bloodstream. This epinephrine hormone changes the body through fast heartbeats, pushing the blood to the muscles, heart, and vital organs. The pulse rate and blood pressure may rise.
The person who is undergoing these may have fast breathing. The small airways of the lungs open wide. The lungs can take as much oxygen as possible due to this action. The extra oxygen is sent to the brain, which can increase alertness. The sight, hearing, and other senses become sharper. The epinephrine may induce blood glucose (sugar), and fat from the stored sites in the body. These nutrients move into the bloodstream and supply energy to all body parts. This reaction occurs very quickly.
After the initial release of epinephrine diminishes, the hypothalamus activates the second component of the stress response. This second system of stress response is called the HPA axis (the Hypothalamic-Pituitary-adrenal axis). It consists of the central nervous system and the endocrine system. This helps adjust the balance of hormones in response to stress.
The HPA axis counts on hormonal signals to keep the sympathetic nervous system depressed. If the brain receives continuous danger signals, the hypothalamus secretes corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH). This hormone reaches the pituitary gland to release adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH). This hormone reaches the adrenal glands and becomes responsible for the release of cortisol. This hormone makes the body excited and alert. The levels of cortisol decrease as the danger passes. The parasympathetic nervous system diminishes the stress response.
How to Overcome Stress Response?
Stress if not handled properly, may lead to problems. There are ways to handle stress properly so that it does not lead to chronic stress.
These include
Relaxation Techniques:
Many techniques, such as
-
Deep abdominal breathing.
-
Box breathing (exhaling, holding the lungs empty, then inhaling, holding the air in the lungs and all to the count of four).
-
Doing exercises that relax muscles.
-
Focusing on soothing words (like peace and calm).
-
Visualizing tranquil scenes.
-
Repeating prayers.
-
Doing yoga and tai chi.
These techniques may be used in conjunction with one another to counter the stress response.
Activities like being creative in reading, writing, drawing, listening to music, playing music, sitting in a quiet place, spending time outside, remembering positive strengths, and watching a funny movie or a TV show may help fight against stress.
Exercises: Being active can help fight stressful situations. Physical activities like walking may help produce endorphins in the body, which help one feel good and fight stress. Exercise can deepen breathing and relieve tension in the muscles. Yoga, tai chi, and qi gong may help combine fluid movements with deep breathing, which may produce calmness.
Social Support: Connecting with people and building a social network helps deal with stressful situations. There are ways to connect to people. These include
-
Talking and spending time with family and friends.
-
Actively participating in groups such as clubs, classes, or volunteering.
-
Taking help from support groups.
Other measures to be taken include
-
Getting good quality sleep for 7-9 hours every night.
-
Keeping engaged with family and friends.
-
Consuming nutritious foods every day.
Conclusion
Everyone experiences stress. However, if it is experienced frequently and for a long period, it may cause health issues. Hence, it becomes important to know about stress, its response in the body, the mechanism of stress response, and how to deal with it. Knowing about stress in detail helps identify the problem as soon as possible. Early diagnosis leads to effective treatment of the condition, which further helps achieve a good quality of life.
