Every human has had the direct experience of stress, both physically and emotionally. Each of us has an intuitive sense of how stress affects a person, but do we fully understand the effects of stress on health?
Every human has had the direct experience of stress – both physically and emotionally. When we are pushed or poked– by the dentist, by a bully, by a tree branch, we can only tolerate it for a short time before it becomes unbearable. There are forms of torture that entail only one innocent drop of water being administered but one drop at a time over and over again to the same place on your forehead it’s annoying and guaranteed to produce a stressful reaction.
What is the stress reaction?
There will always be arguments about what happens first, the mind or body’s reaction to stressful events. At Partners In Excellence LLC, it is our belief that the two are so closely aligned that which reaction happens first is not what’s important. What is important to pay close attention to is what can be done to handle whatever it is that comes towards you that elicits the stress.
There is the classic explanation of the fight or flight syndrome first written about by Walter Bradford Cannon, M.D. (October 19, 1871 – October 1, 1945) an American physiologist, professor and chairman of the Department of Physiology at Harvard Medical School. He coined the term fight or flight response, and he expanded on Claude Bernard’s concept of homeostasis. He popularized his theories in his book The Wisdom of the Body, first published in 1932. His theory states that animals, including humans, react to threats with a general discharge of the sympathetic nervous system, priming the animal for fighting or fleeing. This response was later recognized as the first stage of a general adaptation syndrome (later written about by Hans Selye) that regulates stress responses among vertebrates and other organisms.
Although it seems a bit complex when first reviewing the information, it is actually quite simple to understand what takes place when we are faced with a stressful situation. We get ready for action, and that action is either to fight or to get the heck out of the way.
The topic of stress is one we can each participate in because of our respective experiences, but it is also an area of scientific inquiry. Physicians and doctors, especially those specializing in psychology, psychiatry, and physiology, have been highly invested in better understanding the effects of stress. They want answers so they can more effectively treat their patients that are affected by stress.
Catecholamine hormones, which include dopamine, norepinephrine, and epinephrine (also known as adrenalin), are produced by the adrenal glands, which are located on top of the kidneys. These hormones are released into the blood during times of physical or emotional stress. When released they facilitate immediate physical reactions associated with the preparation for violent muscular action.
Physical reactions to stress include the following:
- Acceleration of heart and lung action
- Paling or flushing, or alternating between both
- Inhibition of stomach/upper-intestine action to the point where digestion slows or stops General effect on the sphincters of the body
- Constriction of blood vessels in many parts of the body
- Liberation of nutrients (particularly fat and glucose) for muscular action
- Dilation of blood vessels for muscles
- Inhibition of the lacrimal gland (responsible for tear production) and salivation
- Dilation of pupil (mydriasis)
- Relaxation of bladder
- Inhibition of erection
- Auditory exclusion (loss of hearing)
- Tunnel vision (loss of peripheral vision)
- Acceleration of instantaneous reflexes
In additional articles, Dr. Deb Carlin explains the details of each of these physical effects of stress. There is a lot to learn if you want to fully understand the impact of stress on the body. However, you don’t need to learn everything in one sitting — getting an overview of the effects of stress is a great place to start. The important point to remember is that stress causes your body to react in a variety of ways. None of these reactions are negative in isolation, but when they combine and occur in a prolonged fashion it will cause damage to the body, resulting in dis-order and dis-ease.
Please make special note here that those words are written here in a manner consistent with how Dr. Carlin would like for you to begin to re-interpret them both. Sickness is a form of dis-ease, there is nothing comfortable about it. The more we understand about the mind and body interactions, the more intelligent and effective we can be at influencing how we react to situations that may or may not be stressful.
One of the physical reactions to stress we can easily examine further is that of acceleration of the heart. When the heart speeds up blood pressure increases, in isolation this is not harmful because it is a normal set of actions that occur throughout the day. However, when blood pressure is elevated and sustained over time, the organs of the body suffer from overtaxed usage and hypertension is often the result. Hypertension is long known as the silent killer. It increases a person’s chances of suffering from dangerous cardiovascular events such as heart attacks, transient ischemic attacks, and strokes, each of which are unwelcome and create a multitude of problems. If caught before it has done significant damage, hypertension can be normalized when the person learns and uses specific relaxation skills that aide in controlling the mind, reinterpreting stress, and influencing the body to recover from stressful reactions.
There are exercises that each and every person can participate in that will combat the prolonged exposure to stress.
Stress is a natural part of the life experience. If someone tells you to avoid it – politely ask them how that might be possible. We shouldn’t walk into the face of immediate danger, but to completely avoid stress is simply impossible.
At Partners In Excellence LLC, our goal is to guide you and inspire you to get a firm hold of your mind and influence the manner in which you experience the world and interpret events. You don’t need headaches, ulcers, muscular tensions, short tempered explosions, or crying jags. You need, and deserve, happiness, peace and calm. These things emerge from understanding what stress is, what the effects are, and how you can relax in a way that leads to improved health and overall well-being.
Interested in additional information on managing stress? Contact Partners In Excellence LLC today.