How Stress affects Your body?

You may have a very important client meeting this evening or a project deadline you need to meet this Saturday. You may be buying a new house and tensed about the EMI’s. The relationship not going well or your savings giving you headaches. There are millions of reasons you may be worried at this point. And all these things lead to one common thing, STRESS.

So what is stress? Is it bad for us? Do we need to worry? How it affects us? Read the article below to find out some interesting answers to these questions.

Stress is our reaction either physically or mentally to our daily life experiences. Each one of you has been stressed in your life from time to time. But does it always harm us? No. Stress is our body’s way to protect us. It helps us respond to threatening situations and keeps us on our toes when we are in danger. Whether the danger is real or imagined, the body’s defences kick start the fight-or-flight mode or the stress response.

The stress response protects us. It helps us stay focused, energetic and alert. It gives us extra strength to defend ourselves and help us during our presentation at work. It sharpens our concentration and drives us one night before the semester paper. But beyond a certain point, it stops being helpful and deteriorates our health, mood, productivity, relationships and our quality of life.

So what happens within our body during stress?

Amygdala, our emotional brain activates the hypothalamus in times of stress, which passes on the alert to the sympathetic nervous system. The adrenal gland is triggered to release adrenaline and cortisol. The adrenaline keeps our body ready to react to perceived danger. It triggers sweating, rapid heartbeat, raises our respiratory rate and prepares our muscles for action. While cortisol increases the release of blood glucose and dopamine to keep the body charged up. Besides, the parasympathetic nervous system communicates with the same organs above to keep their activities in check.

Let us now discuss how our body reacts to stress.

1. Respiratory System

During stress, our respiratory rates increase to distribute more oxygen into the blood and later to different parts of the body. During increased breathing rate or hyperventilation, people prone to asthma or have any other respiratory disease can get asthma or panic attacks.

2. Cardiovascular System

Stress hormones cause the heart to pump at a faster rate so that blood vessels can divert extra oxygen-rich blood into the muscles to get them ready to act in a perceived moment of danger. Due to increased blood flow, the body experiences elevated blood pressure. This is also known as the fight-or-flight response.

In case of acute stress such as sudden applying of brake to save an accident, the heart rate comes to normal pace once the situation has passed. But in the case of chronic stress, the consistent increase in heart rate and the elevated levels of stress hormones can increase the risk for hypertension, heart attack or stroke.

3. Digestive System

Rapid breathing and increased heart rate may upset the digestive system. Heartburn or acid reflux cases have been observed to increase, thanks to the increase in stomach acid. Although stress doesn’t cause ulcers, you may increase the risk of it.

Also, diarrhoea, constipation, nausea, vomiting and stomach aches are some of the side effects of stress.

4. Muscular System

In acute stress, muscles tense to protect from injury and relaxes once the stressful situation pass. But since we are under constant stress, tight muscles for an extended amount of time may cause headaches, back and shoulder aches and body fatigue.

5. Reproductive organs and Sexual desire

Stress extended for a long duration does affect a man’s testosterone level. It not only drops it significantly but may lead to sperm motility and the size and shape of the sperm. The sympathetic nervous system tends to cause arousal while the parasympathetic nervous system tends to relax it. Chronic stress tends to lose your desire since stress is exhausting for both body and mind.

While in women, stress may affect menstruation like irregular menstrual cycles, painful periods and change in cycle lengths. As menopause approaches, there is a rapid fluctuation in hormone levels. Emotional distress may cause even worse anxiety, mood swings and frequent hot flashes.

6. Immune System

Stress has positive effects on the immune system for immediate situations. It helps avoid infections and heal wounds. But as above, stress extended overtime reduce the body’s response to foreign invaders, leading to becoming infection-prone. It not only makes your body susceptible to viral illnesses but also increases the time to recover from illness or injury.

Phew! And I was taking the stress so lightly. Guys, stressful situations will come and no one can deny it. While we may not be in a position to ignore or delay or divert these stressful moments occurring in our life. But we certainly can choose the way we face such circumstances. There are various stress busters out there that will surely help you overcome such phases with ease. But that’s another story for my next post.

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Stay tuned for tips to fight these stressful moments like a Pro. Until then, have a great time. Bye!