Don't Let Stress Burn Through Your Health and Well-Being
“Stress” can involve and mean so many different things. Most often, it ultimately refers to the sympathetic nervous system response known as “fight or flight.” When the body perceives a threat, an interconnected surge of neurotransmitters (from the nervous system) and stress hormones (from the endocrine system) triggers widespread effects throughout the body to meet demands. While this was useful in previous times (like saving your life when coming across a lion or bear), the everyday stressors of today bombard our systems, constantly triggering our sympathetic nervous system response. In turn, the persistent triggers can lead to negative effects on many body systems and poorer quality of life.
What happens when the body encounters stress?
Stressful situations, whether they are environmental, physical, or psychological, can trigger a cascade of stress hormones that produce well-orchestrated physiological changes, aka the “fight-or-flight” response.
The stress response begins in the brain
The eyes, ears (or both), emotional processing of a stressful event all send information to the amygdala
Confronting an oncoming car
A looming deadline
Taking an exam
Rushing from one event/task to another
The amygdala then sends a distress signal to the hypothalamus
This area of the brain functions like a command center, communicating with the rest of the body through the autonomic nervous system
the autonomic nervous system controls breathing, blood pressure, heartbeat, and dilation or constriction of key blood vessels and small airways in the lungs (bronchioles)
the ANS contains 2 components:
sympathetic nervous system (gas pedal)
triggers the fight-or-flight response, providing the body with a burst of energy so that it can respond to perceived dangers
parasympathetic nervous system (brake)
promotes the “rest and digest” response that calms the body down after danger has passed
The hypothalamus activates the sympathetic nervous system by sending signals via the autonomic nerves to the adrenal glands
Glands respond by pumping epinephrine (hormone), aka adrenaline, into the bloodstream
Heart beats faster
Blood flow increases to the muscles, heart, and other organs
Blood pressure and pulse rate increase
Airways open and breathing rate increases
Oxygen levels increase
Sight, hearing, and other sense become sharper
Blood sugar (glucose) and fats from temporary storage sites enter the bloodstream and supply energy to all parts of the body
Hypothalamus then activates the second component of the stress response system – the HPA axis
Consists of the hypothalamus, pituitary gland, and the adrenal glands
Relies on a series of hormonal signals to keep the sympathetic nervous system pressed down
Continuous perceived threats leads to release of corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) by the hypothalamus
CRH travels to the pituitary gland and triggers the release of adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH)
ACTH travels to the adrenal glands, prompting them to release cortisol
Once the threat passes, cortisol levels fall, and the parasympathetic nervous system dampens the stress response
Does stress effect the immune system?
Yes! Stress and the immune system have a complex relationship. Your immune system knows when you’re stressed about work, family, finances, or current events.
The immune response to stress is similar to the response to pathogens
Acute stress activates the immune system
Stress activates the immune response and can either increase pro-inflammatory or anti-inflammatory effects via producing inflammatory or anti-inflammatory proteins
Gene expression, cellular transcription factors, immune cell count, immune cell aging (immune cell telomeres) and antibody response are all influenced and activated
Chronic low-level stress keeps the HPA axis activated, and after a while, this influences the body and can contribute to health problems
Stress decreases the body’s lymphocytes – these are the white blood cells that help fight off infection
The lower your lymphocyte level, the more at risk you are for viruses, including the common cold and cold sores
High stress levels over time can lead to higher levels of inflammation
Points to an overworked, over-tired immune system that can’t properly protect you
This is usually due to continuous high levels of cortisol in the blood
Persistent and widespread inflammation due to stress can contribute to chronic diseases
Chronic stress can produce higher-than-normal levels of cortisol (hormone)
This can hamper the body’s anti-inflammatory response and lead to continual infections
Elevated cortisol levels create physiological changes that help to replenish the body’s energy stores that are depleted during the stress response, but they also contribute to the buildup of fat tissue and lead to weight gain
Increased cortisol leads to increased appetite (the increase in appetite is so that people eat more to gain more energy). Increased cortisol also increases the storage of unused nutrients as fat (to help insure there is enough energy in the future).
Can stress be a positive thing?
Encountering stressful situations isn’t always a bad thing. In fact, many people rely on and may even enjoy quick bursts of stress-induced energy. The stress response in humans is ultimately a positive response, as it was put in place for survival. Stress can lead to positive effects in the short-term, including:
Increased brain activity
Expanded airways
Increased heart strength, blood viscosity, and clotting
Increased blood flow to the organs involved in fighting and fleeing
Decreased blood flow to the periphery and the “rest and repair” organs
Produces an inflammatory response which can temporarily help fight off germs and repair wounds quickly
What are the effects of chronic stress?
Stress can affect your entire well-being and factor into a range of diseases. As previously mentioned, the stress response within the body was created as a means of survival, and therefore it was a positive response. However, stress has become such a constant in daily life that the chronic response to these stressors leads to chronic inflammation, and therefore imbalance and disease within the body. This is because modern day stressors don’t generally give you a physical outlet (i.e. sprinting away from a tiger). High intensity, long duration challenges (like inflammatory stimuli) typically cause prolonged responses corresponding with the need to limit immune responses. Chronic stress can lead to more illness, depression, anxiety, and higher levels of inflammation within the body. When we have prolonged inflammation, it can contribute to the development and progression of many diseases of the immune system such as:
Arthritis
Fibromyalgia
Lupus
Psoriasis
Inflammatory bowel disease
Cardiovascular problems
Including a fast heart rate and heart disease
Increased risk for stroke
Higher blood pressure
Gastric ulcers
Increased risk for type 2 diabetes
Increased risk for various cancers
Increased risk for mental decline
Other effects of chronic stress can include:
Cognition and memory issues
Insomnia
Fatigue and/or feeling “wired”
Poor metabolism
Leading to abdominal weight gain and higher blood sugar levels
High cortisol levels
Slower digestion, indigestion, gas, pain, bloating, constipation
Decreased libido and impaired reproductive health and function
Decreased detoxification
Slower, less effective wound healing and reduced connective tissue integrity
Appetite changes (either decreased or increased)
What are some of the big factors of stress today?
Stress varies from person to person, and how people respond to stress varies from person to person as well. There are several types of physical and emotional stress, including:
Being overworked/dissatisfying job/loss of a job
Running late to appointments
Overcommitting to activities (rushing from one thing to the next)
Bereavement
Sleep deprivation
Poor nutrition (stimulating foods like caffeine, processed foods, refined foods, inadequate nutrition, high consumption of acidic foods)
Heat or cold exposure
Persistent pain
Dysfunction in a marriage or within family
Loneliness
Academic pressures
Caregiving
Occasional life-threatening events (slamming on breaks or swerving to avoid a crash)
Poverty or financial stress
Global stress/uncertainty
Critical illness, surgery, and major burns are more clinical categories of stress
What are key takeaways?
The stress response has changed over the years from a life-saving survival mechanism (like meeting a lion in the woods) to a near chronic response from daily activities and experiences. When the stress response is initiated, it also activates the immune response. Acute stress can have beneficial effects in the body and for the immune system, but continuous exposure to stressors can lead to burn out within the immune system and various systems in the body. Chronic stress is one of the major underlying drivers of disease and mental decline. It is important to incorporate activities throughout the day that help relax the mind and body and reduce the initiation of the stress response.
Stay tuned for the next blog post that will cover several actions that you can take to help lower your stress response and reduce risk of chronic stress!
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