The Mind-Body Connection: How Stress Impacts Physical Health
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Stress is a biological response to a perceived threat. It’s caused by chemicals and hormones surging throughout one’s body. It can help respond to a particular problem, but too much can harm one’s health. Stress triggers a fight-or-flight response to fight the stressor or run away from it. Typically, after the response occurs, the body should relax. Too much constant stress can have negative effects. The stress should be temporary and be considered a fine line, if it continues, it may become chronic and a source of serious medical complications. Once the fight-or-flight moment is passed, heart rate and breathing should slow down and muscles should relax. In a short time, the body should return to its natural state without any lasting negative effects. On the other hand, severe, frequent, or prolonged stress can be mentally and physically harmful.[1]
Different Stages Of Stress
Stress is a normal biological reaction to a potentially dangerous situation. When one encounters sudden stress, the brain floods the whole body with chemicals and hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol. That gets the heart beating faster and sends blood to muscles and important organs. One feels energized and has heightened awareness so he/she can focus on immediate needs.[1]
PIcture Credit: Walking Waves
When one senses danger, the hypothalamus at the base of the brain reacts. It sends nerve and hormone signals to adrenal glands, which release an abundance of hormones. These hormones are nature’s way of preparing one to face danger and increase chances of survival. One of these hormones is adrenaline also known as epinephrine, or the fight-or-flight hormone. Although adrenaline is important, it isn’t the primary stress hormone. That’s cortisol.[2]
Adrenaline works to increase heartbeat, increase breathing rate, make it easier for muscles to use glucose, contract blood vessels so blood is directed to the muscles, stimulate perspiration, and inhibit insulin production. These are the positive effects.
The negative effects of adrenaline are damage to blood vessels, high blood pressure, or hypertension, a higher risk of heart attack and stroke headaches, anxiety, insomnia, and weight gain.
Cortisol, on the other hand, as the main stress hormone, plays an essential role in stressful situations. [2]. It raises the amount of glucose in the bloodstream, helps the brain use glucose more effectively, raises the accessibility of substances that help with tissue repair, restrains functions that are nonessential in a life-threatening situation, alters immune system response, and dampens the reproductive system and growth process. However, when cortisol levels stay high for too long it leads to high blood pressure, sleep problems, lack of energy, weight gain, type 2 diabetes, osteoporosis, mental cloudiness (brain fog) and memory problems, and a weakened immune system.
Types of stress: There are several types of stress, including:[3]
1. Acute Stress:
Acute stress happens to everyone. It’s the body’s immediate reaction to a new and challenging situation. It’s the kind of stress one might feel when he/she narrowly escapes a car accident. It can also come out of something that one enjoys. It’s the somewhat-frightening, yet thrilling feeling one gets on a roller coaster or when skiing down a steep mountain slope. These incidents of acute stress don’t normally do any harm. They might even be good for some. Stressful situations give the body and brain practice in developing the best response to future stressful situations. Once the danger passes, the body systems should return to normal. Severe acute stress, such as when one has faced a life-threatening situation, can lead to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or other mental health problems.
2. Episodic Acute Stress:
Episodic acute stress is when one has frequent episodes of acute stress. This might happen if one is often anxious and worried about things, he/she suspects may happen. They might feel that their life is chaotic and seemingly go from one crisis to the next. Certain professions, such as law enforcement or firefighters, might also lead to frequent high-stress situations. As with severe acute stress, episodic acute stress can affect one’s physical health and mental well-being.
Chronic Stress
When one has high-stress levels for an extended period, he/she may have chronic stress. Long-term stress like this can harm health. It may contribute to anxiety, cardiovascular disease, depression, high blood pressure, and a weakened immune system. Chronic stress can also lead to frequent ailments such as headaches, an upset stomach, and sleep difficulties.
Causes Of Stress:
Some typical causes of acute or chronic stress include:[4], living through a natural or manmade disaster, living with a chronic illness/ a surgical procedure, surviving a life-threatening accident or illness, being the victim of a crime, experiencing familial stressors such as an abusive relationship, an unhappy marriage, prolonged divorce proceedings, child custody issues, caregiving for a loved one with a chronic illness like dementia, living in poverty or being homeless, working in a dangerous profession, military deployment, having little work-life balance, working long hours, or having a job one hates, There can be other personal, emotional, and traumatic causes of stress. Whatever the cause, the effect on the body can be serious if left unmanaged.
Whatever the cause of stress is, the effect on the body can be serious if left unmanaged.
Symptoms/Signs Of Stress
Just as one has different things that stress out, the symptoms can also be different. One might feel overwhelmed, irritable, or fearful. Whether one is aware of it or not, he/she may be drinking or smoking more than she used to. Elevated cortisol levels can break down collagen and elastin, proteins essential for maintaining one’s skin's health. This leads to premature aging with signs such as wrinkles and fine lines. Stress causes changes to the proteins in the skin and reduces its elasticity. This loss of elasticity can contribute to wrinkle formation. Stress may also lead to repeated furrowing of one’s brow which may also contribute to the formation of wrinkles.[6]
Some things one may experience if under stress: chronic pain, insomnia, and other sleep problems, lower sex drive, digestive problems/ stress ulcer/stress eating, eating too much or too little, fatigue, mild to moderate dull head pain, a band of pressure around the forehead, tenderness of the scalp and forehead, difficulty concentrating and making decisions.
Stress Management: Ways to Avoid Burnout
Stress and anxiety can be treated. Many strategies and resources can help both. The human body system needs to maintain a balance between work and rest. This has become difficult in current working conditions and prevailing environments. There needs to be a balance between one’s physiological, biological, and sociological parts of living.
The goal of stress management isn’t to get rid of it completely. It’s not only impossible, but stress can be healthy in some situations.
To manage stress first, one has to
· Identify the things that cause stress — or triggers. Figure out which of these things can be avoided. Then,
· Find ways to cope with those negative stressors that can’t be avoided. Over time, managing stress levels may help lower the risk for stress-related diseases. And it’ll help one feel better daily, too.
· Meditation. One must take time to calm the racing mind. With the constant influx of information, it is easy for one’s mind to race 100 miles a minute...a second! To accomplish anything, one must first master the mind.
· Set Limits: One can indulge in movie-watching and snacky-snacking but within limits.
· Let Friends/Family Members Help. Talking to a friend, family member, or mental health professional helps many people deal with stress. A problem shared is half-solved.
· Set Clear And Realistic Goals. One must monitor his/her productivity by taking some time to walk so that one can feel and think before act or before taking the next job. Do one thing at a time to avoid feeling overwhelmed.
· Get Outside. Nature is beautiful.
· Schedule time for relaxing activities. If one feels overwhelmed by a busy schedule spare time for activities that make one feel relaxed and help reduce stress.
· Maintain good lifestyle habits. Continuing to eat a healthy diet as well as getting plenty of sleep will help one’s body better manage stress.
Stay active. Exercise can help lower levels of stress hormones and give some time to take mind off the cause of stress.
· Avoid drugs and alcohol. Persistent use of drugs, caffeine, and alcohol can cause additional problems to stress so curtail or avoid them.
If one’s stress or anxiety does not respond to these simple management techniques, or if one feels that either stress or anxiety is affecting his/her day-to-day functioning or mood, consider talking to a mental health professional who can help understand what one is experiencing and provide additional coping tools. For example, a psychologist can help determine whether one may have an anxiety disorder. Anxiety disorders differ from short-term feelings of stress in their severity and in how long they last: The anxiety typically persists for months and negatively affects mood and functioning.[9]
Anxiety disorders can be treated with psychotherapy, medication, or a combination of the two. One of the most widely used therapeutic approaches is cognitive behavioral therapy, which focuses on changing maladaptive thought patterns related to anxiety. Another potential treatment is exposure therapy, which involves confronting anxiety triggers in a safe, controlled way to break the cycle of fear around the trigger. [9]
A widely used definition of stressful situations is one in which the demands of the situation threaten to exceed the resources of the individual. People are exposed to stressful situations at the societal, community, and interpersonal levels. How they meet these challenges will tell about the health of society and themselves. Acute stress responses in young, healthy individuals may be adaptive and typically do not impose a health burden. Indeed, individuals who are optimistic and have good coping responses may benefit from such experiences and do well in dealing with chronic stressors. In contrast, if stressors are too strong and too persistent in individuals who are biologically vulnerable because of age, genetic, or constitutional factors, stressors may lead to disease. This is particularly the case if the person has few psychosocial resources and poor coping skills. Psychosocial stressors influence mental health and psychosocial treatments may ameliorate both mental and physical disorders. Scientific findings being made in the areas of cognitive-emotional psychology, molecular biology, neuroscience, clinical psychology, and medicine will undoubtedly lead to improved health outcomes.
References
5 things you should know about stress. (n.d.). https:// www.nimh.nih.gov /health/publications/stress/index.shtml
Hargreaves KM. Neuroendocrine markers of stress. Anesth Prog. 1990;37:99–105
Freshwater, S. (2018). 3 Types of Stress and Health Hazards. Retrieved February 23, 2021 from spacioustherapy.com
American Psychological Association: "Mind/Body Health: Stress."Orth-Gomer, K. The Journal of the American Medical Association; 2000.Orth-Gomer, K. Circulation, 2009.
Conway TL, Vickers RR, Ward HW, Rahe RH. Occupational stress and variation in cigarette, coffee and alcohol consumption. J. Health Soc. Behav. 1981;22:156–165.
Yaribeygi, Habib, Yunes Panahi, Hedayat Sahraei, Thomas P. Johnston, and Amirhossein Sahebkar. “The Impact of Stress on Body Function: A Review.” EXCLI Journal16 (July 21, 2017): 1057–72.
McEwen, Bruce, and Robert Sapolsky. “Stress and Your Health.” The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism 91, no. 2 (February 1, 2006): E2.
National Ag Safety Database: "Stress Management for the Health of It."National Women's Health Information Center: "Stress and Your Health."American Psychological Association: "Stress in America."
Goudreau, Jenna. Forbes.12 Ways To Eliminate Stress At Work. Accessed November 5, 2018. https://www.forbes.com/sites/jennagoudreau/2013/03/20/12-ways-to-eliminate-stress-at-work/#9bc042e7f290