About Stress

What Happens in Your Body
What Stress Can Do To You
Warning Signs

What Happens in Your Body                                                                                                                                                Back to Top

Stress is a combination of responses in the body. Virtually all systems (e.g., the heart and blood vessels, the immune system, the lungs, the digestive system, the sensory organs, and brain) are modified to meet perceived danger.

Release of Catecholamines. The HPA system also releases certain neurotransmitters (chemical messengers) called catecholamines, particularly those known as known as dopamine, norepinephrine, and epinephrine (also called adrenaline).
Catecholamines activate an area inside the brain called the amygdala, which triggers emotional responses to stressful events.

What Stress Can Do To You                                                                                                                                                Back to Top

•    Heart Disease
•    Stroke
•    Pain
•    Headaches
•    Memory, Concentration, and Learning Difficulty
•    Susceptibility to Infections
•    Weight Gain
•    Sexual and Reproductive Dysfunction

Heart Disease
Sudden stress increases the pumping action and rate of the heart while causing the arteries to constrict, thereby restricting blood flow to the heart.

Emotional effects of stress alter the heart rhythms, which could pose a risk for serious arrythmias in people with existing heart rhythm disturbances.

Stress causes blood to thicken, increasing the likelihood of an artery-clogging blood clot. It also appears to impair the clearance of fat molecules in the body, raising blood cholesterol levels, at least temporarily. In women, chronic stress may reduce estrogen levels, which are important for cardiac health.

Stroke
A 2001 study has linked, for the first time, a higher risk of stroke in adult Caucasian men and elevated blood pressure during times of stress.

Pain
Chronic pain caused by arthritis (Muscular, Joint Pain and Fibromyalgia) and other conditions may be intensified by stress.

Headaches
Some research suggests that tension-type headache sufferers may actually have some biological predisposition for translating stress into muscle contraction. Gastrointestinal Problems The brain and the intestine are strongly related and mediated by many of the same hormones and nervous system. Prolonged stress can disrupt the digestive system, irritating the large intestine and causing diarrhea, constipation, cramping, and bloating. Excessive production of digestive acids in the stomach may cause a painful burning. This may result in:

•    Heart Disease
•    Stroke
•    Pain

Memory, Concentration, and Learning Difficulty
Effect of Acute Stress on Memory and Concentration- Studies indicate that the immediate effect of acute stress impairs short-term memory, particularly verbal memory. Studies have associated prolonged exposure to cortisol (the major stress hormone) to shrinkage in the hippocampus, the center of memory.

Susceptibility to Infections
Chronic stress appears to blunt the immune response and increase the risk for infections and may even impair a person's response to immunizations. A number of studies have shown that subjects under chronic stress have low white blood cell counts and are vulnerable to colds.

Weight Gain
Stress can have varying effects on eating problems and weight. The release of cortisol, a major stress hormone, appears to promote abdominal fat and may be the primary connection between stress and weight gain.

Sexual and Reproductive Dysfunction
Sexual Function- Stress can lead to diminished sexual desire and, in women, an inability to achieve orgasm. Stress response can also cause temporary impotence in men.
Fertility- Stress may even affect fertility. Stress hormones have an impact on the hypothalamus gland, which produces reproductive hormones

Warning Signs                                                                                                                                                 Back to Top

Emotional:

•    Anxiety
•    Sleep disruption
•    Anger
•    Inability to concentrate
•    Unproductive worry

Physical warning signs include:

•    Stooped posture
•    Sweaty palms
•    Chronic fatigue
•    Weight gain or loss
•    Physical symptoms that your doctor cannot attribute to another condition

Behavioral:

•    Over-reacting
•    Acting on impulse
•    Using alcohol or drugs
•    Withdrawing from relationships
•    Changing jobs often
•    Feeling agitated most of the time