Bad Effects Of Stress On Our Body

Your body is designed to respond to stress in a way that protects you from predators and other intruder threats. 

Such threats are rare these days, but that doesn't mean life is stress-free. On the contrary, you probably face many demands every day, such as taking on a huge workload, paying bills, and taking care of your family. 

Your body treats these so-called minor problems as threats. As a result, you may feel constantly under attack. But you can fight back. 

 

You don't have to let stress rule your life.

Understanding the natural stress response

When you're faced with a perceived threat - like a large dog barking at you on your morning

walk - your hypothalamus, a small region in your brain, sets off an alarm system in your body. Through a combination of nerve and hormonal signals, this system prompts the adrenal glands, located above the kidneys, to release an increase in hormones, including adrenaline and cortisol. 

Adrenaline increases heart rate, increases blood pressure, and increases energy consumption. Cortisol, the main stress hormone, increases sugars (glucose) in the bloodstream, increases the brain's use of glucose, and increases the availability of tissue-repairing substances. Cortisol also limits activities that would be unnecessary or harmful in fight-or-flight. It alters immune system responses and interferes with digestion, reproduction, and growth processes. This complex natural alarm system also interacts with areas of the brain that control mood, motivation, and fear.

Wild Stress Response

The body's stress response system is usually self-regulating. Once the perceived threat ends, hormone levels return to normal.

 

As adrenaline and cortisol levels decrease, your heart rate and blood pressure return to baseline and other systems resume normal functioning. But when stressors are always present and you constantly feel under attack, this fight-or-flight response remains active. Prolonged activation of the stress response system and the resulting overexposure to cortisol and other stress hormones can disrupt almost every process in your body.

 

This increases the risk of several health problems, including: anxiety Depression Indigestion Headache Muscle tension and pain Heart disease, heart attack, high blood pressure and stroke Sleep disorders Gaining weight Loss of memory and concentration That's why it's so important to learn healthy ways to deal with stresses in your life.