STRESS AND ITS EFFECTS ON THE HUMAN BODY

Stress and its Effects on the Human Body

Stress and its Effects on the Human Body

Introduction

Stress is the reaction of the body that requires an adjustment or response. All physical, mental and emotional responses react towards this change. Stress is a normal part of life. This term has spread very fast, making it a fertile field for the exercise of popular psychology, literature, self-help and psychotherapy. Many events going around and many things done by an individual can build stress on the individual's body. The human body is designed to bear the stress. Every change in the lives of affective, family or professional, cause some anxiety, which can degenerate into a stress. Depression after a sudden event or environmental imbalance causes the same effect. Indeed, many factors of modern life stressors can trigger crises - a high workload and responsibilities, traffic chaos, fear, violence, grief, prolonged exposure to light intensity, a very loud sound, financial problems, frustrations loving, loved others.

Experts distinguish two types of stress - the positive and negative. Its essence can be physical, psychological or social. The positive stress is one which keeps us alert or ready to face the danger. However, negative stress is a continuous challenge faced by an individual without relaxation between the challenges. This is why, stress related tension is built on an individual that puts the major effect to its body. When the individual is stressed, the body may react the most diverse ways, depending on the level reached. The pituitary gland, which is located on the front of the brain become active hormones which expels the adrenal glands, which in turn releases cortisol driven into the bloodstream. If this substance is excessive, it may cause removal of white blood cells, responsible for defending the body, so that stress is related to the decrease of immunity in our body, causing numerous diseases. Distressing feelings can stimulate the appearance of disorders such as gastritis, which disappears if the subject is freed from his resentments. Stress becomes more harmful for people addicted to some drugs or alcohol. Although, addiction of such drugs is for the purpose of relieving the stress, but unfortunately these drugs tend to keep bodies in a stressed state resulting in more stress related issues (Rayne, 2008).

Discussion

Stress has a number of adverse effects on the body. These problems mostly include headaches, irritable bowel symptoms, eating disorders, allergies, asthma, diabetes, heart element, frequent colds and fatigue. Everyone is bound to encounter certain stressful situations in some point or the other, but in some people it intensifies and sometimes continues. At high-stress moments, individuals may find themselves breathing faster, feeling short of breath or even hyperventilating (Higher Choice Hypnosis, 2012).

Prolonged stress can also lead to an actual clinical depression and some of the symptoms overlap with symptoms of depression. In addition, the stress at a high risk of high blood pressure can lead to serious cardiovascular diseases. Stress hormones itself increases the risk of atherosclerosis, stroke ...