Stress and Your Body

Stress isn’t only about what happens in your mind. Multiple body systems deal with stress in one way or another. Let’s look at how the major body systems react to stress.

When your nervous system detects stress or fear, a message goes to your brain telling your adrenal glands to release cortisol.You breathe faster, your heart rate increases and your body prepares to conserve its resources. A surge of adrenalin makes you more alert and clear-headed.

Your brain perceives the fearful situation. Through effects of the hypothalamus, pituitary and adrenal glands, cortisol is released contributing to the fight or flight response. Increased cortisol in the bloodstream leads to the secretion of glucose. This supplies your body with the additional energy it needs to deal with the stressful situation.

The digestive system response to stress is varied. You may experience nausea, vomiting or constipation. The system is immediately slowed. This makes more resources available to more vital areas of your body. 

Your cardiovascular system responds to stress by increasing the heart rate and dilating the large blood vessels that go to the heart. Your cardiovascular system handles temporary stress well, but long-term stress can lead to heart arrhthymias and heart attack.

The respiratory system responds with shorter and more shallow breathing. This can result in hyperventilation and fainting.

Over time, your musculoskeletal system responds to stress by losing bone density. In cases of acute stress, the muscles contract. If not allowed to release, there can be severe headaches, visual disturbances, and “knots” in your muscles.

Finally, a woman’s reproductive system responds to long-term stress by suspending menstruation and reducing libido. In men, the stress response causes impotence and decreased sperm production.

Because each of our bodily systems depends on the others, it is vitally important to learn what our stressors are, and work to eliminate them from our lives as much as possible. Since we can’t totally eliminate them, learning relaxation and stress reduction techniques, like meditation and deep breathing, and getting at least twenty minutes of aerobic exercise daily helps control the stress, both short-term and over the long run.

Learn your individual stress triggers. Work in daily techniques to help you deal with those triggers and you will enjoy a happier, healthier life.