The Physiological Effects Of Stress – Mind Body Connection

Stress affects us mentally, emotionally, physically and affects people physiology. Physiology is a science. Human physiology has a wide scope that includes the processes that go on within cells; how tissues and organs work; and also how we respond to the environment. Stress doesn't just happen and then disappear. It has a lingering effect on you. It alters your body and your brain. The effect on your brain is analogous to an allergy. Your body becomes sensitized to stress. Then, the slightest hint of a stressful event can trigger a slew of chemical reactions in your brain and body that assault you from within. The danger is that when the brain is sensitized, it re-circuits itself in response to stress.

The physiological effects of stress vary from one individual to another regardless of whether you've yet been sensitized to stress or not. When stress triggers the adrenal glands they manufacture and release the true stress hormones the body is so responsive to adrenal hormones that basic body functions like blood flow and breathing are significantly altered by even minute changes in these chemicals resulting in significant impacts on health. More physiological effects of stress are a sudden surge in blood sugar or heart rate. The problem is the stress system is actually responsible for coordinating much more than just our response to stress. These chemicals and hormones direct everything from the immune system to the cardiovascular system to our behavioral system.

For example, cortisol directly impacts short-term memory. The stress hormones dopamine and epinephrine are also neurotransmitters widely active in enabling communication among brain cells. Stress also alters serotonin pathways which links stress with depression on one hand, aggression on the other. Stress can also affect the organs, immune system, metabolic system, and even the sexual response system. Other "conditions" include irritability, sleeplessness, anxiety, gastric problems, stroke, substance abuse, possibly cancer, sleep disorders, headaches, uncontrollable bouts of crying, skin allergies, acne, altered metabolism, more susceptible to colds and flu, and various body aches. Stress also directly affects a part of the nervous system that controls the glands, heart, digestive system, respiratory system, and skin. If you take more time to learn about the physiological effects of stress you may be able to explore more effective ways to create a wall of deflection. Stress will always be present in our lives but it doesn't have to be life threatening.

Keishla Marie Rios Cardona