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Stress

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Stress

Stress refers to a feeling of physical, emotional, and spiritual tension. It can occur from

occasions that make one feel frustrated and nervous. Stress is bound to happen to everyone in

their lifetime, usually more often than one may think. In most cases, stress is harmful due to the

negative effect it has on people‘s health. However, there are some instances when stress is

essential. Such cases include the stress that one has in an attempt to meet a specific deadline of a

task. Additionally, stress is essential in evading dangers and predators, whereby the body is

triggered to release hormones that prepare the system to face danger.

There are many effects associated with stress, mainly in the way the body responds to

stress. Stress causes a change in the brain and causes damage to body cells. Upon releasing the

cortex stress hormones such as cortisol and epinephrine, they make their way through the blood,

reaching the blood vessels and the heart. Adrenaline causes a rise in the blood pressure that later

exacerbates, resulting in hypertension. Cortisol, on the other hand, causes the endothelium to

function abnormally. This act as the onset of atherosclerosis, making a lot of cholesterol builds

up in the blood vessels (TEDEducation, 2015). This is dangerous since it increases the chances

of stroke and heart attack.

Stress causes the disturbance of the natural rhythmic contractions responsible for moving

food through the gut, consequently resulting in irritable bowel syndrome. This can later generate

an increase in the sensitivity of the gut to acid resulting in heartburn issues. Additionally, stress

affects the composition and the function of the gut bacteria, thus affecting digestion ( Dhabhar,

2014). In this case, the waistline is affected due to a high level of cortisol that makes the body

crave more comfort food which accumulates calories on the belly in the form of fats. Stress also
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affects the functions of the immune cells making the body more susceptible to diseases and

reducing the healing rate.

Some of the ways that can help in avoiding health problems resulting from stress include

learning how to cope with the stress mainly by taking the challenges one is facing as things that

one can handle and manage instead of taking them as threats .Additionally, one should work at a

comfortable pace without overworking themselves. This will consequently lead to better

performance and health maintenance.

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References

Dhabhar, F. S. (2014). Effects of stress on immune function: the good, the bad, and the

beautiful. Immunologic research, 58(2), 193-210.

TEDEducation. (2015, October 22). How stress affects your body - Sharon Horesh

Bergquist. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v-t1Z5-oPtU