The Biology of Stress

Heart Attacks (#1 killer)

 Stress elevates the heart
rate and constructs the
blood vessels, which
results in high blood
pressure
 At artery branch points the
inner lining of the vessel
starts to tare, scar and pit.
 Chronic turning on of stress
response increases the
plaque
 Psychophysiologyical Death
 Wade Davis called it Voodoo
Death when studying Haiti
 Similarly, pointing the bone
is a ritual used by Australian
Aborigines with the intention
of injuring or killing their
enemies.
 Rage, ecstasy, grief and
triumph all have similar
cardiovascular reactions
 Metabolism
 Putting $ in the bank
 Excess of protein, sugars and fat are stored in fat
cells, muscles and liver. Insulin regulates this
process
 Sympathetic response decreases insulin and we
dip into the reserves
 Stress increases the risk of adult onset diabetes,
one of the most common diseases in the west
 Constantly breaking down proteins can cause
muscles to slightly atrophy over time
 Digestion
 Takes huge amounts of energy,
it stops during stress
 Not much appetite during stress
(but some people actually gain
weight when stressed)
 Water is poured into the small
intestine and removed in the
large
 Bowels empty under extreme
stress
 Ulcers
 Peptic (stomach) ulcers can
sometimes arise in just
days if there is an extreme
stressor, but is most likely
formed over time
 Stomach spends a lot of
energy not eating itself.
 In stress, less protective
mucus is secreted. When
digestion resumes, it isn’t
protected at first.
 Growth
 Growth is a “nonessential”
function
 Stress Dwarfism
 Fredrick II of Sicily
 WWII German orphanage
study
 JM Barrie
 Touch helps growth
 Even as adults, the body is
constantly repairing itself
 Sex and Reproduction
Reduces sex drive
Many sexual dysfunctions are a result of
stress and emotion
In women it causes disruption to periods,
can cause fetal asphyxiation
Sympathetic nervous system is in charge of
orgasm
 Immunity
 An artificial rose can
trigger an allergic
response
 Not only does stress
halt immune system,
but it actively
disassembles it
 Israel Yom Kippour
War study
 Rats with tumors put in
stressful situations
 Pain
 Soldiers wounded in war
 Recovery rates higher for
patients with rooms with
views
 Runners high
 Sleep

 Not getting enough sleep is a stressor… stress makes

it hard to sleep (75% of insomnia is caused from a
major stressor)
 Poor sleepers tent to have greater sympathetic
arousal
 Death can result from lack of sleep
 People working nights or swing shifts have higher
stress levels (even if they feel used to it)
 In 1910, the average person slept for 9 hours per
night. Now the average is 7.5
In REM sleep, some parts of the brain are even more active than when you
are awake. The prefrontal cortex is not active, though, which disengages the
“logical” part of the brain.
If you miss a night’s sleep, you will have even more REM sleep the next
night
Being exposed to lots of new information that day is associated with more
REM sleep that night - REM sleep is important in forming memories and
problem solving
Unlike REM sleep, the sympathetic nervous system shuts down during slow
wave sleep. Glutocorticoid and cortisol levels go down. If you deprive
yourself of sleep, these stress hormones actually rise