Image via Wikipedia
THE STRESS
RESPONSE(S)
What is “stress”? It’s anything that we (our
minds and/or our bodies) perceive as threatening or significantly uncomfortable.
Our bodies have an automatic, built-in set of systems designed to help us cope
with threats (of all kinds), and this is a very good thing and necessary thing.
But it can also become a source of problems, when stressors are too intense,
too frequent, or too long-lasting.
What happens in our bodies and minds, when we
encounter stressors? There are
numerous processes that become engaged under these circumstances. Some aspects
of our functioning temporarily become over-activated, and others become
under-activated, in order to help us manage the perceived threat.
Here are some excerpts from
the Mayo Clinic (mayoclinic.com) online article about stress and how our bodies
and minds respond to it:
The
stress response, often referred to as the "fight-or-flight" reaction,
is your body's rapid and automatic switch into "high gear." These physical
changes help you deal with a physical threat: You need the energy, speed,
concentration and agility either to protect yourself or to run as fast as
possible.
But
physical threats aren't the only events that trigger the stress response.
Psychological "threats" — such as the stress associated with work,
interpersonal relationships, major life changes, illness or the death of a
loved one — can set off the same alarm system. The less control you have over
these potentially stress-inducing events and the more uncertainty they create,
the more likely you are to feel stressed. Even the typical day-to-day demands
of living can contribute to your body's stress response.
When
you encounter a threat (a stressor), the hypothalamus, a tiny region at the
base of your brain, sets off an alarm system in your body. Through a
combination of nerve and hormonal signals, this system prompts your adrenal
glands, situated atop your kidneys, to release a surge of hormones — the most
abundant being adrenaline and cortisol.
Adrenaline
increases your heart rate, elevates your blood pressure and boosts energy
supplies. Cortisol, the primary stress hormone, increases sugars (glucose) in
the bloodstream, enhances the brain's use of glucose and increases the
availability of substances that repair tissues.
Cortisol
also curbs functions that would be nonessential or detrimental in a
fight-or-flight situation. It alters immune system responses and suppresses the
digestive system, the reproductive system and growth processes.
The
complex alarm system also communicates with regions of the brain that are
involved with changes in mood, motivation and feelings of fearfulness.
The
stress-response system is (normally) self-regulating. It decreases hormone
levels and enables your body to return to normal once a crisis has passed. As
levels of the hormones in your bloodstream decline, your heart rate and blood
pressure return to normal, and other systems resume their regular activities.
However,
many of our modern stressful circumstances, unlike most physical threats, tend
to be prolonged. Consequently, you may be running on the fight-or-flight
reaction longer than it's intended to operate. What's good for your body in a
short-term crisis can be very harmful over long periods.
The
long-term activation of the stress-response system — and the subsequent
overexposure to cortisol and other stress hormones — can disrupt almost all
your body's processes, increasing your risk of obesity, insomnia, digestive
problems, heart disease, depression, memory impairment, physical illnesses and
other complications.
NOTE: this article’s url
is: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/stress/SR00001
The important thing to
remember is that stress, and the stress response, is all about perception. The physiological stress
responses are exactly the same, in all of these situations:
· whether the
threat (stressor) is real or imagined
· whether it comes
from the outside world (a saber-toothed tiger!), or from our minds (memories of
a bad encounter with a saber-toothed tiger) and
· regardless of
whether it is accurately perceived, or exaggerated
Here are some examples of
mentally- and emotionally-generated events that will activate the stress
response:
· Imagined future
events involving threat or failure
· Comparison of an
actual situation with a desired ideal
· Self-criticism,
negative judgments about oneself
· Memories of
distressing events
· Hostility and/or
anger toward others
· Rumination about
negative events, their possible causes and implications
· Chronic pessimism
And here are some examples
of behaviors that will activate the stress response:
· High-fat diet
· Sleep deprivation
· Social isolation
· Smoking
· Alcohol (and
other drug) abuse
· Extreme physical
exercise
· Sedentary
lifestyle
· Hostile behavior
· Social
subordination, or loss of control
Here are some of the
well-researched potential results of chronic, repeated, or severe stressors:
· Depression
· High blood
pressure
· Increased body
fat; diabetes
· Heart disease
· Osteoporosis
· Immune
suppression
· Chronic inflammation
· Auto-immune
disorders (e.g., fibromyalgia, irritable bowel, psoriasis, lupus, asthma,
allergies)
· Cancer
Finding and practicing
ways to effectively manage the stressors within our lives is essential for the
maintenance of our physical and emotional health. Mindfulness meditation has
been a cornerstone of stress management within contemporary health care for (at
least!) 30 years, since Jon Kabat-Zinn developed the Mindfulness-Based Stress
Reduction (MBSR) program at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center.
Since that time, research has repeatedly demonstrated the effectiveness of this
program for reduction and alleviation of stress-related problems.
NOTE: thanks to Willoughby
Britton, PhD, for her excellent presentation: “The Pathophysiology of Stress
and Depression,” at the annual MBSR Research Conference in 2008. I have adapted
some of her materials for this page.
Copyright 2008, Delany
Dean, PhD
