Chronic stress
By Shilo Hebert & Diane Eder
What is stress:
Stress is the physical and emotional response humans have to internal or external events. It is also the body’s natural response to a stressor, which is an internal or external event that puts pressure on the body or mind.
When an internal event (such as an illness) or an external event (such as being yelled at) occurs, it triggers the stress response by disrupting the body’s equilibrium (or homeostasis).
The stress response:
When a stimulus disrupts the body’s equilibrium, the autonomic nervous and endocrine systems are activated. The autonomic nervous and endocrine systems, prepare the body to deal with the disruption and attempt to bring the system back into balance.
When this activation occurs, there are many changes in the body. Some of the changes that occur include: Increased heart and breathing rates, increased mental activity, increased blood flow to muscles, increased secretion of some hormones (mainly cortisol), and stored glucose is released into the blood.
Normal Stress vs. Chronic Stress:
In most cases, the stress response is useful in protecting individuals from harm by preparing the body to counteract the disruptive event caused by the stimulus. In normal circumstances, the stress response is a short-term reaction that is only maintained for as long as the body needs to return itself to equilibrium.
Where the natural stress response becomes a problem is when the stressor is ongoing or prolonged, such as in chronic stress. In this case, the autonomic nervous and endocrine systems remain activated, which causes the body to be in a constant state of activation as well. At first, the body tries to adapt to this new state of constant activation, but eventually it is unable to compe and becomes exhausted.
Why Chronic stress is unhealthy:
When the body is in a constant state of activation, there are many powerful hormones that are being released in order to maintain the state of arousal needed to combat the disruption caused by the stimulus. As this response is meant to be short-term, the negative effects of long-term activation on the mind and body are many.