Stress helps you meet your daily challenges and motivates you to reach your goals, ultimately making you a smarter, happier, and healthier person. However, when you are stressed, what body reactions or clinical manifestations do you often experience? After studying the endocrine system and the stress response, can you explain how these clinical manifestations occur?
In this world, circumstances always arise to challenge one’s comfort. Despite this, the human body still stands strong — a feat that cannot be achieved without the complex machinations of stress. When there is a perceived threat to oneself — whether that be as mundane as workload or as agitating as dog attacks — the hypothalamus of the brain triggers a stress response (Mayo Clinic, 2021). Generally, stress responses exist to combat the disturbances of equilibrium between an organism and its environment by setting off various combinations of nerve and hormonal signals (Ranabir & Keetu, 2011). With this, each person can experience different manifestations of stress. Here, some people may feel detached from the world while others may exhibit irritability and snappy behavior (Mind, 2021).
Personally, I mainly display restlessness, faster breathing, and a feeling of high body temperature when I face stressful situations. I believe this is because of my body’s fight-or-flight response. According to Abraham (2020), these events that happen when stressed are caused by a surge of adrenaline or epinephrine. Along with norepinephrine, epinephrine strengthens the fight-or-flight response by increasing heart rate and force of contraction, thereby, increasing the output of the heart and, subsequently, blood pressure (Tortora & Derrickson, 2018). On that note, the increased blood pressure here is associated with higher body temperatures. In addition, there occurs an increased blood flow to the heart, liver, skeletal muscles, and adipose tissue; dilation of airways to the lungs; and increased blood levels of glucose and fatty acids (Tortora & Derrickson, 2018). Overall, these processes can entail intense stimulations, which would eventually lead to an augmented restlessness, breathing rate, and body temperature.
After dealing with stress, I also find myself facing a bout of fatigue and a feeling of sickness. Tortora and Derrickson (2018) attribute this to the depletion of bodily resources following the body’s efforts to resist the stressor. Because of the prolonged exposure to high levels of cortisol and other hormones when the body resists stress, there is a certain exhaustion. Specifically, there is a consequent suppression of the immune system, failure of pancreatic beta cells, ulceration of the gastrointestinal tract, and wasting of muscle. Plus, pathological changes can happen because resistance reactions remain even after the stressor has been taken out of the situation.
Overall, the stress response can present itself in a variety of manners due to a variety of reasons. Whether it be minor hassles or major frustrations, our body will always exert its resources to protect itself from discomfort. Ultimately, stress is an inevitable aspect of life. Even though it can be a pervasive force of both bliss and blight, what matters in the end, however, is how we deal with it.
References:
Mayo Clinic. (2021, July 8). Chronic stress puts your health at risk. https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/stress-management/in-depth/stress/art-20046037
Mind. (2021, March). Stress. https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/types-of-mental-health-problems/stress/signs-and-symptoms-of-stress/
Ranabir, S., & Reetu, K. (2011). Stress and hormones. Indian Journal of Endocrinology and Metabolism, 15(1), 18.
Tortora, G. J., & Derrickson, B. H. (2018). Principles of anatomy and physiology. John Wiley & Sons.
