Stress is an inevitable part of our daily lives as we constantly face situations and stimuli that may trigger our bodies to respond either pleasantly (eustress) or unpleasantly (distress).
When I am stressed, my alertness and heart rate increase, I have the constant urge to eat (stress eating), feel fatigued, and experience headaches.
After studying the endocrine system, I learned that all these clinical manifestations are the body's homeostatic mechanisms to counteract stress. As a response to stress, our hypothalamus is activated and releases corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH). CRH then signals the pituitary gland to secrete ACTH into the bloodstream. ACTH travels down to the adrenal glands, where it prompts the release of different hormones from different parts of the adrenal glands. It causes the secretion of a class of steroid hormones called glucocorticoids from the cortex – one of these is cortisol, which explains why I experience increased heart rate, constant hunger, headaches, and other responses when stressed.
Reference:
Team, B. A. S. (2021, December 27). How Stress Can Make You Eat More — Or Not At All. Cleveland Clinic Health Essentials. Retrieved from https://health.clevelandclinic.org/how-stress-can-make-you-eat-more-or-not-at-all/
Tortora, G. J., & Derrickson, B. (2017). Principles of Anatomy & Physiology. Fifteenth edition; Wiley Loose-Leaf Print Companion. Hoboken, New Jersey, John Wiley & Sons, Inc.