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?
Stress is something that a myriad of people deals with every day, despite meeting a significant result towards the end of a stressful tribulation, ultimately boosting our positive moods such as happiness. However, stress, at times, can be challenging to handle every day.
Our bodies have various reactions to the stress that we experience. For example, whenever I exercise, my body tends to become sore after a day's worth of workout; I can feel my heart beating rapidly whenever I sprint on the treadmill. Another example would be experiencing much fatigue after dealing with a tremendous academic workload.
When a person experiences stress, cortisol release (the "stress hormone") occurs in the body (Stress Effects on the Body, 2018), including the body's "fight or flight" hormone (adrenaline). In addition, cortisol triggers the release of glucose for quick energy, depending on the type of stress a person experiences.
Adrenaline is a hormone that can enhance our body's blood flow and physical senses during an increased release of cortisol during stress. Additionally, it is essential to note that chronic stress can develop numerous physical and mental health conditions, such as chronic fatigue, diabetes, depression, and even various types of immune disorders (Beware High Levels of Cortisol, the Stress Hormone, n.d.).
Resources:
https://www.premierhealth.com/your-health/articles/women-wisdom-wellness-/beware-high-levels-of-cortisol-the-stress-hormone#:~:text=Anxiety%20or%20depression,regular%20ovulation%20or%20menstrual%20periods
Stress effects on the body. (2018, November 1). American Psychological Association. Retrieved October 14, 2022, from https://www.apa.org/topics/stress/body