"This is all stress": Is it worth running away from stress and what is it fraught with
Lost the ability to enjoy life? This is probably stress. Do you feel tired already in the morning? Also stressful. Hair fall out? All because of stress. Despite the fact that the cause of the first may be a mood disorder, the second - a lack of vitamin D, and the third - a change in the regimen of oral contraceptives, often notorious stress is blamed for all the problems. He is credited with answering all the questions in almost more situations than the "charming intestines." But the reality is not so simple. Stressful overloads can certainly affect a person’s physical and mental health and disrupt the body’s work, causing a whole range of problems, from diarrhea to loss of sexual desire, but their mechanism of action is somewhat more complicated.
Text: Marina Levicheva
What is stress
Last-minute deadlines, a speech in front of a large audience, a quarrel with a loved one - all this, of course, stress (also: acute stress, short-term stress). And while situations can be very different, the same thing happens in the body each time. From the point of view of physiology, stress is a surge of adrenal hormones adrenaline, norepinephrine and cortisol (as well as some others) caused by the reaction of the hypothalamus, the diencephalon region, to external stimuli.
It is worth saying that generally adrenaline, norepinephrine and cortisol are designed to help the body in a “hit or run” situation, that is, potentially life-threatening. So, adrenaline and norepinephrine increase heart rate, increase blood pressure, activate sweating and provide a powerful burst of energy. Cortisol, which you almost certainly heard about the main stress hormone, temporarily increases the release of glucose into the blood, due to which the body further strengthens its energy potential, which is useful just to "beat" or "run." But if fighting or fleeing is not required, hormone levels return to normal after a while.
It is important to understand that life without stress is impossible, because even such things as waking up in the morning or trying not to be late somewhere are accompanied by the release of adrenal hormones, and therefore represent a variant of acute stress. Problems begin when hormonal surges become too much and what happens is called what experts call chronic stress.
Does chronic stress exist
In view of the above, it turns out that the average person’s day consists of many small events involving the release of adrenaline, norepinephrine and cortisol. Is it not chronic stress? Not. This is the most common stress. About as long as the body copes with it effectively.
Experts agree that stress becomes chronic (or long-term) when the body is constantly in a state of physiological arousal. This condition may be associated with one long-term stressor (for example, patient care) or with a large number of short-term stressors that do not leave the vegetative nervous system time to return the main indicators to a state of rest.
Studies show that chronic stress depresses the immune system, increasing the risks of viral and certain other infections, and also contributes to the development of the metabolic syndrome associated with diabetes mellitus, hypertension and obesity. Not to mention the fact that chronic stress is not the best way affects the mental health of a person.
Why do people react to stress differently
Stressful experience is very individual. And if for one person the trigger will only be something really serious, for example, the death of a loved one or a car accident, then for the other - already a broken package or being late for work.
Unfortunately, there is no definitive answer to the question of why one person even reacts acutely to small stressors, while the other holds on to the last. But scientists at least know that there are some gender differences in the reactions. And suggest that some people may be more genetically susceptible to stress.
How stress affects the body and brain
Cardiomyopathy is a disease in which the structure of the heart muscle is disrupted, which can lead to serious complications such as heart failure. In addition to other factors, cardiomyopathy can be caused by severe stress - in this case it is also called broken heart syndrome. By the way, 90% of cases occur in women. In 2017, Chinese scientists found that stress causes and supports inflammatory processes in the body. And given the basis of how many states are inflammation, it becomes clear how destructive it can act.
In addition, stress changes the work of the brain and even its structure. A team of scientists from Yale University found that exposure to stress leads to a decrease in the amount of gray matter in the prefrontal cortex, the area responsible for self-control and emotion. This makes us more vulnerable to further collisions with intense stressors. At the same time, consistently high levels of cortisol appear to be associated with impaired memory and a smaller volume of the brain as a whole.
Is it possible to die from stress
Even a very strong shock does not carry the real risk of instant death if we are talking about a healthy person. On the other hand, a gradual decrease in the functionality of all body systems (what was mentioned above) obviously reduces life expectancy. There is evidence that high levels of stress - but only in combination with a mood disorder - increases the risk of premature death by an impressive 48%. That is, the answer to this question still can not be clearly negative.
Finally, there is cold stress - a critical decrease in body temperature as a result of prolonged exposure to cold temperatures. If you cannot cope with cold stress as quickly as possible, it will create a threat not only to health (hypothermia, frostbite, hypothermia), but also to life.
Stress and cancer
Arguing about stress as a risk factor for cancer, scientists are in no hurry to make assessments and draw conclusions. Despite the fact that chronic stress weakens the body's immune function, which potentially makes us more vulnerable not only to cold and flu viruses, but also to uncontrolled growth of mutant cells, evidence is not enough.
For ethical reasons, experiments with the participation of people here are almost impossible, with the exception of patients with diagnosed cancer who have agreed to be observed. In one such study, it was found that stress provokes a worsening of the condition of patients and leads to a higher level of markers of disease progression in the body. The results of another study suggested that there was some connection between stress at work, provoked by increased inflammatory processes and tumors. Experiments on mice, in turn, have shown that stress can contribute to metastasis. But this is still not enough for the final conclusions.
However, one thing is not questioned by the expert community. Scientists agree that chronic stress can cause habits such as overeating, smoking, and excessive drinking — and their carcinogenic potential has long been proven.
Stress and stomach ulcers
"Do not be nervous, you will earn an ulcer" - everyone heard this phrase. The physiological changes that accompany stress can actually affect the condition of the gastrointestinal tract, causing cramps, heartburn, or nausea, but definitely not peptic ulcer. The main cause of stomach ulcers is Helicobacter pylori; the disease can contribute and regular intake of certain medications.
It can not be excluded that stress can cause the development of more serious intestinal disorders. A 2015 study, for example, suggested that chronic stress could lead to irritable bowel syndrome. Although more research is needed to talk about it for sure.
Do stress management techniques work?
"Effective stress management techniques" sounds like something from Tony Robbins workshop. Nevertheless, stress can be controlled by reducing its negative impact on the body. The first thing to adopt is physical activity, which contributes to the production of endorphins, distracts from problems (what the Mayo Clinic experts call meditation in motion) and improves mood. If you do not work on your own, but in a fitness club, give preference to group classes - according to some sources, they cope with stress a little better. But at the same time, keep in mind that yoga can be as effective as cognitive-behavioral therapy.
Of the less obvious ways to deal with stress, it is impossible not to mention walking in the fresh air. And it's better not in the center of the city, but somewhere closer to nature, which is also able to relieve the accumulated tension. If you have pets, it makes sense to spend more time with them: pet therapy reduces heart rate and blood pressure, that is, copes with the effects of the activity of stress hormones - and even in such a pleasant way.
Does stress have advantages
Despite all of the above, stress can be beneficial. In which cases? For example, in the format of a small daily stress, which the body perceives as a threat to survival, which causes it to adapt to the proposed circumstances, updating the cells and, possibly, increasing the duration of our life. Also, stress, apparently, helps to deal with bad news, adequately processing and assimilating the information received.
And no, stress does not always change the brain for the worse. Scientists from the University of California at Berkeley, for example, are quite confident that short-term stress can “tune” the brain and improve its performance due to the formation of new nerve cells. And if you yourself perceive stress as something positive and motivating, it can contribute to a faster implementation of plans and projects.
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