In part 2 of this series of posts on Stress, we look at how stress is triggered in the body, the changes that take place and the harm long term stress can have on our health.
The hormone that triggers the fight or flight response is Cortisol, Cortisol is found in every cell of the body. It is made by the adrenal glands which sit at the top of the kidneys, the Adrenal Gland works with the hypothalamus and pituitary gland located in the brain to regulate the levels of cortisol within the body. Cortisol is sometimes referred to as the “stress hormone” but its purpose is so much more than triggering a fight or flight response.
Cortisol helps to regulate blood sugar, maintain blood pressure, fight infection, controls our sleep/wake cycle, maintains our metabolism and controls inflammation amongst other things.
When high levels of cortisol are released in the body to deal with a stressful or threatening situation it causes the following physiological changes.
1) Your heart begins to beat faster to pump oxygenated blood around your system and to get sugar to your muscles for energy. The blood vessels in the digestive area constrict and blood is forced to the brain.
2) Your hearing becomes more acute and your pupils dilate
3) Your breathing increases and your airways dilate as more oxygen enters the blood stream
4) Your alertness increases to help you make decisions
5) The liver increases conversion of glycogen to glucose
6) The skin becomes pale or flushed and sweat glands produce more sweat
7) Kidneys reduce urine creation
All these changes are to ensure the body is primed to deal with the threat.
Once the threat is gone, cortisol levels should return to normal along with blood pressure, breathing and all the other changes. However, if we spend a lot of time in very stressful situations or are constantly reacting to every day events in a heightened way, it can lead to us having high levels of Cortisol almost constantly and long term this can cause irreparable harm to the body and may even cause an adrenal crisis.
Long periods of stress and high cortisol can cause, headaches, memory and concentration problems, digestion problems, high blood pressure, high blood sugars, interfere with our sleep patterns, cause bone damage, depression, obesity and possibly lead to serious disease, like type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke and cushing’s disease, as well as many other serious health issues.
It is therefore important to ensure, where possible, we are able to find ways to deal with every day stress.
In the last of the series of posts on Stress I provide you with practical steps you can take ro ensure you maintain and manage your stress levels.
