Is Stress A Bad Thing?

Stress Is the body’s way of responding to the hectic lives most of us live, whether good or bad. The body releases chemicals into the bloodstream, which creates a rush of energy and strength If an individual is feeling stressed. This energy can prove useful if an individual is in physical danger. Because it enables a person’s survival instinct kicks in; it is often described as ‘fight or flight.’ In addition, stress can also have a negative effect on the body, for example: suffering from stress and leaving it unchecked can contribute to health problems, such as high blood pressure, heart disease, obesity, and diabetes.

There are three different theories that are used when talking about how we react to stress through the physiological aspect or the psychological aspect. The first is part of the physiological aspect of stress called the Cannon Fight or Flight theory which was proposed in 1914. Fight or Flight response is a physiological stress response that evolved to help organisms to survive immediate danger. The theory states that when an organism, human being or animal, faces imminent danger (acute stressor) the body arouses quickly and is ready to act via two different systems. They are the sympathetic nervous system and the endocrine system. The sympathetic nervous system stimulates the adrenal medulla which is part of the endocrine system and is the region that produces the hormones such as adrenaline and noradrenaline. These hormones increase heart rate, blood flow, and glucose levels to prepare the body for an emergency. This response from the body suggests that the body knows how to protect itself and reach homeostasis. These two systems work together to either fight against the danger or flight away from the danger. Lord, King and Pfister in 1976 studied the Fight or Flight response in animals through a very unethical study. They administered chemicals on male hooded Wistar rats which inhibited the neurotransmitters from functioning normally. This made it very difficult for the rats to escape an electric shock. The results of the study suggest that the Flight or Fight response

When put under stress, both humans and baboons have cortisol and adrenaline found in their blood. These hormones are critical for survival, and other physical changes in the body such as a racing heart, increased blood pressure, and quickly responding muscles are all present when the body is put under stress. However, in regard to humans, these same physical responses can occur when the body is not in a life in death situation. Instead, it is common for psychological stresses such as public speaking, taking a test, paying taxes, or driving a vehicle to invoke the same physiological responses as someone in a critical situation. This can be unhealthy for the human body, as many people can get worked up over multiple stressors in one day,

The fight or flight instinct does not allow time to process anything new. Our brains become focused on the object or event that is causing the body to undergo stress.

Heart rate quickens – more blood (oxygen and nutrients) is needed for running or fighting without stopping.

The fight-or-flight response is a very important reaction of the human body. It can help us decide whether a situation is suitable to fight back or flee for safety. In many ways the fight-or-flight response can be useful in a stressful setting that would be difficult to decide for ourselves. Think of it as a bodyguard, it protects you when your body is faced with a risky situation. Likewise, it can tell your brain if a setting is too dangerous to fight in and would be better to just run. The fight-or-flight response is a real thing and not an excuse to act cowardly in dangerous situations. Studies have proven extensive research done by Walter Cannon on the autonomic nervous system and noticeable side effects such as: the chills, increased

Stress is your body’s way of responding to any kind of demand; it can be caused by both good and bad experiences.

The feeling of being stressed is caused when the body perceives a threat. During this time, the mind relies on reflexes to aid the body in the flight-or-fight response.

Stress is a very common everyday thing. People have stress so much that most of the time they don’t even know how much it’s affecting them. Stress can really affect your body, mind, and behavior. It is a normal response to situations that make you feel upset or threatened in a way. Stress is the body’s way of change. The change can either be good or bad.

“When this response is chronically activated, people can suffer from decreased immunity and other health problems” (Good). Many other health problems can also occur when people have fight or flight constantly. Those who suffer from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) constantly live with the feeling of fight or flight. This can affect how they see normal stress throughout their day. Professionals work with people's mental health trying to allow them a harder trigger into the panic of a stressful situation, so get prescribed medical drugs to remain calm. The hypothalamus is a bit like a command center that controls the brain. It allows the brain to send signals through the nervous system throughout the body.Researcher at Harvard states, “While the amygdala sends a distress signal which can happen during work sudden deadline, or a persistent worry about losing a job can cause a mental shut down in the normal functions” (Harvard). it is most commonly found in humans, but humans are not the only things to use the fight or flight technique, animals and plants also take advantage of this

There are numerous neurological changes occurring in our body as a response to fear. Specifically, two pathways are activated: the sympathetic nervous system and the hypothalamic- pituitary- adrenal pathway. In a similar way, both pathways commence by receiving messages from the hypothalamus, an area of the brain responsible for many functions in the body, such as activating the autonomic nervous system, controlling different organs, and managing physiological functions. If the hypothalamus emits messages that we are facing a threatening situation, it will release different chemicals to either the sympathetic nervous system and the hypothalamic- pituitary- adrenal pathway. This sympathetic nervous system are “nerve fibers of the autonomic

Stress affects the body in many different ways. Many doctors estimate that stress is involved in more than half of all illnesses (Sapolsky, 21). Stress may cause or prolong an illness or increase its severity. Epinephrine and norepinephrine are hormones that are released during a stress reaction that affect organs throughout the body. As a result from the hormones being secreted, the heart begins to beat more rapidly, muscle tension increases, blood pressure raises, and heavy breathing may occur. This reaction is known as the fight-or-flight response. The fight-or-flight response energizes the body to either confront or flee from a threat. Heredity, learning, and injuries all play a role in determining where or when a stress related illness may occur in a particular individual (Sapolsky, 22).

When the sense organs (of hearing or sight) receive the “alarm signal” they instantly pass it to the brain. Then the brain sends messages to the muscles and organs and therefore, muscles contract, often very abruptly. If the state of alertness is prolonged, muscle activity and tension remain high in order to prepare the body of reacting quickly to any subsequent stimuli. In a fight or flight situation, heart rate changes. Furthermore, there are a series of chain reactions. The first thing that happens is that the heart starts to beat faster in order to pump a copious supply of blood to the essential

So what is stress? Stress is a normal physical response that happens when you feel threatened or upset. When you feel that you are in danger whether it is real or imaged. Your body has a response when stress occurs and it is a way of actually protecting you. Many times, stress helps people stay more focussed and energetic.

Long-term activation of this stress-response system can lead to the disruption of almost all of the body’s processes. If this happens, the individual has an increased risk of developing numerous health problems. So, to prevent this from happening, the problem must be nipped in the bud.