The Effect Of Hormones, Cortisol And Its Background, Cellular Physiology, Function, And Function

When stress occurs, our bodies respond by releasing hormones that help our bodies deal with the stress. Catecholamines (epinephrine and norepinephrine) and cortisol are hormones that are major players in the stress response (McCance & Huether, 2010).

Stress is known to negatively impact health. Psychological responses, such as mood, emotion and coping, influence the way we perceive stress and the impact it has on the physiological response (Chida & Hamer, 2008). Past studies have used the hormone cortisol to test the stress response(Dickerson &

Cortisol is also known as the “ The Stress Hormone” and “Public Health Enemy Number One” according to Christopher Bergland (1). Cortisol has its way in our bodies because with too much or to low our bodies will have problems. Even though having too much cortisol in our bodies is bad, it stills an essential part for our body because it influences and regulates many of the changes that occur in the body in response to stress (3).

Cortisol has been shown to have the greatest effect on the health of a person. Cortisol is a hormone released in stressful situations. Cortisol levels in young children have been shown to increase when the child is left in the care of someone they are unfamiliar with and when they attempt to interact or play with large groups of other children. (Turvett 2008) Lack of control in a situation is associated with a lack of recovery of cortisol, which can lead to a range of negative health effects. (Ursin 2004)

Cortisol has a main function, this is to restore homeostasis following exposure to stress (Randall’12, 2011), the effects of cortisol are felt over the entire body and “impact several homeostatic mechanisms. While cortisol’s primary targets are metabolic, it also affects ion transport, the immune response, and even memory” (Randall’12, 2011). Stress even over relatively short periods and in different contexts, “tend to produce similar results: prolonged healing times, reduction in ability to cope with vaccinations, and heightened vulnerability to viral infection. The long-term effects of constant cortisol exposure associated with chronic stress produces further symptoms, including impaired cognition, decreased thyroid function, and accumulation

Firdaus Dhabhar gave a short lecture on August 19th, 2015 about the good effects that stress can have on our lives. I read two papers published by Dr. Dhabhar in the last five years, both concerning his research on the biological response of stress and how this can impact our daily lives as well as how it can be both detrimental and essential to good health. Each paper explored stress, one was more focused on the physical and the other focused on both the physical and the mental. Given my own project this summer, I was especially interested in the paper published by Aschbacher and colleagues in 2013 because they also explored cortisol reactivity to stress. While their project and my project looked at very different things in very different populations it was exciting to read more about cortisol and how people are exploring this hormone’s role in our stress

Our behaviour and emotion are determined by two hormones, testosterone and cortisol. Testosterone determines dominance and assertiveness, while cortisol controls the reactivity to stress. Research done by Cuddy and her team showed that higher levels of testosterone leads to higher self-confidence, whereas lower levels of cortisol leads to a fall in anxiety and an improved de-stress ability (Cuddy, Wilmuth & Carney, 2012). Therefore, research result has established the theory that human can handle stress better if we were to be able to control the hormone level.

The stress hormone that we release when are stressed is called Cortisol. Cortisol is an important hormone in the body and is secreted by the adrenal glands. It is at it’s highest levels in the morning and should only be released in short bursts of time. Cortisol is used within the body to maintain proper glucose metabolism, regulation of blood pressure, release insulin for blood sugar maintenance, immune function, and inflammatory response. Short terms effects of cortisol are small effects are a quick burst of energy for survival reasons, increased memory functions, a burst of increased immunity, lower sensitivity to pain, and helps maintain homeostasis in the body.

The meaning of each person is thinking about the stress is unique. For example, Hans Selye(1936) who is regarded as the stress father of stress. He defines it as “When the body is threatened (Stressor) will cause stress. This may be good and bad. It will change the balance of the body. And the response of the person to the stressor, the response is expressed in terms of non-specific symptoms.”Moreover, Steinberg and Ritzman (1990) defined that “stress has enormous destructive power.” In addition, Skinner (1985) explained stress that “reaction to the

The scientists also claim that there exists a biological sign that forecasts a heart attack.

Positive, or beneficial stress is called eustress. Eustress provides you with the motivation and incentive to perform your daily routines and tasks. For example, stress gives you the motivation to wake up and get up in the morning. That’s a positive thing, right?

The release of glucocorticoids from the adrenal cortices is a major component of the cascade of physiological modifications elicited in response to a perceived stressor.

9 Physiologically stress is when a person’s brain detects a stressor and sends signals to the brain to deal with the stress. The hormone cortisol is released from the adrenal gland in the body after messages are sent from the pituitary gland. The cortisol molecules enter the bloodstream and are transported throughout the blood. Any target cells with the correct glycoproteins bind the cortisol and it prepares the body to deal with stress. This reaction is called the “fight

During states of stress, the endocrine responses in two parallel paths. One path, termed the adrenocortical response, is controlled by the sympathetic nervous system; and the other is the adrenomedullary response which is controlled by the hypothalamus - the part of the brain that triggers the release of different stress hormones - and pituitary gland (Lovallo, 2015; Sarafino & Smith, 2011). In the adrenocortical response, the hypothalamus sends a message to the sympathetic nerves that is mediated by the brain stem, this in turn activates the adrenal medulla which secretes epinephrine (adrenaline) that prepares the body for a fight or flight response (Lovallo, 2015).

I have learned so much about stress process and how it affects health. Stress is how we understand and respond to stressors. I have learned we all appraise our stress and respond to the stressors differently. One important aspect about stress is that it can aid us or hinder us. For example, eustress, which is considered good stress, and distress, is known as bad stress. The process of stress can begin with us experiencing the stressor, then understanding how much control we have over the stressor. This process is explained in detail in the Lazarus model.