American author and speaker Natalie Goldberg has a very good explanation of stress as an ignorant state. According to her, stress believes that everything is an emergency.
Stress manifests when you experience enormous levels of mental or emotional pressure. This emotional or mental pressure produces distress – a damaging psychological state that can affect both your mind and body.
It is not excessive at all to state that stress can kill you. This fact and the near universal presence of stress in daily life do not bode well for the health of people. We recommend you take several moments to take a look at the following statistics which are quite alarming:
– 77% of people face with physical symptoms as the result of stress on a regular basis.
– 73% of people face psychological symptoms as the result of stress on a regular basis.
– 33% of people express their opinion that they live their daily lives with extreme levels of stress.
– 48% of individuals report that they cannot go to sleep at night because they are overstressed.
– 48% of people state the negative influence of stress on their personal and professional life.
Your body has a total of 78 organs which are divided into 13 main organ systems. Five organs are considered to be vital: the heart, brain, liver, kidneys, and lungs. Why do we mention this? Since stress has a negative effect on all of the human organs, especially these five vital organs.
In this article, we take a look at the influence of stress on ten major organ systems. Since we care for your health and wellbeing, we also listed several very effective ways how you can destress your body and mind. So, it is very important that you share this article with all your friends and loved ones, as it may be very useful in their dealing with the consequences of stress.
Read On To Find Out WHAT HAPPENS TO The Human Body When A Person Is OVERSTRESSED:
- CARDIOVASCULAR SYSTEM
Your cardiovascular system includes your heart and blood vessels and is a potentially life-threatening target for chronic stress. Cardiovascular disease is the cause of nearly 610,000 death cases per year in the U.S. – or 1 in every 4 deaths. Experts at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention state that cardiovascular disease is the main cause of death for both genders.
More research studies continue to discover the correlation between cardiovascular disease and stress. The experience of stress, especially when combined with other harmful behaviors such as smoking or alcohol abuse, is believed to drastically raise the risk of this disease.
- NERVOUS SYSTEM
The central division of your nervous system includes your brain and spinal cord. The autonomic nervous system has a direct effect of physical response to stress); which is divided into the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system.
Stress starts, ends, and everything in between, within your brain. It initiates the “fight or flight” response and produces stress hormones which spread throughout your body, resulting in faster heartbeat, increased respiration, dilated blood vessels in the arms, as well as other side effects.
In short, chronic stress does damage to your brain!
- RESPIRATORY ORGANS
The respiratory system encompasses the nose, larynx, bronchi, lungs, pharynx, and the trachea. The brain’s fight or flight response causes a person to breathe harder, sometimes even to the point that a person hyperventilates.
People with chronic stress also face frequent panic attacks – a sudden feeling of disabling and acute anxiety.
- MUSCULOSKELETAL SYSTEM
Our musculoskeletal system consists of the bones, muscles and joints. As we are all privy to, stress causes our body to tense up. In an acute state of stress, such tension is released and everything goes back to normal. However, chronic stress causes your muscles to be in a more or less continuous state of alertness; in such a state, musculoskeletal disorders and chronic painful conditions may occur.
- REPRODUCTIVE ORGANS
The reproductive system of the human body consists of the gonads, accessory organs (like the prostrate and the uterus), genitalia, genital ducts in males and mammary glands.
For both males and females, the reproductive organs are under the influence of the nervous system. For males, their ANS produces testosterone and stimulates the sympathetic nervous system to cause arousal. In females, stress has an adverse effect on many functions including: sexual desire, menstruation, menopause, and premenstrual syndrome.
When you are under stress, your brain releases a hormone called cortisol which, in time, may inhibit the normal function your anatomic reproductive components.
- ENDOCRINE SYSTEM
Your endocrine system encompasses your adrenal glands, pancreas, hypothalamus, parathyroid, pineal and pituitary gland, testes, ovaries, and thymus.
Once again, the brain initiates the release of stress hormones, cortisol and epinephrine, via the hypothalamus. The adrenal glands, which are close to your kidneys, release cortisol and epinephrine, which in turn increases your body’s stress awareness levels.
During this process, your liver produces glucose, which would provide help during the fight or flight mode. But, such excessive blood sugar levels may result in type 2 diabetes in vulnerable groups, including obese people and certain races (for example, Native Americans).
Regulating stress is crucial if you want to maintain normal blood sugar levels and to prevent the risk of diabetes in certain situations.
- INTEGUMENTARY SYSTEM
This system includes your skin, hair and nails. The integumentary system has a vital role in maintaining your body’s equilibrium, such as temperature regulation, protection, biochemical synthesis, sensory reception, and absorption of nutrients.
In order for your integumentary system to have a proper function, you need to maintain other internal systems as well. Stress disrupts the systematic operation of your integumentary system, which can result in reduced blood flow to the skin, inelastic skin, destabilized functions of the glands, and interfere with the tissue restoration.
- DIGESTIVE SYSTEM
The human digestive system consists of two groups of organs: primary (stomach, esophagus, and small and large intestines) and accessory (appendix, pancreas, gallbladder and rectum).
The consumption of more alcohol, nicotine and food, may cause acid reflux or heartburn, which is a frequent issue for people with chronic stress. Stress also raises the sensitivity of the stomach, which can further worsen the aforementioned symptoms.
Chronic stress may cause serious stomach ache, ulcers, as well as other issues like irritable bowel syndrome.
3 WAYS How To Deal With STRESS!
It is vital for you to learn how to properly deal with stress in order to prevent and treat any real or possible health issues. The University of Maryland Medical Center recommends the following 3 effective methods to reduce stress.
– Changes in your lifestyle: stress reduction and positive changes to one’s lifestyle are inseparable. Improving overall health and ability to manage stress is often accomplished through getting regular exercise, eating a well-balanced diet, and avoid excessive consumption of alcohol, caffeine, and tobacco.
– Methods for relaxation: UMMC is an academic institution with an acute focus on relaxation methods and alternative therapies. Some of their recommendations include: acupuncture, deep breathing, meditation, muscle relaxation, massage therapy, and biofeedback.
– Herbal remedies: here we would mention aromatherapy, particularly the use of valerian – a plant with sedative properties, as well as kava – a root that which has amazing effects on reducing stress and anxiety.
Have you tried any of these methods for dealing with stress? Would you recommend any other effective ways to overcome the negative consequences of stress? Be sure to share your thoughts with us!
source : sciencepunch.com
