Stress is something we all have in common. If you read our blog post, What is Stress?, you’ll know it’s a necessary part of life. In today’s post, we delve a little deeper into what it is so you can start managing it better!

Sources of Stress

Stress comes at us from everywhere: pressures and deadlines at work, problems with loved ones, the need to pay bills and getting ready for the holidays are some of the more obvious sources of stress for people.

Less obvious sources include everyday encounters with crowds, noise, traffic, pain, temperature extremes and even welcomed events, such as starting a new job or the birth of a child.

Overwork, lack of sleep and physical illness put stress on the body. Excessive alcohol consumption and smoking are usually increased as a reaction to stress and yet create more stress for the body.

Some people create their own stress; whether there is anything objectively wrong in their lives or not, they find things to worry about. For such people, stress becomes an addiction.

Some people handle stress well, and it has little impact on their emotional or physical health. Others are negatively influenced by it.

Symptoms Associated with Stress:

• fatigue
• chronic headaches
• irritability
• changes in appetite
• memory loss
• low self-esteem
• withdrawal
• teeth grinding
• cold hands
• high blood pressure
• shallow breathing
• nervous twitches
• lowered sexual drive
• insomnia or other changes in sleep patterns
• and/or gastrointestinal disorders

What Does Stress Do To Us?

Stress creates an excellent breeding ground for illness. Researchers estimate that stress contributes to many major illnesses, and is a common precursor of psychological difficulties, such as anxiety and depression.

Stress is often viewed as a psychological problem, but it has very real physical effects. The body responds to stress with a series of physiological changes that include increased secretion of adrenaline, elevation of blood pressure, acceleration of the heartbeat and greater tension in the muscles.

Digestion also slows or stops, fats and sugars are released from stores in the body, cholesterol levels rise and the composition of the blood changes slightly, making it more prone to clotting. This in turn increases the risk of stroke or heart attack.

Actually, almost all body functions and organs react to stress. Hormones are a big one, especially the adrenals, which are released during stress and have the effect of inhibiting the functioning of disease-fighting white blood cells and suppressing the immune system.

This complex series of physical changes is called the “fight or flight” response and is apparently designed to prepare one to face an immediate danger. Today, most of our stresses are not the result of physical threats, but the body still responds as if they were.

The increased production of adrenal hormones is responsible for most of the symptoms of stress and is also the reason that stress can lead to nutritional deficiencies. Increased adrenaline production causes the body to step up its metabolism of proteins, fats and carbohydrates to quickly produce energy for the body to use.

This response causes the body to excrete amino acids, potassium and phosphorous; to deplete magnesium stored in the muscle tissue; and to store less calcium. It also ages brain cells and builds fat around the body’s midsection.

As a result of all these physical reactions, the body does not absorb nutrients well when it is under stress. The result is that, especially with prolonged or recurrent stress, the body becomes at once deficient in many nutrients and unable to replace them adequately.

Many of the disorders that arise from stress are the result of nutritional deficiencies, especially in B-complex vitamins, which are very important for proper functioning of the nervous system, and of certain electrolytes, which are depleted by the body’s stress response. Stress also promotes the formation of free radicals that can become oxidized and damage body tissues, especially cell membranes.

Now that you know the damaging effects of stress on our body, you can see why it’s important to manage stress. If you missed it, hop back to Part 1 where we list a few ways to beat stress.

And stay tuned to our upcoming post, “10 Unusual Stress Management Tips!”