Stress is a process of internal changes in body systems in response to any strong or prolonged exposure to the environment.
Physiology of stress
The influences causing stress are called stressors or stress factors. Stressors are different: external (wind, cold, heat) and internal (emotions, hunger, thirst, pain). The impact of a stressor triggers a chain of stress reactions, that is, it gives rise to stress.
Stress develops according to the scheme: anxiety-adaptation-exhaustion.
Anxiety is the first reaction of the body to some kind of impact. The state of anxiety is provided by the autonomic nervous system (specifically, the sympathetic division of the autonomic nervous system), that is, that part of the nervous system that we are not able to control. This system responds instantly to any change in the environment. The greater the change, the stronger and more complex the reaction.
The autonomic nervous system is the body’s bell. It is she who is entirely responsible for any process of adaptation: the expansion of the pupils in the dark, narrowing in bright light, she ensures the withdrawal of the hand from the hot frying pan, in general, it protects the body as best it can.
Anxiety reaction
Having received information that something has changed somewhere, the vegetative system, not yet knowing what has changed and how it will be evaluated, is already preparing resources to respond to the environment. Any reaction, whether positive or negative, needs energy. Accordingly, the vegetative system triggers a reaction to increase metabolism, the supply of oxygen to vital organs, including the brain, increases. This is where the action of the nervous system ends.
The vegetative system did its job: it informed the body about the changes, made preliminary preparations. It takes her a fraction of a second.
Among others, the vegetative system wakes up the endocrine system, that is, the system that regulates the processes in the body through hormones. It is this system that carries out further actions. The endocrine system, awakened by the vegetative system, saves the changes that have taken place in the body. by secreting the hormone adrenaline. This hormone is secreted by the adrenal glands into the blood. Adrenaline supports the changes made by the autonomic system. this is a reaction of medium duration — from a few seconds to 10-15 minutes.
At this, the alarm reaction ends and turns into an adaptation reaction.
If the impact of the environment is weak, then the anxiety reaction can develop slowly, over several hours or even days.
If, for example, you get lost in an unfamiliar city and look for your way for an hour, stress will not develop, but if you cannot find your way for three hours, the experience will be different.
adaptation reaction
This is the longest stage of stress. This is a chain of changes, it occurs with the participation of the brain (specifically, the hypothalamus). All actions are aimed at adapting to environmental conditions. At this stage, such changes occur as an increase in blood glucose (providing an increased supply of energy), an increase in the number of cellular structures that synthesize energy, and so on. The reaction of adaptation can be long or not, it all depends on the state of the body and the strength and duration of the stressor.
The reaction of adaptation has two outcomes: either the body adapts to new conditions and lives on, or the body’s strength comes to an end and then the stage of exhaustion begins.
Exhaustion reaction
The exhaustion reaction is a period of stress development, when the body’s forces are no longer able to withstand the effects of the stressor and the body begins to slowly die. The first to suffer is the immune system, the digestive system. If the stress factor does not stop, the body dies.
These are facts, but there are facts and others. Other facts suggest that people today tend to see stress where it does not exist at all, and stress is spoken primarily by those who cannot and do not want to take responsibility for coping with elementary difficulties. Getting yourself to work is already called stress. To hear the remark that at work they are busy with extraneous matters is already a terrible stress … Knowing the physiology of stress is useful, but it is even more useful to remember the illness of first-year medical students who begin to study diseases and suddenly discover all the diseases in themselves. In summary: do not stress yourself, do not scare yourself: nothing threatens you personally. Lead a healthy lifestyle, teach yourself to think about business, take care of loved ones, live in a positive mode — and you will not be afraid of any stress.
Joy to you!