Stress
Everyone - adults, teenagers and children - experiences stress in some form or another.
Defined as a physical, chemical or emotional factor that causes bodily or mental tension, stress is a sensation that is created in response to how people react to different events. Stress is the human body's way of reacting to and preparing individuals for particularly challenging situations.
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Events or factors that create stress are called stressors. Stressors are subjective in nature since everyone perceives stress in his or her own way, meaning what creates stress for some individuals may not create stress for others. For some people, stressors could be last-minute studying for a final examination or driving in heavy traffic, while for others they could be flying on an airplane or speaking to a large audience.
Since stress can raise a person's focus, strength and awareness, it can sometimes be helpful and encouraging. For instance, that added focus can be advantageous when it comes to completing short-term tasks like finishing an important work project before a deadline. In the long term, however, stress can take its toll on the body.
People coping with ongoing or sustained stress such as death of a loved one, divorce or financial problems are especially susceptible to health problems because stress can weaken their immune system. Stress has been medically linked to adverse health conditions such as depression, heart attacks, and high blood pressure. In addition, people who have experienced disturbing events such as war, sexual or physical assaults, or have survived natural disasters like tornados and earthquakes are vulnerable to post-traumatic stress disorder.
When the body encounters a stressor, it responds by activating the nervous system through a natural reaction called stress response. When working properly, stress response can vastly improve one's ability to handle stress and pressure.
During this process, the brain's hypothalamus gland signals the body's adrenal glands to produce more adrenaline and cortisol hormones and to release them into the bloodstream. This speeds up an individual's breathing and heart rate and increases blood pressure and metabolism. It also allows blood vessels to expand, which promotes more blood flow into muscles. Pupils dilate to improve vision, and the body produces sweat to cool itself.
Stress response is also known as the fight or flight response. Discovered by Harvard physiologist Walter Cannon in 1927, the fight or flight response originally referred to the body's natural response to prepare itself to either fight or flee a life-threatening attack or situation in order to survive. Today, however, the response is usually triggered by everyday situations like driving in heavy traffic or having a stressful day at work, where neither response is particularly relevant.
When the stressor symptoms are gone, the body returns to its normal function. On some occasions, however, the body can overreact and does not return to its normal state or reset itself. This is when health problems arise that can damage the body.