What happens to the body when you get stressed?
It’s often talked about how damaging stress can be to the body. You may have heard it in the news or read it somewhere, or maybe your doctor has told you to manage your stress. However, we aren’t often told why this matters. So what happens exactly when we get stressed and why is it so bad? Well, let’s start with what stress is. A stressor, is something activates your sympathetic nervous system, or you may know it as your fight-or-flight system. A stressor is anything that your nervous system clocks as a threat, it could actually be, or simply perceived as, a threat. It could be a threat to your physical, emotional, or social safety. So what happens if this alarm system gets tripped? There’s a cascade of physiological things that happen so your body can react from one of the four options, fight, flight, freeze, or fawn. Your body releases adrenaline to give you energy and help you move quickly. Blood moves from your non-vital organs to your muscles so you can act, which causes those non-vital organs, such as your stomach and intestines, to temporarily pause what they are doing. Blood sugar floods your system so your muscles have quick energy and your muscles tense up ready for action. Your heart rate and blood pressure increases to pump more blood to your muscles. Your pupils dilate so you can see better. All of this is great and adaptive when you face a threat, we must be able to act quickly to get ourselves to safety. The problem only arises when we are chronically stressed.
Our sympathetic nervous system is designed for stressors that have an end, however our modern life stressors often do not have an end. Think about financial stress, work stress, relational stress, health issues, stress of “getting it all done,” as well as, political and existential stress. They don’t really end do they? Going back to the physiological changes that happen when we are stressed, they can cause some serious health problems if they become chronic. Constant elevated adrenaline can cause anxiety, restlessness, overstimulation, and reactivity. Eventually, your nervous system may burn out or feel depressed after extended periods of stress. The blood moving to muscles can cause non-vital organs to not work as well, such as digestion issues. Chronic elevated blood sugar can lead to metabolic issues and inflammation. Elevated heart rate and blood pressure can increase chances of heart attack or stroke. Chronic muscle tension causes pain and stiffness, possibly making you more prone to injury. Often dilated pupils can cause strain on your eyes. In short, chronic stress is bad news. Next week we will discuss how to actually manage your stress. For now, just get curious about how your body responds to it!
Questions to Ponder.
What are the major stressors in your life right now?
What sensations or experiences do you notice physically when you are stressed?
How often do you feel stressed?
