Essay On Effects Of Stress On The Body

Part A:

Stress has various effects on the body, both psychological and physiological. Stress can have positive effects on the body and can be beneficial, but frequent stress will eventually cause negative effects on the body.

Hans Selye defined stress as “the non-specific response of the body to any demand for change.” He later defined it as “the rate of wear and tear on the body.” Stress can be good because the pressure placed on someone can motivate them to complete the tasks ahead of them. From this, small amounts of stress can be positive. However, long periods of stress wear the body down and begin to have negative effects on the body which could be long term.

Stress initiates hormones in the brain which trigger the ‘fight or flight’ response.

Stressors initiate a response within the organism and causes changes in the body, specifically responses in the body’s autonomic nervous system. The autonomic nervous system has two branches: the sympathetic and parasympathetic autonomic nervous system. The sympathetic autonomic nervous system helps the body deal with the stress it encounters, initiating the ‘fight or flight’ response. Once the threat has passed, the parasympathetic autonomic nervous system will take over, relaxing the body. There is a balance between these two in a healthy person. However, when someone stays on guard, using the sympathetic autonomic nervous system, all sorts of physical effects can

• Hypertension: this occurs under high stress levels and increase the body’s risk of having a stroke, heart attack or kidney failure. The burnout phase of stress can contribute to a permanent high blood pressure.

• Suppression of the Immunity System: stress causes the immune system of the body to be weakened because it fights of the stress from the stressor. This makes the body even more vulnerable to certain infections, like multiple sclerosis and arthritis. It has been discovered that stress slows the body’s rate of recovery from infections.

• Skin problems: stress aggravates the skin and will cause skin conditions such as acne and eczema. Stress is also relation to rashes which are unexplained and itchy.

• Pain: stress can cause pain because the body stimulates the muscles while fighting the stressor. Stress also causes migraines which can last for several days.

• Diabetes: stress can lead to insulin-dependent diabetes to people who are already predisposed to this type of diabetes. Stress also causes the immune system to destroy the insulin producing cells in the