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Understanding Stress

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Discover the Basics of Stress

Many would find it difficult to define stress, Stress is nothing but a normal physiological response of the body to situations or stimulus which are perceived as 'dangerous' to the body. Stress can affect anyone at anytime in some point of life. When stress occurs regularly it cause harm to body. This article on stress covers:

What is 'Milieu Interior or Internal Homeostasis'?
Will adapting to the hostile environment helps in tackling stress?
What is the effect of hyperthyroidism?

We can define stress as a normal physiological response of the body to situations or stimulus which are perceived as 'dangerous' to the body. Stress can affect anyone and everyone at some point of time in their life. When it occurs frequently it affects health - both physical and mental.

Understanding Stress

Human body is a complex organization of various tissues and each Thesystem of it should function properly and in a coordinated way. Moreover it has to function within the physiological limits which are very restricted and narrow (see Table: 1).Technically this team work is called 'Milieu Interior or Internal Homeostasis'.

Table 1: Physiological range of certain blood parameters

	Analysis	Reference Range
1.	pH	7.36 - 7.45
2.	Bicarbonate	21 - 27.5 m mol / l
3.	Oxygen saturation	Normally > 97%
4.	Glucose	3.6 - 6.8 m mol / l

The normal physiological range of a few blood parameters is given above. It is just to show how narrow the physiological limits are. The body has to function within this narrow limits maintaining Internal Homeostasis.

The human body is exposed everyday to different person, species, situations and stimuli. Some of the exposures are rewarding and certain others are hazardous. If the exposure is hazardous then the body prepares itself to face the situation - the reason being its 'Internal Homeostasis'and hence its normal functioning should not be affected. This response is called the Fight or Flight response. This response is to make persons cope with the situation successfully.

Physiology of Stress

When a person is exposed to a 'dangerous' situation his body gets ready to face it. It needs more energy for that. The extra energy is got by the 'Fight or Flight' response. The initial step is taken by the Hypothalamus of the brain which secretes Adrenocorticotrophic releasing Hormone ARH). ARH stimulates the adjacent pituitary gland to secrete Adrenocorticotrophic hormone (ACTH). This in turn stimulates the adrenal glands which are situated on the kidneys to secrete Adrenaline and Cortisol.

Now these two hormones work together to see that the body gets more energy by providing more oxygen and glucose. For these things to occur, the following adjustments are done.

Diversion of the blood from less vital to more vital organs.
Increase in the heart rate to supply more blood quickly.
Increase in the blood pressure to supply blood efficiently.
Increase in the respiratory rate to get more oxygen from the atmosphere.
Breakdown of glycogen stores in liver and muscle to get more glucose.
Formation of more glucose from non carbohydrate substances.

So at the end of the response, the body is well geared up and it tackles the situation. To put it in a nut shell -"The mind feels the danger and the body tackles it. These actions are coordinated by hormones".

Once the trigger is gone the hormonal levels drops and the body returns to normal. But if this happens repeatedly, then all the hormonal levels are persistently high not allowing the body to come back to normal .The body keeps experiencing the above mentioned 'adjustments'. Soon the hormonal and energy stores get exhausted. The vital link between the mind and the body is lost and the person suffers. The mind gets disturbed by the fact that the threat is there. But the body is too tired to handle it. The coordination between the two is disturbed.

Causes of Stress

Stress is a normal physiological phenomenon. So 'Undue or Unrelieved Stress' is the right term when we discuss about the pathological aspects of stress. 'Undue or Unrelieved Stress' can occur in any person in whom the normal 'Fight or Flight' response is overdone. It can occur as a short term response, delayed response or a prolonged response.

Short Term Response or Acute Stress

Acute stress is the normal physiological 'Fight or flight response'. The effects will be present only till the person is exposed to transient trigger. The trigger could be

Hunger
A narrow miss of an accident
A competitive exam
A job interview
A short lived illness

Delayed Response

This is a separate entity. It is also called 'Post traumatic stress disorder'. It is caused by exceptionally stressful conditions in which the person feels helpless, like

Natural calamities
War
Rape
Death of beloved ones

Prolonged Response or Chronic Stress

We define stress due to a prolonged response as chronic stress when the trigger is persistent or repetitive not allowing the body to come back to normal by keeping the stress hormones at the higher level. The persistent stressors could be any one of the following.