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Under Pressure—The Toll of Stress

Marleigh S Murray 

Most people see threats to your health as things you eat and do, but what if that isn’t the most dangerous threat, and your daily schedule actually is? While stress isn’t always visible to the naked eye, it acts as a saboteur to your body. It drives your body into overload, increasing your blood pressure, triggering inflammation, and disrupting your digestive tract. Acquiring ways to manage your stress is just as important as going to the doctor. 

The body is made to be able to withstand small doses of stress from time to time, like waiting for a response to a message or a grade on a test. But when consistent psychological pressure is placed on the brain, the HPA ( hypothalamic pituitary adrenal axis) releases cortisol and adrenaline consistently. This overloads your body with hormones and causes wear and tear on your body systems. Over time, this restricts your blood vessels, which raises your blood pressure. This slowly raises the risks for cardiovascular diseases like hypertension and heart attacks. Your heart is the most important organ for survival, and when it isn’t healthy, the more risks you gain. Keeping your heart healthy is beneficial.  

   Chronic stress can contribute to inflammation in many different systems of the body, like the cardiovascular, nervous, and musculoskeletal systems. In the Cardiovascular system, stress damages the lining of the blood vessels, leading to immune cell infiltration and heart attacks. In the nervous system, stress overloads the system to attempt to reach homeostasis, but when the stress becomes chronic, inflammation occurs, and the brain's immune cells activate. Once neuroinflammation occurs, it can lead to neurological disorders like mood disorders, depression, and anxiety. Finally, in the musculoskeletal system, when the body is stressed, the muscles tense, and prolonged muscle tension can cause joint pain leading to arthritis or tissue damage. 

The Gut has millions of neurons that communicate with the brain, sending signals back and forth.  These signals explain feelings, such as “ butterflies” and other sensations in the stomach. Stress affects the communication by triggering bloating or discomfort. The gut reacts very strongly to the brain's signals, meaning mood ( stress) can directly impact the gut. When Stress is present, the whole digestive system as a unit experiences difficulties in tasks like swallowing, absorbing nutrients, and completing bowel movements. All of these symptoms can lead to discomfort and even diseases in the future, like constipation or irritable bowel syndrome. The gut is very synchronized, and with stress or damage to one part, the rest are likely to also go down too. 

Finding ways to manage stress is very different from person to person. There is never one perfect answer to everyone's problems. Stress relief options are limitless; some ways are journaling, exercising, reading, painting, or talking. Stress relief is defined as the process of reversing the toll of stress by transitioning the body from a state of hyperarousal into a physiological balance. Meaning that whatever takes your brain off overdrive and into a calm state can be your reliever. Going through stress is normal, but finding ways to handle it is what ultimately keeps you healthy. 

Chronic stress can take control over your everyday life, if you let it. Your health is always important, even though stress seems fine to live with; it can cause harm. Finding yout own way to manage your stress is important for you. Don’t let the stress take over your life; guide your way to greatness.