Stress Essay

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WHAT IS STRESS? Stress is our body’s response to anything that poses as a threat to our well-being. These ‘threats’ are from our external environment and can be referred to as ‘stressors’. Stressors act as a stimulus that brings about stress. The relationship between a stressor and our levels of stress is directly proportional, as the more stressors we are exposed to (be it work pressure, loud noises or traffic) the more stressed we will feel. Depending on the type of stress we are experiencing, our bodies will respond in various different ways and activate the “fight or flight” reflex. This reflex is a result of our body’s sympathetic nervous system. [1] PHYSIOLOGICAL MECHANISM BEHIND STRESS [2] There are three phases to the stress response. The first being the “Alarm phase”, which is your acute response to stress (when you get a fright after a friend scares you). The next phase is known as the “resistance phase”. This second phase is more closely related to chronic stress (constant pressure at work). Lastly we have the “exhaustion phase” which is the most severe phase of long-term stress exposure. 1) Alarm phase: This phase involves the sympathetic division of the autonomic nervous system. The alarm phase uses glucose as an energy reserve and it incorporates the “fight or flight reflex”. The most prominent hormone released in this response is epinephrine. The physiological effects of this response include: • an increase in one’s mental alertness • an increase in the amount of energy used by all cells in the body • a “mobilization of glycogen and lipid reserves” [2] • a decrease in activity of the digestive system • a decrease in urine production • an increase in the amount of sweat produced by sweat glands • an increased ... ... middle of paper ... ...e pituitary gland. [16] 8. IN CONCLUSION, we can say that stress produces hormones (particularly glucocorticoids) which have a negative impact on the immune system when our bodies are exposed to them for a long period of time. However, when our immune system is exposed to particular stressors for a shorter period of time it may actually have a positive effect on our immune system and actually give it a “boost”. Stress in general has a major effect on our cytokines, natural killer cells and our T-lymphocytes, as they are most sensitive to the anti-inflammatory glucocorticoids. The Macrophage migratory inhibitory factor is one of the main reasons why our immune systems become hypersensitive to any allergens, when our bodies produce glucocorticoids. Stress therefore does have quite a large effect on our immune system and our body’s ability to fight disease.

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