What Stress Is

2588 Words6 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Explain stress and its impact on health

The purpose of this paper is to define stress and how it effects the body's physiological systems. This paper will include the normal functions and organs involved in the following five physiological systems, cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, respiratory, immune and musculoskeletal. This paper will also include a description of a chronic illness associated with each physiological system and how the illness is affected by stress. Stress means different things to different people and stress effects people in different ways. Some people think stress is something that happens to them such as an injury or a promotion and others think that stress is what happens to our mind, body and behaviors in response to an event. While stress does involve events and how one responds to them these are not the critical factors, but our thoughts about the situation in which we are involved are the critical factors. Essentially, stress exists whenever homeostasis is disturbed or cannot be maintained (Stress and the Social System Course Guide, 2013). Homeostasis refers to the body's ability to keep the internal chemical and physical environments constant. As your body begins to react to stress several changes occur. These changes include increased heart rate, blood pressure and secretion of stimulatory hormones. Ones body prepares itself in stressful situations to either stand ground and fight or to flee from the situation. Walter Cannon called this stressful reaction the fight-or-flight response (Greenberg, 2012). There are different ways in which one can experience stress and it is important to remember that stress is an essential part of life. Not all stressful situations are negative. Receiving a promotion at work, the birth of a child or taking a trip can all be stressful but are not threatening. The reason why one may see these situations as stressful is because they may feel unprepared to deal with them. To eliminate confusion and misuse of words Hans Selye gave names to the different types of stress one may experience, he described damaging or unpleasant experiences as distress and pleasurable or satisfying experiences are called eustress (Rice, 2012). The next part of this paper will consist of information describing the organs and the normal functions involved in five of the physiological systems in the human body. It will also include one illness... ... middle of paper ... ...ve Stress Management, 6th ed., Dubuque, IA: W. C. Brown 2012. Kitteredge, Mary. The Respiratory System, New York, NY: Chelsea House Publishing, 2010. Nourse, M. D. Your Immune System, New York, NY: Franklin Watts, 2010. Rice, Phillip L. Stress and Health, 3rd ed., New York, NY: Brooks/Cole, 2013. The American Medical Women's Association. Guide to Cardiovascular Health, New York, NY: Dell Publishing, 2009. University of Maryland University College. Course Guide-BEHS 463: Stress and the Social System, College Park, MD: International University Consortium, 2009. Weston, M. D. Know Your Body: The Atlas of Anatomy. Berkeley, CA: Marshall Cavendish Books Limited, 2005 Internet Sources Balta, D. M. D. (2009). The TMJ: How can Such a Small Joint Cause so Much Trouble?, [Online]. Available: http://www.drbalta.com/tmj.htm [11/12/14]. Seattle Education Project. (2013, November). STEP: The Immune System - An Overview, [Online]. Available: http://www.thebody.com/step/immune.html [11/12/14]. Byard, Terry & Favian. (2013). The Musculoskeletal System, [Online]. Available: http://www.nutritionhighway.com/skeletalsys.html [11/14/14].

Show More
Related

  • Stress Essay

    1949 Words  | 4 Pages

    Everyone everywhere has experienced stress with something they have dealt with in life. Whether it is school, paying bills, managing a busy schedule or work, stress affects everyone. Although everyone experiences stress, many people don’t actually know what stress is. Stress is the physical response of the body to harmful situations that threaten someone’s well being. When someone says “stress”, the word is automatically associated with a negative effect on people but small doses of stress can benefit a person, if used to correctly. Everyone’s stress level is different and the amount of stress that can be handled varies from person to person but a stress overload will not benefit anyone. “When you feel threatened, a chemical reaction occurs in your body to allow you to act in a way to prevent injury” (“Stress Management Health Center”). The chemical that is released when stressed is known as cortisol, also known a stress hormone. “Cortisol is like a long-term form of adrenaline, produced in the adrenal gland when the body is under pressure” (“The Effects of Stress on Your Reproductive Health and Fertility”). Adrenaline is also released to send the body into, what is known as, emergency action (“Stress Symptoms, Signs and Causes”). This emergency action speeds up reactions preformed by the body and the mind. This is a way of protecting the body. While in emergency action, this stress caused by threatening situations can save your life. In emergency situations, you are given “extra strength to defend yourself, for example, or spurring you to slam on your brakes to avoid a car accident” (“Stress Management Health Center”). Signs of being in this emergency action are a racing heart, blood pressure rises, quickening of breath and tigh...

    Read More

  • What is Stress

    845 Words  | 2 Pages

    Stress is the combination of psychological, physiological, and behavioral reactions. Most people have a response to events that challenge or threaten them. Stress good and bad. Good stress is called eustress.

    Read More

  • Two Sides Of Incress Essay: Dissecting Stress

    1082 Words  | 3 Pages

    Stress, as defined as a reaction to a stimulus that breaks our physical and mental harmony, is ubiquitous. However, stress has two sides – the bad and the good, in which the latter is mostly overlooked as most people suffer from the affliction of the former.

    Read More

  • Stress As An Epidemic in the 21st Century: The Mental Health of Medical Professionals

    2005 Words  | 5 Pages

    To consider stress as an epidemic in contemporary society, one must understand what stress is, how it is caused, and how it manifests itself in the quality of lives. Early recognition of stress came by way of a young medical student known as Hans Selye, who observed identical emotional symptoms and signs in patients, although they suffered from differing physical conditions (Rosch, n.d.). Rosch (n.d.) explains that it was investigation of this appearance of ‘general sickness’ that led Selye to develop the theory that chronic stress causes long-term chemical changes in the body, thus identifying stress as a major cause of disease. Stress, usually considered to be a negative feeling, is the body’s reaction to per...

    Read More

  • Sociology: Defining Stress

    786 Words  | 2 Pages

    Stress is how the body, specifically the nervous system, reacts to mental pressure. The person may feel under pressure, overloaded, overwhelmed, strained or anxious about certain tasks or events. Stress can be a good thing where it can motivate the person to reach their full potential but stress can also be a bad thing as it can damage a person’s health.

    Read More

  • What is Stress?

    1095 Words  | 3 Pages

    So what is stress? Stress is a normal physical response that happens when you feel threatened or upset. When you feel that you are in danger whether it is real or imaged. Your body has a response when stress occurs and it is a way of actually protecting you. Many times, stress helps people stay more focussed and energetic. Although, there is a point where stress can be very harmful and causes damage to your health in many aspects.

    Read More

  • Stress, Stressors and Stress Responses

    3964 Words  | 8 Pages

    Stress is the combination of psychological, physiological, and behavioral reactions that people have in response to events that threaten or challenge them. Stress can be good or bad. Sometimes, stress is helpful, providing people with the extra energy or alertness they need. Stress could give a runner the edge he or she needs to persevere in a marathon, for example. This good kind of stress is called eustress. Unfortunately, stress is often not helpful and can even be harmful when not managed effectively. Stress could make a salesperson buckle under the pressure while trying to make a sales pitch at an important business meeting, for example. Moreover, stress can increase the risk of developing health problems, such as cardiovascular disease and anxiety disorders. This bad kind of stress is called distress, the kind of stress that people usually are referring to when they use the word stress.

    Read More

  • Causes And Effects Of Stress Essay

    1043 Words  | 3 Pages

    Stress is defined in the dictionary as “state of mental tension and worry caused by problems in your life”. Everyone encounters stress in their life caused by many different variables in life and we all cope with in different ways. The way one copes with the stress is how it can affect our body. Some take to working out, eating healthy, take breaks from what is stressing you out and getting plenty of sleep which are good ways to cope with it. Some take to other coping mechanisms that are not very great for the body. Some examples are stress eating, abuse of drugs and alcohol, bottling up the stress, and depression. These bad methods can cause serious damage to one’s health on the body.

    Read More

  • Stress and Its Side Effects

    1121 Words  | 3 Pages

    Stress is more than just worrying about something little. Stress can cause major health problems and even in extreme cases death. Stress is the body’s way of responding to an event in your life. When the body is feeling stressed out it releases chemicals into the blood. These chemicals provide energy to fight or escape a physical event. However, when stressing over things the body can not fight or escape which means the chemicals now have no place to go. This causes your heart to work harder and blood pressure to rise. Stress can cause a big variety of things to happen to your body and mind. Headache, high blood pressure, insomnia, teeth grinding, and weight loss or gain are just few things to happen when the body is stressed. Some people are more at a greater risk than others. Women are at greater risk than men are. Elders, genetic predisposition early separation from parents or childhood neglect may cause more stress. PTSD is a major stress disorder that some doctors have said and done studies on that it could be hereditary. There are different types of stress that can occur on the body (“Stress”).

    Read More

  • Stress Essay

    882 Words  | 2 Pages

    Stress can be defined as the action by which we distinguish and react to certain events, which we assess as dangerous or stimulating. A momentary stress can mobilize your immune system to fend off infection and heal a wound. (Segerstrom, 2007) Dealing with extreme stress can be detrimental to one’s health. Throughout life, there may be different situations that can cause stress, such as a divorce, or an unexpected death. The circumstances of our lives flow through a psychological filter, and how we assess an event will directly influence how much stress we experience. Since stress cannot be avoided, we must find a way to cope with it. By coping with the stressors in life, you may be able to lead a healthier and happier life.

    Read More

  • The Four Types of Stress

    1011 Words  | 3 Pages

    The first type of stress is eustress which is a positive stress. Positive stress may enhance the good feelings of stressors. According to Meenakshisundaram (2012), eustress is an interesting stress and keep us more essential. Indeed, this type of stress can energize, motivate and raise stressors up in difficulties instead of improve their health. For example, events such as getting married, having a child may increase the motivation of the stressors to the pleasureable.

    Read More

  • Cause And Effect Essay On Stress

    1254 Words  | 3 Pages

    "Stress is a natural physical and mental reaction to both good and bad experiences which can be beneficial to your health and safety." (8 Ways Stress Is More Dangerous Than You Think) Everyone 's body responds to stress by releasing hormones, also, you brain receives more oxygen. Stress starts to occur when we become worried about a task or responsibilities we face. Major stress is called chronic stress. It can cause symptoms that can affect your health in a larger way. Some people may say that they succeed more under stress, but sadly, that’s rarely the case. Research has shown that "stress makes a person more likely to make mistakes" (Stress Symptoms, Signs, & Causes). For most people, stress is extremely normal for them that they don 't see it as anything but ordinary. However, stress can motivate someone while under pressure and even get you through a tough or dangerous

    Read More

  • Stress: The Silent Disease

    1748 Words  | 4 Pages

    Stress is a normal physical response to events that make one feel threatened or upset one’s balance in some way. It comes to us naturally, when we need it. When working properly, it helps one stay focused, energetic, and alert. In emergency situations, stress can save people’s lives; such as with the fight to flight response. So in situations it comes upon us to benefit us and to be helpful. The stress response also helps one rise to meet challenges, and also helps keep one’s concentration. Although stress can be good, beyond a certain point, stress stops being helpful and starts causing major damage to a person’s health, mood, productivity, relationships, and their overall quality of life (www.helpg...

    Read More

  • An Essay About Stress

    2195 Words  | 5 Pages

    Overall this essay has a lot of information and has helped me understand the subject better. This essay talks about all kinds of different stressor, its history, the kind of help there is out there. This essay also explains the controversy of this subject but also describes some organization there is out there to help people. All that needs to be done is educate more and more people every day. That way people will understand stress in today’s world.

    Read More

  • Stress Case Study

    822 Words  | 2 Pages

    Stressors are both physiological and psychological demands placed on an individual from both internal and external environments that can disturb homeostasis. This disruption requires an action to return the body to a balance. Being able to recognize, understand, and cope with stress is critical to overall health and well being of an individual. The ability to cope with stress productively can alter the outcome of illness and prevent negative health outcomes altogether. Each person experiences and perceives stress differently both physiologically, psychologically, and can portray it differently externally. The way in which each person handles stress can influence the path for care they pursue if illness is present. In the absence of remedial

    Read More

More about What Stress Is

Open Document