How Bad Is Stress And How To Cope With It
Stress is brought about by the hormones called adrenaline, noradrenaline, and cortisol. All of these hormones come from the same source, the adrenal gland. Hormone production is among the many normal processes that take place inside the human body on a regular basis. However, when the levels of these hormones fluctuate it could also trigger adverse symptoms which are common among people who are exposed to high levels of chronic stress.
How Stress Hormones Affect the Body
Adrenaline increases rates of blood circulation, breathing, and carbohydrate metabolism. Noradrenaline enables the body to perform well during stressful situations. Cortisol, among other benefits, helps control sugar levels in the bloodstream and enhances brain's use of it. It also makes substances that repair tissues readily available. Low cortisol and high cortisol levels can contribute to many health problems, and complications may arise from them which make it harder for an individual to cope with stress.
Different Symptoms of Stress
Symptoms of stress vary since people handle it differently. People who are under stress will experience emotional, physical, cognitive and behavioral symptoms.
Emotional symptoms include frustration, moody, losing control or having the need to take control, having difficulty calming the mind, and low-self esteem. Physical symptoms include weakness, headaches, upset stomach, muscle pains, chest pains and heart palpitation, nervousness, grinding teeth, and loss of sexual desire. Mental signs of stress include worrying, forgetfulness, inattentive, poor decision making, and having negative thoughts. Lastly, behavioral symptoms include changes in appetite, avoiding responsibilities, and indulgence in smoke, alcohol and drugs.
Stress is inevitable because life is full of stressors. Some of the activities that we usually encounter in our daily lives that trigger stressful reactions include planning a birthday party, unplanned pregnancy and adjusting to a new environment. Stress can also be experienced when taking exams or experiencing a traumatic event. The presence of diseases, pressure from work and family can also cause so much stress among people.
Health Problems that May Arise Due to Chronic Stress
Stress motivates you to take actions to make your life better but when your levels of stress get in the way of your everyday life, then that's when it becomes a serious problem. Balancing your stress hormone levels is very important in order to stay healthy. If you are exposed to a long-term stress, you may find yourself having mental health problems like anxiety and depression. Chronic exposure to stress can also contribute to the development of cardiovascular problems like abnormal heart rhythms that will eventually lead to heart attack. Too much stress can also lead to menstrual problems. Others also suffer from sexual dysfunction like impotence and loss of sexual desire due to too much stress. Skin health can also be adversely affected by stress. Other health issues that may occur from stress are permanent hair loss, gastritis and irritable colon. Obesity due to an eating disorder is also more likely to occur among people who are chronically exposed to stress.
Good Stressor Vs. Bad Stressor
There are ways on how to combat stress and take your stressors lightly. It is important to know the difference between a positive stressor called eustress and a negative stressor called distress. Eustress is the result of a positive attitude towards a stressor and distress is the result of a negative attitude towards a stressor so make sure to take your stressor in a way that will lead to good performance and productivity.
Lifestyle Tips to Help Increase the Production of Happy Hormones
If there are stress hormones called adrenaline, noradrenaline and cortisol, our bodies also have these so-called “happy hormones”. Examples of happy hormones are endorphins, dopamine, serotonin and oxytocin. Endorphins serve as our body's natural pain killer. Serotonin boosts our mood. Dopamine functions as the reward and pleasure hormone while oxytocin acts as the love hormone. In order to get more of these in your system, you need to exercise regularly. In addition, it is also good to eat spicy foods and some chocolates because these could trigger the increased production of happy hormones in the body. Don’t forget to meditate, have positive thoughts and go for a walk under the sun with a pet dog or cat. It is also equally important to take B vitamins, set goals that are easy to achieve, schedule a massage and kiss or hug a loved one.