We have all been under the influence of stress; in one way or another. The methods in which we cope with our stress can lead to an increase in productivity, however more or less the stress leads to a harming of one’s body and mind; further leading to more harm if left untreated. 

Stress is frequent in people of every age and gender, but the way each person handles pressure is different. According to Brunet, four things that affect your coping strategies are your psychosocial (a connection between your social and individual behavior/thought process), professional, personal, and health histories.  The environment you grew up in may also affect your process. According to Reviews of Research: Childhood Stress, people who grew up in aggressive and unsupportive homes will have less successful coping strategies than those who did. If we cannot handle the stress, it will start to harm our bodily functions.  

The most common signs of stress are malfunctions in the musculoskeletal system, respiratory system, and gastrointestinal system. In an article written by the American Psychological Association, the musculoskeletal system can cause our bodies to be tense, leading to headaches and other body aches. Panic attacks are caused by muscle tension in the nose and throat, causing airways to be restricted. Stress also affects the respiratory system. Rapid breathing and shortness of breath are caused by extreme stress on the respiratory system. Your gastrointestinal system is also affected by stress. Your stomach has thousands of receptors that communicate with the brain. If you’ve ever gotten ‘butterflies’ in your stomach, those receptors are communicating with your brain. These receptors can also trigger bloating, stomach pain, and other discomforts in the gut. A lot of stress can also weaken your stomach, possibly causing later diseases and dysfunction in the gut. Another reaction to stress can be throwing up. Throwing up from stress is caused by the discomfort and stress in the gastrointestinal system. One more effect of stress on the gastrointestinal system is bowel movement. Your intestines have a barrier to keep food-related bacteria from entering. Stress can cause this barrier to weaken, leaving your body more susceptible to illness. The last few systems that are affected by stress are the nervous system, as well as both the male and female reproductive systems. The nervous system is responsible for the ‘fight or flight response. This causes two hormones called adrenaline and cortisol to rise. Adrenaline and cortisol increase your heart rate, and respiration rate, dilate blood vessels and increase glucose levels (sugar levels) in your body. This prepares your body to handle a crisis.  Once the crisis is over, the body should return to its natural state, but if the body is constantly stressed, those levels never go down. This can cause ‘wear and tear’ on the systems of the body, causing a loss of function in all of the different systems. The reproductive systems of both males and females are also affected. Chronic stress can negatively impact sperm motility, size, and shape, leading to difficulties in reproduction. Stress can also cause infections in the testes, prostate gland, and urethra. In the female reproductive system, stress can cause irregular or absent cycles, painful periods, or changes in the length of the cycle. Premenstrual symptoms may change, including increased bloating, cramps, and mood swings.  As well as changes in the menstrual cycle, stress can cause changes in pregnancy. Extreme stress can cause problems in conceiving, the health of the pregnancy, as well as the adjustment after birth. Stress can increase the chances of postpartum depression and anxiety in a mother. Menopause may also be affected. Menopausal symptoms such as hot flashes, anxiety, mood swings, and distress may worsen with stress increase. Stress can also contribute to the chance of infection and disease, such as herpes, polycystic ovarian syndrome, and reproductive cancers. 

Stress doesn’t only harm your body, it endangers your mind. Your brain is not one single unit, it is made up of different parts and each has its own assigned role. Harvard researchers believe that when one part of your brain is being activated and used, the others do not have as much energy to carry out their own tasks. During stressful events, the amygdala sends a distress signal to the hypothalamus, or the command center of the brain, allowing the body to have enough energy to trigger the fight or flight response. After the stressful event, cortisol levels should return to normal. If the body is still in a state of distress, the cortisol levels will not return to normal, which causes serious problems relating to the brain’s function. If the mind is under constant stress, the body creates more cortisol than it can handle and the overproduction of stress hormones can cause the brain to start malfunctioning. According to Touro University, chronic stress is known to disrupt the synapse regulations, causing a loss of sociability and interaction with others. Stress can also kill or shrink the brain, mostly the prefrontal cortex, the part of the brain responsible for learning and memory. Even though stress shrinks the prefrontal cortex, it can increase the size of the amygdala, making the brain even more vulnerable to stress. When in a stressful situation, the amygdala takes over. This leaves the other parts of the brain, such as the parts responsible for learning and memory, with less energy, therefore they cannot get their jobs done. This is why when you are stressed, your memory or ability to learn/concentrate is decreased. This all happens because your brain is in survival mode and not focused on anything else. According to Harvard researchers, chronic stress can also leave your brain susceptible to mental illnesses such as depression or anxiety, creating even more problems in the future. 

In order to reduce chronic stress, people need to be more informed. The more knowledge we have about stress and its effects, the more it can be prevented. Everyone has a different way of coping, which means that certain techniques may work better for an individual person. Help Guide researchers have suggested that exercising more, connecting with friends, being more social, maintaining a healthy diet, and getting enough rest will help decrease stress.  

Works Cited

Melinda. “Stress Symptoms, Signs, and Causes.” HelpGuide.org, 24 Mar. 2022, www.helpguide.org/articles/stress/stress-symptoms-signs-and-causes.htm.

“The Mind and Mental Health: How Stress Affects the Brain.” Touro University WorldWide, 16 Mar. 2021, www.tuw.edu/health/how-stress-affects-the-brain.

Mindes, Gayle, and Jan Jewett. “Reviews of Research: Childhood Stress.” Childhood Education, vol. 73, no. 3, 1997, pp. 172–173., doi:10.1080/00094056.1997.10522682.

“Protect Your Brain from Stress.” Harvard Health, 15 Feb. 2021, www.health.harvard.edu/mind-and-mood/protect-your-brain-from-stress#:~:text=Stress affects not only memory,medicine at Harvard Medical School.

“Stress Effects on the Body.” American Psychological Association, American Psychological Association, www.apa.org/topics/stress/body.

“Stress: a Social Issue.” Brunet, www.brunet.ca/en/health/health-tips/le-stress--un-enjeu-de-societe/.