Managing Stress in Modern Life: Part 1

The Science and Effects of Stress Cancer, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes are just a few of the most potent diseases plaguing humanity, but one of the most ta ing disorders is so common that we barely even reali!e how much damage it is doing to us" Stress affects a vast majority of the population with research indicating that about ## percent of the $"S" population regularly e periences physical symptoms from stress"1 %he number one stressor in the country: job pressure" &nd while you might thin' that the growth of technology and industry has helped, studies suggests otherwise" &ccording to research by Carnegie Mellon $niversity in Pittsburgh, stress has increased () percent for men and 1* percent for women from 1+*, to (--+" .n every specific demographic, stress increased anywhere from 1- to ,- percent"(

Stress is more than gritted teeth and grumpiness" .t presents some very real issues for your health and your relationships with others" Let/s ta'e a closer loo' at stress in modern life and constructive ways to manage it"

The Science of Stress

0hen you thin' of stress, you probably imagine overbearing bosses, demanding clients, or piles upon piles of paperwor'" .n actuality, stress is your body/s response to any 'ind of demand, both good and bad" .n its simplest terms, stress is your reaction to pressure"

1ar from being a negative attribute of human'ind, stress is something of a necessity that has its roots in the basic survival mechanism of 2fight or flight"3 Say you/re one of your prehistoric ancestors, trying to ma'e it on a vast &frican plain" 4ou have to hunt and gather to survive, but you also have to 'eep on your toes for the lions, tigers, and various other predators that might enjoy you for lunch" 0hen you encounter a lion during a hunt, you either have the option to hightail it out of there or stand your ground and hope you have the strength and s'ill to ta'e that lion down" %hat/s where stress comes into play" %he moment that you encounter a stressor5a hungry lion, in this case5your body/s system goes through several changes to ensure your survival" 4our body releases all of its stored energies from fat and sugar to give you a 6uic' boost of energy" 4our breathing, heart rate, and blood pressure increase to get more o ygen to your blood and more blood to your muscles" 4our body activates blood clotting mechanisms so that you don/t bleed out from cuts" 4our muscles tense in preparation for instant action" &ll your senses get stronger so that you/re more aware of your surroundings" %hat means dilated eyes and sharper smell and hearing"

1or all intents and purposes, there/s nothing inherently wrong with stress" .n fact, a little stress is beneficial" %his 2good3 stress, 'nown as eustress, promotes the growth of new nerve cells in the brain, improving mental performance and 'eeping your mind alert"

When Stress Becomes Unhealthy

%he problem is that eustress only refers to acute stress, or stress that is short and sudden, li'e a rollercoaster ride or when someone snea's up behind you" Most modern wor'ers deal with a series of acute stressors that stac' up and turn into one large, long7lasting form of stress" %his form of chronic stress doesn/t come with any of the same benefits of eustress and is downright destructive"

What Causes Stress?

%he sources of stress are about as wide ranging as the symptoms of stress" 8ob pressures, money, and health are the top three causes in &merica, but even healthy people with job and financial security deal with stress" 9 ternal stressors comprise outward situations and events that happen to you" %hese include: Major life changes, li'e moving across the country, getting married, or dealing with the death of a family member" Everyday things at work, li'e demanding supervisors, sudden deadlines, and immense wor'loads"

Elements in your immediate environment, li'e the incessantly bar'ing dog outside your window or the pollution in your city"

.nternal stressors are self7induced, coming from within you, and include: 1ears and phobias :oubt or a lac' of control in your life Conflicts with your values and beliefs

&nd then there/s post7traumatic stress disorder, which is an e treme form of stress caused by an incredibly traumatic event" .t is most often associated with soldiers who have been in combat but can also include those who have been victims or witnesses of violent crimes, e perienced a natural disaster, or been in a serious car accident, for e ample" %he fact is, stress can be caused by just about anything" 4ou don/t need to justify your stress or feel shame about being stressed"

The hysical Effects of Stress

So you understand stress and the various factors that can contribute to it, but how does it affect your physical health; 4ou may e hibit some basic symptoms, li'e headaches and low energy, but stress can lead to a whole lot of scary things" Brain shrinkage: Studies show that stress and depression turn on a genetic switch 'nown as <&%&1" %his switch is responsible for regulating the processes of genes that eventually lead to the creation of connections in the brain" 0ithout these connections, your brain actually loses mass" &nother study showed that those who have been through e tremely stressful situations5 divorce or layoff5actually had smaller amounts of gray matter, particularly in the medial prefrontal corte " %his is the area responsible for regulating blood pressure, glucose levels, self7control, and certain emotions" remature aging: Chronic stress has a harmful effect on :=&, namely on sections 'nown as telomeres" & study found that those under fre6uent job stress had shorter telomeres, which can lead to :=& cell death and damage, both of which contribute to symptoms of aging" !ncreased risk of stroke: %hose with high levels of stress and an iety have been shown to have a ,, percent higher chance of having a stro'e", Stress floods your body with the stress hormone cortisol and activates the hypothalamic7pituitary7adrenal a is, all of which wor' in conjunction to regulate various bodily functions" %he prolonged activation of your >P& a is reportedly impairs your circulatory system, including the many veins and vessels in your brain, increasing your chance of stro'e" #iminished heart health: Spea'ing of your cardiovascular system, your heart probably

ta'es the biggest beating in moments of stress" %he fight7or7flight response puts a lot of strain on your heart as it has to wor' harder to get blood where it needs to go while fighting against increased blood pressure in certain parts of your body" .t/s no surprise then that chronic stress and the 2stress gene35the gene that ma'es some people more sensitive to stress5increase your ris' of cardiovascular disease" %he scientific community isn/t sure e actly why high cortisol levels e6uate to a higher heart attac' ris', but many theori!e that an increase in cortisol is also followed by an increase in an en!yme 'nown as MMP7+" %his en!yme ma'es pla6ue forming in your blood vessels more susceptible to bursting" Pla6ue that brea's off can form into clots that can eventually lead to heart attac'" #iminished immune system: .f you/re stressed during cold season, e pect to be hit doubly hard by illness" Stress feeds your body/s inflammatory response" .nflammation is your body/s first line of defense against infections, but high levels of inflammation can only ma'e you more vulnerable to diseases" Stress also prevents your immune system from responding to hormonal controls, ma'ing it wea'er to act against viral infections" #igestive and gastrointestinal issues: 4our digestive system is controlled by the enteric nervous system, which is directly connected to your central nervous system" $nder stress, your central nervous system shuts down blood flow to the enteric nervous system, rerouting it to seemingly more important areas for fight or flight" %his affects your digestive muscles and decreases the production of the fluid necessary for digestion" %he fight7or7flight response also has other potential effects on your gut and digestive system" .t can cause your esophagus to spasm" .t can cause inflammation in your gastrointestinal lining" .t can increase production of stomach acids" .t can ma'e you feel nauseated" >owever, contrary to common belief, stress won/t cause stomach ulcers, though it can ma'e e isting ulcers and other digestive diseases much worse"

Stress$ %our Mind$ and %our Emotions

&long with those physical symptoms, stress can manifest in your emotions and cognitive abilities" Stress and depression are very closely lin'ed, leading to feelings of low self7esteem and a withdrawn personality" .n that same vein, stress can ma'e you moody and easy to anger" .t/s not wrong to feel any of these emotions, but prolonged emotional distress can easily push away others and ruin relationships" Stress is so potent it can affect how you thin', which ma'es sense considering your brain shrin's when stressed" $nder repeated stress, the cells in your brain/s medial prefrontal corte shrin'" %his area of the brain is responsible for performing attention7shifting tas's, so a shrun'en prefrontal corte means you/ll have a harder time adapting to situations that foster multiple stimuli" :o you need to ma'e a difficult decision; 4ou may want to wait until you/ve rela ed because stress can completely mess with your decision7ma'ing abilities" Studies show that stress affects how you see pros and cons of a decision, causing you to focus more on the pleasure and reward

of your choice while ignoring the potential negative conse6uences of the outcome" &nd if you thin' you/re becoming forgetful in your age, you may actually just be stressed out" Cortisol prevents your brain from properly accessing e isting memories or creating new ones" Prolonged stress damages the hippocampus5the part of the brain responsible for memory and learning" %he hormone also interrupts neurotransmitters, which are the chemicals your brain cells used for communication" &ll of this spells difficulties for retrieving long7term memories under severe stress, which is why you might have trouble remembering your own name on a first date or the location of the emergency e it during a fire"

Stress and Behaviors

0ith all that said, it/s not surprising to imagine stress affecting your everyday behaviors, li'e your eating habits"

&vereating
?vereating is caused by two things" 1or one, because your body is in survival mode, it needs a constant supply of energy, usually 6uic' energy from sugar, which is why you/re more li'ely to reach for the sweets" %he big culprit of overeating is ghrelin, 'nown as the hunger hormone" Stress causes ghrelin levels to rise" 0hile studies have found that an increase in the hunger hormone can act as an antidepressant, ghrelin also causes a notable increase in food inta'e and weight gain"

Too Much 'lcohol

&nd then there/s alcohol" Many people turn to that great e6uali!er that loosens tongues and inhibitions to relieve the stress they e perience at the office, and to be fair, alcohol does relieve stress" Sort of" .n limited doses, in specific situations, around specific people, alcohol can fight bac' some of the stress for certain people" 9ven then, alcohol isn/t a very good stress reliever" &lthough it reduces your body/s physiological response to stress, you would need to get drun' every time you were stressed, which isn/t really smart or recommended in the long run" 1urthermore, your body doesn/t metaboli!e alcohol the same way it does a glass of juice or a sandwich" .t ta'es a lot of energy to metaboli!e large doses of alcohol" 4ou might feel rela ed but your body is actually under even more stress because of the e tra metaboli!ing it has to do" .t/s a vicious cycle" 4ou drin' because you/re stressed, but drin'ing only ma'es you more stressed" &fter a time, you may depend on alcohol to deal with your stress" %here/s nothing wrong with drin'ing responsibly and having a good time, but using a drug5li'e alcohol5as your primary means of regulating your emotions is not healthy" %o learn healthy ways to manage stress and improve your 6uality of life, please continue reading the second half of our two7part series"