Stress and its impact on humans. How does it affect brain function?

In addition to nutrition and ecology, stress is one of the main factors affecting human health. The negative impact of stress has a detrimental effect on the normal functioning of the entire body and often becomes the impetus for the occurrence of serious illnesses, which can be quite serious. This is what you need to learn - to respond adequately to stressful situations. Stress follows a person everywhere - at home, in a store, on the street, at work. A person under the influence of such a state cannot be fully happy.

If you do not actively fight this disease, the effect of stress on health will progress to a severe chronic stage. First you need to understand what was the provoking factor. When the cause disappears, then the consequences for the body can be eliminated.

Physiological state of a person

The influence of stress on the human body almost always has a bad effect on all organs and systems of the body, only worsening the patient’s well-being. Most often, a person’s physiological health suffers.

Constant headaches.
Chronic lack of sleep.
Diseases of the cardiovascular system are getting worse. Hypertension and rapid heartbeat.
The risk of cancer cell growth increases.
Alcohol and drug addiction.
Fatigue and decreased concentration and memory.
Due to the increase in hormones, the development of osteoporosis and skin thinning is possible.
Exacerbation of gastrointestinal diseases, gastritis and ulcers.
Immunity decreases and as a result - regular viral diseases.
The effects of stress cannot always be cured; degeneration of cells in the brain and spinal cord often occurs.
Decreased libido.
Increased blood glucose.

State of mind of a person

The harmful effect of stress on the body, which arose on a mental background, does not allow a person not only to work normally, but also to live. Any action requires a lot of mental effort.

The main consequences of stressful situations:

Insomnia,
Neuroses, depression,
Aggressiveness, irritability, fits of anger,
Reluctance to live or do something.

It is very difficult to cope with stress alone; the main thing is to understand the reason and get rid of the source of such well-being. The most effective way is to learn techniques for overcoming stressful situations.

Career and stress

Stress can arise from long hours and be of a professional nature. In medicine, it is called professional stress, the effect and distribution of which is increasing every year.

Here are its main reasons:

Childhood stress

In the modern world, stress in children is quite common. Many children are in comfortable conditions and live in a certain, already formed way, and any violation leads to a stressful situation. Thus, they react as if protecting themselves.

Causes of stress in a child:

Family (separation from relatives, divorce of parents, quarrels, birth of another child).
Fears (age-related, instilled, conscious and unconscious).
Misfortunes (changes in children's living conditions, death of a relative).
Medical (fear of doctors or pain, injury).
Social (conflicts with other children, fear of being misunderstood, competition).
Telephone, computer (emotional stress on the psyche).
Other (change of room decor, potty training, etc.)

It is not always possible to distinguish between stress and the usual whims of a child, although often these signs are of a completely different nature. For example, a fidgety child can dramatically change his behavior and his actions become calmer and quieter. The most obvious physiological manifestations are stuttering, sleep disturbance, fear, redness of the skin, slurred speech, etc. If you can recognize your child from the description, then you need to urgently contact a specialist, that is, a psychologist.

Pregnancy and stress

Expectant mothers are the most susceptible to stressful situations, because the negative impact of stress on a person extends not only to them, but also to the fetus. During this period, the woman becomes especially susceptible to external stimuli, and the very state of pregnancy brings inconvenience: fatigue, limited movement, fear for the child, etc.

Causes of stress in a pregnant woman:

Tensions between spouses
Trouble at work or school,
Uncertainty about the strength of the family,
Dissatisfaction, need for something.

Situations in which a woman will become overly worried or nervous should be avoided. After all, the effect of stress on the body can be very dangerous and destructive, causing difficulties in bearing a child and poor health of the woman. If you do not get rid of the source of this condition in time, then sad consequences are possible.

The most common effects of stress:

Inability to give birth on your own
Suffocation of a child due to lack of oxygen,
Developmental abnormalities and prematurity,
Thick blood,
Premature emptying of water
Postpartum depression.

Now there are many different techniques to reduce the negative effects of stress on human health. To begin with, the attending physician must prescribe a course of fortification for the woman. The daily diet requires the mandatory presence of vitamins A, B and C. The best medicine to stay calm is your favorite activity, no matter if it is reading, knitting or drawing. Calm classical music promotes relaxation.

A person is accustomed to not paying attention to problems, accumulating and restraining his emotions within himself. But after a while, he can explode over any trifle. To maintain your health, you should not be negatively influenced by anyone. We must not forget that such concepts as the positive effects of stress or the benefits of stress do not exist.

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Introduction

In the modern world, people constantly face stress. They affect his behavior, performance, health and relationships with people around him.

From a scientific point of view, stress is the body's adaptation to extreme environmental changes. Our body prepares for confrontation coming from outside and mobilizes all its internal energy. A physiologically long process leads to the continuous release of stress hormones. The heartbeat quickens, blood pressure rises, the breathing rhythm changes, the muscles are abundantly supplied with blood, and the entire body is constantly in a state of combat readiness. But we react differently to stressful situations. There are people who are highly susceptible to stress, while others are not so predisposed to it. The negative impact of stress has a detrimental effect on the normal functioning of the entire body and often becomes the impetus for the occurrence of serious illnesses, and the consequences of stress can be quite serious. If you do not actively fight this disease, the effect of stress on health will progress to a severe chronic stage.

The most common diseases - coronary heart disease, hypertension, peptic ulcer of the digestive organs, bronchial asthma, tumors - are considered to be stress diseases, the number of which can reach 90% of the pathology of modern man.

extreme stress health relationship

The concept of "stress"

What is stress? Its types and phases.

Stress is the human body’s response to overexertion, negative emotions, or simply monotonous bustle. During times of stress, the human body produces the hormone adrenaline, which forces us to look for a way out. Everyone needs stress in small quantities, as it makes you think and look for a way out of the problem. But on the other hand, if there is too much stress, the body weakens, loses strength and the ability to solve problems.

A huge number of scientific works are devoted to this problem. The mechanisms of stress have been studied in detail and are quite complex: they are associated with our hormonal, nervous, and vascular systems.

It should be noted that severe stress affects health. Stress reduces immunity and is the cause of many diseases (cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, etc.). Therefore, it is necessary to be able to resist stress and set yourself a positive attitude in life.

Types of stress

Stress can be divided into:

Emotional (positive or negative)

Physiological and psychological

Short and long term

There are short-term (acute) and long-term (chronic) stress.

Acute stress is characterized by the speed and suddenness with which it occurs. The extreme degree of acute stress is shock. Shock and acute stress almost always turn into chronic, long-term stress. The shock situation has passed, you seem to have recovered from the shock, but the memories of what you experienced come back again and again.

Long-term stress is not necessarily a consequence of acute stress; it often arises due to seemingly insignificant factors, but constantly acting and numerous.

Phases of stress.

The concept of stress appeared in 1954 thanks to Hans Selye. He showed that due to the activity of the hormonal system, during injuries and grief, during joy, in heat and cold, etc., hormones are released in the adrenal cortex that help a person adapt to changes in the environment. Stress occurs in three stages. The first and second, respectively, anxiety and adaptation are quite normal, and more useful than harmful. But if environmental changes occur too often, and office employees of large and medium-sized companies are familiar with this, then the third stage of stress begins - exhaustion. Exhaustion is a direct path to illness - psychosomatic illnesses.

Stress is a common and common phenomenon. Minor stress is inevitable and harmless. However, there are situations and job characteristics that negatively impact people. Excessive stress can be extremely destructive to a person.

A stressor is a stimulus that can trigger the fight or flight response. The stressors to which the human body has evolved to adapt are various factors that threaten safety.

The fight or flight response (i.e., the natural response to a stressor) is sometimes called the stress response (or stress reactivity). This reaction consists of increased muscle tension, increased heart rate, increased blood pressure and nervous arousal, decreased salivation, increased sodium, increased sweating, increased serum glucose, increased secretion of hydrochloric acid in the stomach, changes in brain wave activity and frequent urges. urination. This reaction prepares us for quick action. At the same time, our body produces substances that are not used in the future. Then it affects our health.

The author of the theory of stress, Canadian psychologist G. Selye, defines it as a set of stereotypical, phylogenetically programmed nonspecific reactions of the body that primarily prepare for physical activity, i.e. to resist, fight or flee. This, in turn, provides the most favorable conditions in the fight against danger. Weak impacts do not lead to stress; it occurs only when the influence of the stressor exceeds a person’s adaptive capabilities. When exposed to stress, certain hormones begin to be released into the blood. Under their influence, the operating mode of many organs and systems of the body changes (for example, the heart rate increases, blood clotting increases, and the protective properties of the body change). The body is prepared for struggle, ready to cope with danger, to adapt to it in one way or another - this is the main biological meaning of stress. Having developed the theory of stress, G. Selye identified three phases in it. The first phase is the alarm reaction. This is the phase of mobilizing the body's defenses. Most people experience increased performance by the end of the first phase. Physiologically, it manifests itself, as a rule, in the following: the blood thickens, the content of chlorine ions in it decreases, an increased release of nitrogen, phosphates, potassium occurs, an enlargement of the liver or spleen is noted, etc.

Following the first, the second phase begins - a balanced expenditure of the body’s adaptive reserves, i.e. stabilization. All parameters brought out of balance in the first phase are fixed at a new level. At the same time, a response that differs little from the norm is ensured, everything seems to be getting better. However, if stress continues for a long time, then, due to the limited reserves of the body, the third stage inevitably occurs - exhaustion.

Causes of stress.

The cause of stress can be external and internal. External causes are our life changes, everything that is not under our control, or is to a small extent. And internal reasons are rooted in our mind, for the most part they are born of our imagination. We do this division simply for convenience, since they are all interconnected. So, a short list of causes of stress.

External causes of stress.

Big changes in life.

Difficulties in relationships.

Financial difficulties.

Too busy.

Children and family.

Internal reasons:

Inability to accept uncertainty.

Pessimism.

Negative self-talk.

Unrealistic expectations.

Perfectionism.

Lack of persistence.

Stressful tension.

Stress is a tense state of the body, i.e. a nonspecific response of the body to a demand presented to it (stressful situation). Under the influence of stress, the human body experiences stress. Let's consider various human conditions that can signal the presence of internal tension in the body. Conscious assessment is able to transfer these signals from the emotional sphere (feelings) to the rational sphere (mind) and thereby eliminate the undesirable state.

Signs of stress

1. Inability to concentrate on something.

2. Too frequent mistakes in work.

3. Memory deteriorates.

4. Feeling tired too often.

5. Very fast speech.

6. Thoughts often disappear.

7. Pain appears quite often (head, back, stomach area).

8. Increased excitability.

9. Work does not bring the same joy.

10. Loss of sense of humor.

11. The number of cigarettes smoked increases sharply.

12. Addiction to alcoholic beverages.

13. Constant feeling of malnutrition.

14. Loss of appetite - generally lost taste for food.

15. Inability to finish work on time.

Causes of stress.

1. Constant lack of time.

2. Lack of sleep.

3. Frequent smoking.

4. Excessive alcohol consumption.

5. At home, there are constant conflicts in the family.

6. A constant feeling of dissatisfaction with life.

7. The appearance of an inferiority complex.

8. Feeling of self-disrespect.

Probably not all causes of stress are listed here. Each person must independently analyze his condition and identify the causes of stress, which may be characteristic only of his body (in terms of his personal feelings).

Effect on the body.

Stress has a huge impact on human health. This manifests itself in diseases of various organs and systems, and a general deterioration in well-being. Typically, stress affects a person’s physiological health in the following ways:

Severe headaches appear;

Lack of sleep of a chronic nature is observed;

The heart rate increases and diseases of the cardiovascular system develop. There is a high probability of exacerbation of hypertension or the occurrence of myocardial infarction;

Attention deteriorates, performance decreases and fatigue appears;

There are disruptions in the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract, which may result in the occurrence or exacerbation of gastritis and peptic ulcers;

Possible growth of malignant tumors;

The immune system weakens, making the body vulnerable to various types of viral and infectious diseases;

Hormones are produced in significant quantities, which, in turn, negatively affects the functioning of the internal organs of the nervous system;

Possible cellular degeneration of the spinal cord and brain, muscle dystrophy.

Stress affects not only physiological but also psychological health. Being in a stressful state makes it difficult for a person to live, since every action costs him incredible mental effort. A person may experience apathy towards everything, it is possible that he will even lose interest in life. The consequences of stress can be disappointing:

Aggressiveness, fits of anger, intolerance and irritability;

Emotional instability, neuroses, depression;

Insomnia;

Self-doubt, self-doubt.

Positive effects of stress

At first glance, it may seem that stress has an extremely destructive effect, negatively affecting health. However, in fact, stressful conditions have positive qualities and sometimes provide excellent service to a person:

During periods of stress, the human body produces the hormone adrenaline, which forces us to look for a way out of the current situation and take some action;

Stress motivates to improve relationships with others, while increasing the level of oxytocin, called the attachment hormone, in the blood;

If the stressful state is short-term, then it can improve working memory, which is used by a person to solve various problems;

By overcoming stressful situations, a person becomes more resilient.

Thus, the effect of stress on the human body is ambiguous, but if we are objective, then, of course, there are more negative consequences of this condition than positive ones. Therefore, you should always be positive, not take everything to heart, have a good rest and thereby avoid stress in any of its manifestations.

Methods for preventing stress.

There are four main methods of stress prevention using autoregulation: relaxation, anti-stress “remodeling” of the day, first aid for acute stress and autoanalysis of personal stress. The use of these methods, if necessary, is available to everyone.

Relaxation is a method by which you can partially or completely get rid of physical or mental stress. Relaxation is a very useful method because it is quite easy to master - it does not require special education or even a natural gift. But there is one indispensable condition - motivation, i.e. Everyone needs to know why they want to master relaxation.

Very often, when people return home, they transfer their work activity and excitement to their family. What do you need to get rid of your daytime impressions and, having crossed the threshold of the house, not take out your bad mood on your family? After all, in this way we bring home stress, and the fault is our inability to detach ourselves from the impressions accumulated during the day. First of all, you need to establish a good tradition: when you return home from work or school, immediately relax.

1. Sit in a chair, relax and rest peacefully. Or sit comfortably on a chair and take a relaxing “coachman’s pose.”

2. Brew yourself some strong tea or coffee. Stretch them out for 10 minutes, try not to think about anything serious during this period of time.

3. Listen to your favorite music. Enjoy these wonderful moments. Try to completely immerse yourself in the music, disconnecting from your thoughts.

4. If your loved ones are at home, drink tea or coffee with them and calmly talk about something. Do not solve your problems immediately upon returning home: in a state of fatigue and weakness, this is very difficult, and sometimes impossible. You can find a way out of the deadlock after a little time has passed and the stress of the working day has subsided.

5. Fill the bathtub with not very hot water and lie in it. Do calming breathing exercises in the bath. Take a deep breath through closed lips, lower your lower face and nose into the water and exhale very slowly. Try to exhale as long as possible (exhalation with resistance). Imagine that with each exhalation the overall tension that has accumulated during the day gradually subsides.

6. Take a walk in the fresh air.

7. Put on a tracksuit, sneakers and run for 10 minutes.

It is very important that the initiative for such “changes” of the day comes from ourselves. It is necessary to warn your loved ones that during this short period of time we forget about our household responsibilities and try to spend these 10 minutes with them. With a fresh head, solving all household problems will require much less nervous and physical energy.

Ways to deal with stress.

Any average person is interested in what to do when stressed and how to resist negative external influences.

Among the main methods of stress relief are:

relaxation;

meditation;

breathing techniques;

muscle relaxation;

visualization.

The relaxation method has a fairly long-lasting relaxing effect. To do this, you need to mentally relax, leave all matters and problems “outside the door.” Having assumed a lying position, we spread our legs to the sides so that the toes of the feet are turned towards each other. We move our arms to the sides and take a deep breath, then exhale for 5-7 seconds. Gradually imagine how the body relaxes from the legs to the knees, from the pelvis to the chest, from the shoulders to the head. Moreover, you need to relax so that there is a feeling of weightlessness. Taking deep breaths and long exhalations,

The best remedy for stress is meditation. This method is good because it has a calming and relaxing effect on the nervous system. To meditate, you need to sit in a comfortable position, relax your muscles, take a deep breath and exhale, and imagine a beautiful landscape or your favorite vacation spot. It doesn’t matter what image or place a person represents, the main thing is that the picture evokes positive emotions.

Breathing techniques are considered one of the best stress relievers. Controlling your breathing helps you pull yourself together and reduce anxiety in an extreme situation. You need to perform breathing exercises either standing or lying down for proper functioning of the lungs and diaphragm. Probably everyone has noticed that in a stressful situation the breathing rhythm changes, thus, by regulating the respiratory process, you can successfully resist stress. With prolonged exhalation, the body relaxes and the nervous system calms. The correct rhythm of air regulation, a slow pace of inhalation and exhalation ensures effective relaxation.

Muscle tension causes discomfort in the body and aggravates the negative effects of external stimuli. Muscle tension, the place of greatest tension, blocks the body's energy potential. A person constantly exposed to stress has a hunched posture, and his shoulders and hands are tense when walking. There are several muscle relaxation techniques:

relaxation according to Jacobson;

muscle relaxation according to Jackson.

Muscle relaxation according to Jacobson is carried out in a sitting position. It is necessary to completely relax all the muscles of the body, feeling weightlessness and lightness in the joints and limbs. Closing his eyes, a person alternately relaxes and tenses muscle groups, starting from the head to the feet.

American psychologist E. Jacobson proposed his relaxation technique. To do this, you need to alternately tense and relax your muscles, focusing on relaxation. First, the dominant parts of the body are tensed, for example, in a left-handed person, the left side is dominant. In total, the scientist identified 16 main muscle groups, the effective relaxation of which helps to get rid of accumulated negative emotions and stress.

One of the effective ways to overcome stress is the visualization method. Many psychologists advise, in case of prolonged emotional stress, to take a sheet of paper, write down the essence of a personal problem on it (or depict it in the form of a drawing) and burn it, visualizing that the internal tension goes away along with the smoke. This seemingly simple technique allows you to use visualization to displace accumulated negativity. When visualizing, you can imagine pleasant images, remember fun events, the main thing is that your thoughts have a positive connotation.

The popular American method of “screaming into space” helps many people get rid of accumulated stress. Foreign psychologists believe that by throwing out negativity by shouting, you can quickly get rid of emotional stress and calm down. A scream can be accompanied by physical manipulation, such as breaking dishes or hitting a punching bag, so the accumulated negativity is fully splashed out.

Tension and stress can completely destroy our health and well-being. Stress can completely change a person, both internally and externally, if we allow it. Struggling against daily stress can cause illness. But fighting against tragic situations can cause death.

This is vitally important and it is necessary to relieve nervous tension and stress in every possible way. This should become a daily norm for you, just like, for example, brushing your teeth. Give yourself rest, take “breaks” periodically. Spend five or ten minutes doing something you love that will help you relax, especially while you're working. But also take longer breaks. Relaxation and pleasure should be a priority in your life; family picnics, reading, music, sports competitions, and so on - you need it. The possibilities are endless and it will also bring huge benefits to your health. And if your whole family also takes part in relaxation and entertainment with you, then everyone benefits from these pleasant events spent together!

Again, find ways to relax. Escape from the grind of daily work and use the extracted energy to your advantage. You will never be able to completely get rid of stress and nervous tension, but you can definitely lighten the load. Taking precautions can ease the negative effects of stress and tension on your body, health and well-being.

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Types of stress

There are two types of stress - distress And eustress.

Eustress– stress as a result of positive emotions or short-term and mild stress that mobilizes the body’s strength. Such stress has a positive effect on the human body and is not dangerous.
Distress– severe stress caused by negative factors (physical, mental), which are very difficult for the body to cope with. Such stress has a negative impact on the nervous system and human health in general.

These two types of stress are divided into types based on the nature of the impact:

Emotional stress– the very first reaction under stress. Activates metabolic processes in the body, the autonomic nervous system, and the endocrine system. If it occurs frequently or lasts for a long time, it leads to imbalance of these systems.
Psychological stress– caused by social factors or one’s own worries. Caused by conflict situations in society, worries about the future. With such stress, a person may experience emotions such as fear, excitement, envy, melancholy, jealousy, irritability, anxiety, restlessness, etc.
Biological stress– caused by physical stress factors. These include: burn; hypothermia; disease; poisoning; injuries; hunger; irradiation, etc.

It is worth noting another type of stress - professional stress, which arises as a result of work stress factors: harmful working conditions (pollution, noise); inconvenient work schedule; poor nutrition; poor relationships with management and employees; overload, fast pace of work; monotony, uniformity of actions.

The impact of stress on a person's life

As mentioned earlier, stress can affect a person’s body and life both positively and negatively.

With short exposure to stress factors, the body is mobilized, a person gains strength and motivation for decisive action. This is a positive effect of stress.

When a person remains in a stressful state for a long time under the influence of stress hormones, the body is destroyed.

Loss of appetite, weight loss. Interest in life disappears.
Psychological and physical weakness appears, self-doubt, a feeling of dissatisfaction, discomfort, depression may develop, leading to even deeper systemic disorders.
The influence of stress on human activity is expressed in reduced performance, human development in society is suspended.

Sudden, severe stress causes your blood pressure to skyrocket, which can lead to a heart attack or stroke.

A person who constantly worries about decreased libido can cause men to lose their strength. a miscarriage may occur.

A depressed person is unable to make adequate decisions; stress has a strong influence on a person’s behavior, which can lead to suicide.

In addition, stress decreases immunity, the body during this period is more predisposed to the emergence of new diseases and to the exacerbation of old ones. It’s not for nothing that they say that all illnesses come from worries. Therefore, long-term emotional stress must be dealt with.

Methods for dealing with stress

Emotional stress abounds. The healthiest and most effective of them are physical activity, sports, proper nutrition and daily routine. In severe cases, hospitalization may be required.

Since the body loses a lot of energy under stress, it is necessary to support it with vitamins and minerals, which are abundant in vegetables and fruits. Even just one banana can improve your mood.

Do not neglect autogenic training, which tunes, strengthens his will and emotions. Do not be afraid to communicate with a psychotherapist who will help you overcome all the difficulties that have arisen in front of you.

Conclusion

Stress haunts us throughout our lives. We cannot avoid it, but reducing its negative impact and getting rid of it as quickly as possible is quite possible.

To do this, you need to follow a daily routine, add more fruits and vegetables to your diet. You can start physical and psychological training, or consult a specialist.

The main thing is not to succumb to the destructive effects of stress, fight and then everything will be great for you!

Stressful situations can have different effects on a person’s well-being and the functioning of organs and systems. Short-term stress helps to mobilize forces, make the right decision in a critical situation, and improve relationships with those close to you. Prolonged and intense exposure to stress has a negative impact on health. This leads to problems in the functioning of the cardiovascular, nervous, immune systems, and gastrointestinal tract organs. A person has no desire to do anything, and loses interest in life. Sudden attacks of rage, irritability, and aggression may periodically occur.

General concept

There is one fundamentally important point that you need to pay attention to before talking about the effects of stress on your health. This is a reaction to external circumstances that everyone perceives differently. This means that the degree of influence of the same situations on different people will differ. The impact of stress depends on how a person perceives the current state of affairs.

Stress has a different nature of origin depending on the factors that provoked it. Conventionally, they can be divided into two categories: physical (appearing against the background of sensations of thirst, hunger, heat, cold, infections) and psychological, which arise as a result of severe nervous strain.

Stress affects health both positively and negatively. It all depends on its intensity and duration. Short-term and not very strong stress can be regarded as positive. If the exposure is prolonged and intense, then it is dangerous for health and well-being. In order to get rid of internal tension, addiction to alcohol, nicotine, drug addiction, passion for gambling appears, changes in sexual preferences occur, and rash acts are committed. Such behavior does not solve the accumulated problems, but only contributes to their aggravation. Stress negatively affects not only physical, but also psychological health, communication with loved ones and the opposite sex, and the implementation of professional plans.

How does overexertion affect your health?

Intense stress, which continues for a long time, significantly impairs the functioning of almost all internal organs and systems of a person. Its insidiousness lies in the fact that it leads to a deterioration in health not immediately, but after a certain time.

Stress has many negative effects on a person's physiological health:

Angina develops.
The risk of myocardial infarction increases.
Blood pressure increases significantly.
Blood sugar levels increase.
The level of fatty acids increases.
Gastritis, gastric and duodenal ulcers, chronic colitis, and cholelithiasis develop.
The body's defenses decrease, and a person often suffers from acute respiratory infections.
There is a loss of appetite or addiction to a certain type of food, weight loss.
The skin turns red, peels, and various rashes appear.
Insomnia, depression, feelings of depression, neuroses, anxiety, sudden mood swings appear, attention and memory deteriorate. A person gets tired quickly and cannot perform his duties at work efficiently.
A person suffers from severe headaches.
The consumption of large quantities of alcoholic beverages begins, and alcoholism develops.
Excess hormones that are produced during stress lead to thinning of the skin, osteoporosis, and muscle tissue dystrophy.
Stress contributes to the development of cancer.
In rare cases, irreversible processes are possible in the form of degeneration of cells in the spinal cord and brain.

If unexpected severe stress (emotional shock) occurs, this can lead to the following consequences:

Spasm of muscles, tissues, blood vessels.
Damage to motor function.
Miscarriages in pregnant women.
Decreased libido, testosterone levels, development of impotence.
Panic attacks, heart attack.
Nausea, indigestion.
A sharp increase in blood pressure.

Impact of stress on the psyche

Negative effects on mental health are manifested by the following signs:

You feel chronic fatigue, apathy, and loss of strength.
A person loses interest not only in work, but also in life in general.
Periodically, intolerance, increased conflict, unexpected outbursts of anger, aggression, and irritability arise.
Mood lability and emotional instability are noted.
Inferiority complexes appear, self-confidence and one’s abilities are lost.
Hypochondria and sleep disorders develop.
The functioning of the hormonal sphere is disrupted.
It is difficult for a person to properly plan his time, he cannot relax and fully rest, his circle of contacts narrows, disagreements and quarrels appear in the family, he does not want to fulfill his marital duty.

Stress is the strongest tension in different systems of the body, which does not go away without leaving a trace. The negative impact of stress on human health is very great and has the worst consequences. It is a stressful situation that becomes the cause of many diseases that appear later - both physical and mental.

Factors causing stress

To minimize the impact of stress on the body, you need to wage the most active fight against it. First you need to understand what was the irritating factor. If you get rid of the cause, you can eliminate the consequences.

The influence of stress on human physiological health

The impact of stress on human health is enormous. This manifests itself in diseases of various systems and organs, as well as in a general deterioration in human well-being. Most often, stress affects a person’s physiological health in the following ways.

1. Concentration and memory deteriorate. The impact of stress on performance is enormous: only in rare cases does a person throw himself into work. More often than not, a person simply cannot physically or psychologically do the work efficiently and on time. He is characterized by rapid fatigue.

2. Severe headaches.

3. How does stress affect the heart? Diseases of the cardiovascular system manifest themselves most clearly during such periods. There is an increase in heart rate, myocardial infarction may occur, and hypertension becomes worse.

4. Chronic lack of sleep.

5. Alcoholism.

6. The gastrointestinal tract also suffers: peptic ulcers and gastritis worsen or develop.

7. Immunity decreases and, as a result, frequent viral diseases.

8. In stressful situations, hormones are produced in huge quantities and negatively affect the functioning of the nervous system and internal organs. For muscles, an increased concentration of glucocorticoids is dangerous due to muscle tissue degeneration. It is an excess of hormones during stress that leads to such serious diseases as thinning skin and osteoporosis.

9. Some experts believe that it is stress that provokes the growth of cancer cells.

10. Unfortunately, some consequences of stress are so severe that they are irreversible: a rare, but still consequence is degeneration of cells in both the spinal cord and brain.

Stress and health. Diseases from stress

Stress disorganizes a person’s activity, his behavior, and leads to a variety of psycho-emotional disorders (anxiety, depression, neuroses, emotional instability, low mood, or, conversely, overexcitation, anger, memory impairment, insomnia, increased fatigue, etc.).

Stress, especially if it is frequent and prolonged, has a negative impact not only on a person’s psychological state, but also on a person’s physical health. They are the main risk factors for the manifestation and exacerbation of many diseases. The most common diseases are the cardiovascular system (myocardial infarction, angina, hypertension), gastrointestinal tract (gastritis, gastric and duodenal ulcers), and decreased immunity.

Hormones that are produced under stress, necessary in physiological quantities for the normal functioning of the body, in large quantities cause many undesirable reactions leading to diseases and even death. Their negative effect is aggravated by the fact that modern man, unlike primitive people, rarely uses muscle energy when stressed. Therefore, biologically active substances circulate in the blood in elevated concentrations for a long time, preventing either the nervous system or internal organs from calming down.

In muscles, glucocorticoids in high concentrations cause the breakdown of nucleic acids and proteins, which, with prolonged action, leads to muscle dystrophy.

In the skin, these hormones inhibit the growth and division of fibroblasts, which leads to thinning of the skin, its easy damage, and poor wound healing. In bone tissue - to suppress calcium absorption. The end result of the prolonged action of these hormones is a decrease in bone mass, an extremely common disease is osteoporosis.

The list of negative consequences of increasing the concentration of stress hormones above physiological levels can be continued for a long time. This includes degeneration of brain and spinal cord cells, growth retardation, decreased insulin secretion (“steroid” diabetes), etc. A number of very authoritative scientists even believe that stress is the main factor in the occurrence of cancer and other oncological diseases.

Such reactions are caused not only by strong, acute, but also by small, but long-term stressful influences. Therefore, chronic stress, in particular, prolonged psychological stress, depression can also lead to the above diseases. Even a new direction in medicine has emerged, called psychosomatic medicine, which considers all kinds of stress as the main or accompanying pathogenetic factor in many (if not all) diseases.

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