Can stress be good for your health? The benefits and harms of stress Harmful consequences of prolonged stress.

Minor stress mobilizes the body and activates defenses; in small doses, such emotional stress does not harm a person. But a prolonged and strong traumatic factor has serious consequences. Health suffers, adaptation mechanisms and resources decrease, and stress increases. How to recover after a difficult experience? What to do when emotional shock does not allow you to live fully?

Causes and signs of severe stress

Severe emotional distress can affect anyone. Psychologists have developed a stress scale that includes the main traumatic categories. The first places on the scale are the death of a relative or friend, divorce and loneliness. In last place are family quarrels, promotions and weddings. Even positive life events can cause increased stress.


The main symptoms of severe stress:

1. A person becomes fixated on negative events. His thoughts are occupied with disturbing experiences; the shock he has experienced cannot be removed by simple means, for example, physical activity.
2. The expression of emotions is impaired. A person is irritated, prone to outbursts of anger and rage, symptoms of stress indicate a weakened nervous system. Some symptoms indicate dulling of feelings, the inability to experience joy, orgasm, or enjoy life.
3. Interpersonal communication is destroyed. After suffering a trauma, an individual breaks off friendships, avoids communication, and strives for loneliness.
4. Severe intensity of stress provokes the development of mental illness. People at risk include survivors of childhood violence, victims of violent crimes and others. In this case, the symptoms are associated with adaptation disorders. A severe shock is reflected in dreams and becomes a deep inner experience.
5. Abuse of alcohol, toxic and narcotic substances.
6. Suicidal thoughts.

Symptoms of severe stress are more acute in women and older people. In childhood, on the contrary, boys experience emotional trauma more painfully than girls.

How does extreme stress affect the body?

The consequences of acute experiences also affect health. It can be difficult to relieve symptoms after stress, since a person turns to specialized specialists, but does not treat the main cause - anxiety. Basic for the body:

1. Increased blood pressure, headache, tachycardia.
2. After experiencing a shock, the functioning of the immune system is disrupted and the body’s protective functions are reduced.
3. The consequences of stress manifest themselves in the form of diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. Heartburn, gastritis, stool disorders, constipation - this is an incomplete list of stomach diseases due to severe anxiety.
4. Women experience symptoms of thrush, dryness and burning during sexual intercourse. Some women experience menstrual irregularities.
5. The skin suffers. Eczema, itching, rash of unknown origin are consequences after experiencing stress.

Symptoms may indicate deep trauma, such as pain during intercourse after abuse. In most cases, people who have experienced tragedy need psychotherapeutic treatment.

Stress Relief Methods

What to do in a situation of strong emotion?

• First option - .
• The second option is to consult a doctor.

What methods can be used to relieve severe tension? Let's look at a few techniques.

1. Doctor Vetoz's method. To streamline your emotional state and cope with anxiety, you can use imaginary generation. Close your eyes and begin to mentally draw an infinity sign - a horizontal figure eight. Imagine the sign on a black board, draw it with chalk.
2. Breathing techniques. Doing the exercises is easy, just understand the essence of proper breathing. For example, if you have severe anxiety, start listening to your breathing, tracking your inhalation and exhalation.
3. Affirmative formulas. You can relieve fear and nervousness using special formulas in the form of a positive phrase. It’s worth saying it to yourself in a situation of unexpected shock. Example: “Stop. I'm calm" or "Stop. The fear goes away."
4. Switching from the problem. You can get away from negative thoughts after experiencing trauma by switching to another activity. Physical activity, singing out loud, active dancing, running in the morning, breeding ornamental birds. Any active activity will help relieve stress. Self-absorption is dangerous; negative thoughts will interfere with life.
5. Meditative techniques. Teaching Eastern practices is effective. Meditation is pleasant, it calms, relaxes, and relieves anxiety.
6. Massage, acupuncture, leech treatment. You can relieve stress using unconventional methods in combination with additional treatment.

What to do if the above methods do not help? Try resorting to prayer; faith saves you in many difficult situations.

Video:"How to deal with stress properly"

Treatment options

The severe effects of stress must be relieved with the help of a specialist. The doctor will assess your general condition, select treatment, help you recover from strong experiences, and relieve symptoms. Basic treatment includes a combination of psychotherapeutic techniques and medications. The approximate program includes the following procedures:

1. Doctors' examinations. Therapist, physiotherapist, cardiologist and others.
2. Consultation with a psychotherapist, designation of a course of work.
3. Prescribing tests according to indications.
4. To relieve the effects of stress, you should regularly attend classes with a psychotherapist. Work can be done individually or in a group.
5. Therapeutic relaxation exercises. It should be done regularly, then the effect will be long-lasting.
6. Medication treatment includes prescribing medications to relieve anxiety. This could be a herbal-based sedative, for example, Persen, or a chemical-based sedative, for example, Afobazol. Potent drugs are prescribed only by a doctor, based on the patient’s condition.
7. In maintenance therapy, therapists must include proper nutrition, vitamin complexes, and adherence to a daily routine.

It takes a lot of work to remove the consequences of an emotional shock. Treatment can be supplemented with comprehensive programs, which include herbal medicine, pine baths, shower massage and other methods.

It is possible to cope with the consequences of severe stress; modern techniques allow you to relieve anxiety efficiently and in a short time. But work on treating tension should be done regularly, without abandoning the proposed methods.

Sometimes we joke that all diseases are caused by nerves. Is there some truth to this joke and is it possible to get sick due to nervousness?

Before answering this question, let’s try to figure out what happens in the body during nervous tension. When we react to something particularly acutely, the brain sends impulses to the adrenal glands, which release the so-called stress hormones - cortisol and adrenaline - into the blood.

Stress hormones help the body become stronger for a while. We can say that the body is preparing for battle: blood vessels constrict, blood flow slows down, and blood pressure rises. This mechanism could be very useful if you needed to fight for your life, hunt a predator, or flee.

In the modern world, rarely anything truly threatens our lives (or rather, our well-being). But at the same time, we react as if we were facing mortal danger, and our body triggers the stress mechanism. This helps you quickly prepare for an exam, submit a report, find the right words and solutions (but at what cost!)

Biochemical changes that occur due to nervous tension do not immediately return to normal. Therefore, after a stressful situation, a person may feel apathy, drowsiness and fatigue for a long time - the body has spent a lot of energy to cope with the problem. In some ways, this can be compared to a loan: the body receives substances that will make it stronger, but they will have to be “returned” with interest.

It has long been known that stress is harmful to health and can cause various serious diseases. Against the background of stress, the regulation of blood pressure can be disrupted (usually the brain “monitors” maintaining pressure within normal limits), which will cause arterial hypertension. Stress hormones have an extremely negative effect on the heart, gastrointestinal tract and other internal organs. It is no coincidence that heart disease is so common these days.

Against the background of stress, sexual desire may disappear, and men develop potency disorders (slow blood flow affects the functioning of an important male organ).

Therefore, it is important to find your own personal ways to deal with stress. Of course, there is no point in protecting yourself from any experiences; you just need to avoid overloading the nervous system. How do you know if you are under stress or not?

Nervous stress is manifested by the following symptoms: constant fatigue (even after waking up), drowsiness, apathy, anxiety, sleep disturbances, headaches and muscle pain (so-called tension pain), a tendency to tears and a feeling of a lump in the throat.

To combat stress, all the ways that help you are good: sports, going to the pool, walks and trips into nature, medical massage, music, movies, chatting with friends. Don't forget that during times of stress, your body needs more nutrients than usual. Try to eat healthy and varied, eat vegetables, fruits, lean meat and fish, nuts, cereals.

Sedatives will help in the “acute” period, when you are at your most tense and you need to do something urgently to reduce nervous tension. The familiar tinctures of valerian and motherwort are best taken before bed - they cause drowsiness. During the day, it is better to take “daytime” drugs that do not cause drowsiness and lethargy, such as Tenoten. This medicine not only calms, but also improves concentration and composure (which is noticeably affected by stress).

Don't forget about vitamins and microelements - during times of stress, the body especially needs magnesium; this microelement is literally washed out of tissues under stress. Vitamin C, potassium and magnesium will help restore strength to your muscles and clarity of thinking to your brain.

Don’t forget about the best cure for nervous tension - rest. Even one day spent without technology (computer, TV, radio, telephone) helps the brain to rest and “reboot.”

There are contraindications. It is necessary to read the instructions for use or consult a specialist.

The concept of stress has become a part of our lives. Modern medicine has recognized that every person is susceptible to stress, regardless of age, position or material income, and therefore it is necessary to learn to cope with this condition and competently resist it.

Minor stress does not harm the body, although we encounter it almost constantly. Another thing is persistent or incredibly strong stress, which causes serious harm to health and can become a trigger for many serious diseases. By the way, in our country more than 70% of the population is under constant influence of stress, which means that for all those who want to live a full life and feel healthy, it is important to know the reasons why this dangerous reaction occurs and take all necessary measures to develop stress resistance .

Why stress occurs

First, let's look at the concept of stress itself. In essence, stress is the body’s response to negative emotions, physical or emotional stress, as well as monotonous bustle. In this regard, we are more often exposed to stress when engaged in professional activities, developing and trying to self-realize. As a rule, prolonged stress is caused by an unhealthy atmosphere in the team, constant quarrels and squabbles, overtime work, excessive demands and pressure from management, as well as work in a highly competitive environment. This also includes night shifts, constant noise in the workplace and the need to perform monotonous, monotonous work.

These are the main causes of stress. However, even if you don't work or your work life is enjoyable, stress can lurk in your home. This is facilitated by intra-family conflicts, dissatisfaction with social living conditions, internal fears, complexes and experiences, as well as the unrealization of one’s potential. All these negative factors leave a negative imprint not only on mental, but also on physical health.

Mechanism of stress development

You need to understand that the negative consequences of stress do not arise out of nowhere. Our body responds to stress through the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, or simply the HPA axis. That is, in the event of a stressful situation, the hypothalamus sends an impulse to the pituitary gland, which in turn redirects information to the adrenal glands, and the adrenal glands begin to rapidly produce glucocorticoids - stress hormones, which in a second mobilize the body's defenses to combat stress. It is under the influence of adrenaline, cortisol, testosterone and aldosterone that in a stressful situation our blood pressure rises, our pulse quickens, our blood becomes thicker and our reaction speed increases. However, if a stressful situation drags on, becoming chronic, the adrenal glands do not stop producing stress hormones for a long time, which leads to undesirable consequences for the body.

Physiological manifestations of stress

First of all, prolonged stress takes its toll on a person’s physical condition. In case of excessive levels of cortisol and adrenaline in the patient’s body, the following unpleasant symptoms appear:

Heart and blood vessels

Heart rhythm is disturbed, blood pressure “jumps” and cholesterol levels rise;

Intestines. Metabolism changes, constipation and cramping pains are increasingly tormented, and “irritable bowel syndrome” develops;

Lungs

There are breathing problems, shortness of breath and an increased risk of asthmatic diseases;

Eyes

Vision decreases and eye tremor appears;

Leather

Boils and acne form on the face, and the skin of the body undergoes inflammatory reactions. Eczema or psoriasis may appear;

Brain

Headaches appear, and a little later cognitive dysfunction occurs: memory decreases and attention is impaired;

Immunity

The immune system gradually weakens, allowing pathogenic agents to pass through, and therefore one of the consequences of stress is infectious diseases.

In addition, most scientists agree that stress is a trigger for the development of cancer.

Psychological manifestations of stress

According to doctors, physical manifestations of stress are just the beginning of all troubles with the body. Much more dangerous are psychological disorders caused by prolonged stress.

First of all, under the influence of stress, a person has problems sleeping. This could be problems falling asleep or insomnia, when a person wakes up in the middle of the night and cannot close his eyes until the morning. This condition is the first bell indicating an overstrain of the nervous system.

A little later, other, more severe conditions are added to insomnia. A patient exposed to chronic stress falls into a depressive state, he is indifferent to everything that happens, depressed and taciturn.

To cope with unpleasant sensations, a person in such a depressed state often begins to drink alcohol, use drugs, or take handfuls of antidepressants, which bring only temporary relief, causing serious addiction.

Ultimately, under the influence of persistent stress, the patient begins to suffer from neuroses, becomes irritable, eccentric, shows aggression towards others, or, conversely, becomes depressed and apathetic. Moreover, as practice shows, the second condition is much more dangerous, since a person may have thoughts of suicide.

Prevention of stress conditions

Understanding the harm that prolonged stress brings to the body, each of us should think about how to resist this phenomenon. Of course, we will not be able to completely protect ourselves from pressure, negative influence from outside, or our own anxious thoughts, and therefore we need to learn how to react correctly to stress, developing stress resistance in ourselves.

Practice shows that stress-resistant people not only have excellent health, but also reach professional heights, which means they more often realize their dreams and feel happier. Everything indicates that you need to strengthen your body and spirit in the face of possible stressful situations. Here are some tips to help you prevent chronic stress from developing.

Change your attitude towards what is happening around you

To successfully cope with the effects of stress, you first need emotional intelligence. This is an important human quality, which is based on the ability to understand one’s own emotions and their reasons, as well as the emotions and motives of other people. If you look for the reasons for the conflict or irritation that appears in you, and do not immediately respond to the received negativity with the same portion of negativity, you will learn to react more calmly to the situations around you and become less susceptible to stress.

Learn to let off steam

Don't think that stress-free people are reserved by nature. They just know how to release negativity in a timely manner without keeping it to themselves. And this is a very valuable quality, because the accumulating negativity, not finding a way out, begins to destroy a person from the inside. That is why, learn to throw out aggression, for example, cry when you really want it, lock yourself in a room and yell, addressing your emotions to the person who caused your anger, or engage in physical work, because it has been proven that physical activity relieves stress better than others, promoting production of “joy” hormones.

Don't keep your emotions to yourself

It is very important to learn to understand the emotions and feelings that overwhelm you, to distinguish between resentment or anger, annoyance or irritation. It is important to talk about what worries you, calling a spade a spade. You just need to do this without “getting personal,” without insulting your opponent. For example, “your words offend me” (not you are a boorish, rude, impudent person), it makes me angry when I see (hear) this, etc. When you have expressed your feelings and explained your condition, there is a high probability that those around you will stop doing this in the future. But even if nothing changes, you were able to speak out and not keep the negativity to yourself. Remember, healthy emotion ends in action.

Try to get more rest

Very often, chronic stress appears due to disruption of work and rest patterns. This problem may arise for people who have not been on vacation for several years, regularly work on weekends and stay in the office until late. Here you need to understand that you can’t earn all the money, and for self-realization you don’t need to give all of yourself to work without a trace. By overdoing it, you will only push your cherished goal further. Establish a regime according to which every evening you should have several hours to relax and communicate with your family, be sure to arrange days off and do not forget about vacation, which is given to a person not for idleness, but for relaxation and restoration of vitality. At the same time, be sure to plan your vacation so that it does not take place exclusively in front of the TV or on social networks. Think about how you can diversify your leisure time: go to the cinema, take a walk in the park, go shopping or go on a short trip around the area.

Play sports

Physical activity is one of the best ways to combat stress. The fact is that when playing sports, joy hormones are actively released in the body - dopamine, serotonin and endorphin. This is why after physical exercise your mood improves and anxious thoughts go away. At the same time, when we encourage you to play sports, we are not talking about obligatory visits to the gym. On the contrary, to prevent stress, it is better to swim in the pool or ride a bike in the park, go jogging, or get together with friends and play football. It is this kind of physical activity, in the fresh air and combined with pleasant friendly communication, that will bring maximum benefits in preventing stress.

Normalize your sleep

The brain needs rest no less than the body, because we all remember that the mechanism of stress development begins precisely in the brain, where the pituitary gland and hypothalamus are located. That is why make it a rule to sleep at least 8 hours a day. Of course, for people who are used to sleeping 5 hours a day, it is not so easy to radically change their rest mode, but if you set a clear bedtime routine, and before that do not drink coffee or strong tea and do not stimulate your brain with computers and TV shows, everything will be fine. you can do it. By the way, according to doctors, in 60% of cases, long-term stress is provoked by chronic lack of sleep, and therefore, pay close attention to this aspect.

Watch your breath

According to experts, you can cope with any stressful situation if you learn to breathe correctly. Breathing is the only autonomic function that a person controls, which means that by mastering the appropriate breathing technique, you will be able to regulate your mood and remain calm in situations where they are trying to unsettle you. On the Internet and specialized literature, you can find the necessary techniques for teaching breathing yoga and quickly master them.

Find yourself a hobby

Each person should have his own outlet, his own hobby, to which he can “switch” after a hard day at work. Moreover, this is not just fun, but also therapy, arousing interest and improving mood, and most importantly, allowing you to switch your attention and distract from negative thoughts. A change of interests will only benefit you, so feel free to go fishing, to the forest to pick mushrooms, to the stadium, to cheer for your favorite team or to the bathhouse, taking a couple of true friends with you. By the way, it will be especially useful if you involve your friends in the hobby, because communicating with pleasant people is another effective means of combating stress. Health to you and joy of life!

Hello everyone! Stress is an immediate response of the human body to dramatically changing external conditions. This can be any situation, both harmless and requiring caution. An individual can experience shock at the sight of a car rushing through a red light, or at the approach of an aggressive person or a stray dog. Such situations cause the release of hormones, with the help of which one or another reaction to such an event is formed.

Nowadays, stress is an integral part of everyday human existence. Its peculiarity lies in exactly how and with what intensity the individual’s body will react to the current situation. Most often, the greatest burden falls on the emotional or physical sphere. And today we will talk about how stress affects human health.

Causes of stress

The most common causes of stress are:

• overload;
• new job;
• constant nagging from the boss;
• severe shock;
• conflict;
• anxiety;
• panic fear;
• diffidence;
• significant hypothermia;
• possible accident;
• disease;
• injury received;
• hunger;
• thirst, etc.

Such influences entail a corresponding reaction of the body. It can be very different. It depends on the complexity of the situation and its impact on the person. It also matters whether he himself, the people for whom he is responsible, or his loved ones are involved.

It is very important how it manifests itself. A person either hides and suppresses them. It may also be that he does not express the feelings that he actually experiences in order to achieve the necessary reaction from others.

Stress can arise at any time. Even a small child who is called to the blackboard during class at school already experiences it. In the future, almost every step an adult takes is accompanied by one or another negative impact.

What are the reactions to stress?

If there are too many such situations or the body’s reaction to them is inadequate, then they can cause harm. Gradually:

• the person becomes anxious;
• he is decreasing;
• he is constantly nervous;
• gets irritated;
• cries;
• screams;
• swears, etc.

As a result, he gets exhausted very quickly, gets tired, his attention wanders, his memory decreases, and muscle tension begins to arise, leading to quite severe pain.

Human health gradually begins to suffer. Eastern medicine is generally of the opinion that most diseases occur under the influence of stress. Indeed, bronchial asthma, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, stomach ulcers, etc. develop precisely as a result of nervous overload.

This happens because a significant negative nervous effect does not pass without leaving a trace for a person. He experiences a severe emotional disturbance, temporary under normal conditions or permanent under continued stress. Any failure in an individual’s body begins with psychological trauma. It is this that causes other dysfunctions of internal organs.

Therefore, specialists in the field of medicine and psychology are closely studying this serious problem. It has been proven that most diseases of internal organs occur under the influence of nervous overload. If they are repeated too much, then pathology may develop.

This happens as follows. During a stressful situation, endocrine organs are activated. The active release of hormones begins. Their excess quantity has a strong effect on the brain, stomach, and cardiovascular system. If this condition is prolonged or not neutralized, then a failure occurs.

A sudden release of a large number of various hormones leads to a significant increase in heart rate, sudden jumps in blood pressure, and the reaction of the parasympathetic system. If this is repeated often enough, the body’s defenses gradually decrease. Sometimes a poor immune system is no longer able to protect a person from even the development of cancer.

Thus, an abundance of stress weakens a person, disrupts his metabolism, and inhibits regeneration processes in cells and tissues. They suffer from this:

• leather;
• muscles;
• brain;
• spinal cord;
• bones;
• hair;
• nails;
• thyroid;
• spine, etc.

Bones become thinner, which leads to fractures, and constantly increased hormonal levels disrupt the metabolism, genitourinary system, gastrointestinal tract and nerves.

To prevent this from happening, it is necessary to give stress an outlet. This is possible in the presence of muscular or emotional stress. If you do not accumulate it, but get rid of it, then it can even be useful for the body.

The essence of a hormonal attack is to activate all the systems necessary to cope with the current situation. Since these days, as a rule, no increased effort is required for this, a way out can be given through an emotional or muscular response. Subsequently, the body, when faced with a similar problem, no longer reacts to it so sharply, but quickly finds a solution already embedded in the memory cells.

If stress occurs only occasionally and is not destructive, it can have health benefits. This happens when its action does not exceed the danger of the situation or the person knows how to cope with it. The main thing is that problems do not become too frequent and severe. Otherwise, the body will simply stop fighting them.

First, headaches begin to appear. Then arrhythmia and increased blood pressure will occur. After a short time, these pathologies generalize and become chronic.

It is very important not to try to cope with stress through alcohol, smoking or drugs. In addition to a strong blow to the psyche, the influence of such substances will significantly worsen your health. The consequences may be delayed. That is, at first a person will experience relief, and then gradually a serious illness will arise that can even lead to death.

How stress affects human health

Then a condition called distress appears. It negatively affects health by damaging cells and tissues. It is divided into:

1. nervous;
2. short-term;
3. chronic;
4. psychological;
5. physiological.

Therefore, stress can affect a person in a variety of ways. Do not think that too much nervous shock is required for a significant impairment of health. Small but constantly recurring nervous situations are no less dangerous. Gradually they merge together and pose a direct threat to health.

It can manifest itself abruptly, under the influence of a specific negative situation, or accumulate day after day in a traumatic environment.

Then stress can create serious problems. This is explained by the fact that its course is subject to a certain logic. The body's response is aimed at helping a person adapt to the current unfavorable situation.

Therefore, stress goes through three successive periods of time, consisting of anxiety, the stage of adaptation to specific conditions and exhaustion if this does not happen.

Anxiety and adaptation are the normal course of this reaction, leading to positive results. But in the case when there are a lot of stressful situations and the body does not have time to adapt to them or they are repeated so often that the adaptation loses its strength, then the stage of exhaustion begins. This is usually followed by the development of some disease.

They can manifest themselves in the psyche, nervous system, metabolism and the functioning of the internal organs of a person. If he is already suffering from any disease, it may worsen and even degenerate into a malignant tumor. Most often, an excess of stressful situations leads to:

• coronary heart disease;
• heart attack;
• stroke;
• hypertension;
• angina pectoris;
• cholecystitis;
• duodenal ulcer;
• stomach colic;
• dermatitis;
• hives;
• neurodermatitis;
• neurosis.

Stress brings considerable harm to the nervous system and psyche. It becomes increasingly difficult for a person to cope with ordinary everyday situations, he stops believing in himself, it is difficult for him to force himself to do anything, he does not believe in the success of the business he has started. Gradually he develops depression and even has suicidal thoughts.

A completely healthy person may first start to catch a cold. Then suffer from minor ailments, and later discover that he has developed a serious illness.

Stress is very harmful for women. Under its constant influence, they age, the skin ceases to be fresh and elastic, and the hair begins to thin.

Thus, a person must be able to cope with such situations or, if this is not possible, avoid them. If you live in a state of constant nervous tension, this can result in very serious consequences.

Under the influence of chronic stress, a person’s body simply wears out, the resources of his psyche and nervous system are depleted, and internal organs cease to cope with their load. An individual gets sick and is not always able to recover. As soon as one disease recedes, another immediately begins. Overall life expectancy is also decreasing.

Therefore, it should be understood that stress can arise both under the influence of an external situation (conflict, attack) and an internal one (anxiety, fear). Moreover, the problem does not have to be real; it can only happen in a person’s imagination. For example, a student who has prepared well for an exam experiences an inexplicable horror of the teacher. Or a person who has received a new position and is thoroughly familiar with the technological process is worried that he will not be able to cope with the job.

Therefore, the manifestation of such unreasonable emotions should be controlled, since the human brain, sending signals to the endocrine organs, does not distinguish between where the real danger lies and where the imaginary one lies.

In addition, even if a person has already developed any psychosomatic disease, he must learn to react correctly to stressful situations. This can be achieved by putting your emotional reactions under the control of your mind, for example.

If a person begins to fully realize that every traumatic problem leads to a sharp deterioration in his health, then he should think about how important it is for him to work in an unfriendly team, engage in excessively stressful work, or be married to an alcoholic.

Now you know how stress affects human health. Take care of yourself! See you again!

What is stress? This is one of the types of adaptation of the body to external influences. At the same time, hormones such as cortisol and adrenaline enter the blood. The latter increases the heart rate, increases blood pressure, and increases blood flow to the heart, lungs, brain and muscles. As for cortisol, it activates the production of glucose in the liver, which is the main source of energy for the body.

Are there any benefits to stress?? When a person finds himself in a situation that requires significant physical or mental effort from him, it is stress that helps him overcome difficulties.

It has long been known that short-term stress significantly improves memory. This occurs due to increased reproduction of adrenocorticotropic hormone in the pituitary gland. Therefore, those events that occur during stress are remembered much better than other events. This shapes a person’s life experiences, but at the same time can contribute to the development of post-traumatic stress disorder.

Under stress, all the forces of the body are mobilized. A person in such a state can create miracles. He is able to climb a steep wall, jump over a wide obstacle, lift a heavy load and do many other unusual things that he would never do in a calm state.

But in general, it should be noted that short-term stress is not dangerous for the body. It is even useful in some ways, as it transforms a person psychologically, giving him a state of inner freedom and power. However, in addition to short-term stress, there is also long-term stress. In this case it is already observed harm from stress, and quite noticeable and serious.

Harmful effects of long-term stress

Cardiovascular pathology may develop. These are heart attack, stroke, hypertension, cardiac arrhythmia. Adrenaline, with prolonged exposure, causes spasm of the heart vessels. This may result in angina or heart attack.

Prolonged psycho-emotional stress causes headaches and can cause insomnia and depression.

For a very long time, doctors believed that stress is the trigger that leads to the development of gastric ulcers. However, then the connection between an unpleasant and dangerous disease and a certain type of bacterium was proven. But, despite this, some experts are of the opinion that a stressful state contributes to an exacerbation of the disease. Others believe that there is no connection here.

With prolonged stress, overweight and obesity may appear due to increased appetite. Doctors call this phenomenon a hyperphagic reaction.

The immune system weakens. The body becomes extremely sensitive to infections. In addition, antitumor immunity is impaired, which leads to an increased risk of cancer.

In diabetes mellitus, decompensation of the disease and hyperglycemic coma may occur. This is due to an increase in the concentration of glucose in the blood.

We must also not forget that during prolonged stress, the level of cortisol and adrenaline in the blood is constantly high. Therefore, in a critical or dangerous situation, they are not released into the body. And this leads to a decrease in adaptive capabilities. So, for example, a student worries for a whole week before an exam, and once he gets to it, he is completely lost and forgets everything he knew.

Conclusion

So, there are 2 forms of stress - short-term And long-term. The first is more useful than harmful, as it helps to think quickly, remember and mobilizes all the body’s capabilities in a critical situation. But the harm from stress stems from the second form. It contributes to the emergence and development of various dangerous diseases. Therefore, you cannot give her room for activity and you must constantly monitor your health.