Do burning shoulders, a pounding head and an absent mind sound familiar? These symptoms are signs of stress. The cause of stress is often known; the severity of keeping it under control is less acknowledged. Stress is not something that should be ignored. Studies show that prolonged stress is detrimental to the body and the mind. For this reason, it is imperative to bring awareness to how stress affects both the body and the mind and how to keep it under control.
When the body remains under stress for long periods of time the brain reacts; releasing a hormone called Cortisol. Cortisol is a hormone produced by the adrenal cortex of the kidney. Throughout the day, this hormone maintains blood glucose and suppresses non vital organ systems to …show more content…
Georgetown University conducted a study on mice, providing evidence that NPY stimulates cause growth of abdominal fat cells when the subject experiences chronic stress (Harvard Mental Health Letter, 2007). Not only does stress increase one’s appetite, it increases the chances of reaching an unhealthy weight. This in turn can increase blood pressure and the chances of being diagnosed with diabetes. In additional studies, severe pain links back to chronic stress. As mentioned previously, when the body is under stress it produces a hormone called Cortisol. When cortisol levels remain elevated for long periods of time it mobilizes glucose, and decreases inflammation. The longer stress remains the bigger chance cortisol levels will become unstable. When Cortisol becomes unstable it causes inflammation which can lead to disease such as osteoporosis, rheumatoid arthritis, chronic fatigue syndrome, pelvic, joint, and back pain (Hannibal & Bishop, 2014). “Chronic stress is like poison to the body”. It slowly eats away at the nervous system, causing changes in blood flow; suspending the body’s ability to fight infection. Stanford University states” that the body turns off everything that’s not essential to survival, such as digestion, growth and reproduction, during the adaptive phase of stress” (Redmon, 2015 p.27). The stress mechanism in the body does not only control emotion; it’s the hub of the body that affects the immune and cardiovascular system. Therefore, making stress a silent killer (Carpi,
When the body remains under stress for long periods of time the brain reacts; releasing a hormone called Cortisol. Cortisol is a hormone produced by the adrenal cortex of the kidney. Throughout the day, this hormone maintains blood glucose and suppresses non vital organ systems to …show more content…
Georgetown University conducted a study on mice, providing evidence that NPY stimulates cause growth of abdominal fat cells when the subject experiences chronic stress (Harvard Mental Health Letter, 2007). Not only does stress increase one’s appetite, it increases the chances of reaching an unhealthy weight. This in turn can increase blood pressure and the chances of being diagnosed with diabetes. In additional studies, severe pain links back to chronic stress. As mentioned previously, when the body is under stress it produces a hormone called Cortisol. When cortisol levels remain elevated for long periods of time it mobilizes glucose, and decreases inflammation. The longer stress remains the bigger chance cortisol levels will become unstable. When Cortisol becomes unstable it causes inflammation which can lead to disease such as osteoporosis, rheumatoid arthritis, chronic fatigue syndrome, pelvic, joint, and back pain (Hannibal & Bishop, 2014). “Chronic stress is like poison to the body”. It slowly eats away at the nervous system, causing changes in blood flow; suspending the body’s ability to fight infection. Stanford University states” that the body turns off everything that’s not essential to survival, such as digestion, growth and reproduction, during the adaptive phase of stress” (Redmon, 2015 p.27). The stress mechanism in the body does not only control emotion; it’s the hub of the body that affects the immune and cardiovascular system. Therefore, making stress a silent killer (Carpi,