Stress

Here is a good article about stress and health from the Charlotte Observer. It is from the "Parade" section of the newspaper and was found on sunday October 25. The article asks the question "can stress make you sick ?". Well the simple answer is yes. Whether the stress comes from work, family, relationships or financial problems it may lower your immunity and your ability to function properly. The article confirms stress is linked to your heart, weight and can increase your risk for depression. When your body is under high levels of stress the human body produces hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol that can raise your blood pressure and heart rate. Although this increase in hormones is okay in the short term it can be damaging if the stress is ongoing. The article states for example "job stress has been found to increase cardiovascular risk by up to 50%". Stress can lead to headaches, skin problems and it may be linked to a person being more susceptible to certain cancers associated with viruses.

Our psychology book has an entire chapter devoted to stress. The part of the chapter that I beleive ties in best with this article is found under the physiological factors of stress and the general adaptation syndrome. The general adaptation syndrome or G.A.S. for short was proposed by the psychologist Hans Selye. Basically your body goes through 3 stages when dealing with stress: alarm, resistance and finally exhaustion. Just like the artical states in the alarm stage your body produces hormones to help ward off and cope with the stress. In the resistance stage your body continues to help the body fight off stress. Then negative side effects from the ongoing stress start to effect your body in the exhaustion stage. Both the article and the chapter in the book list ways to help manage stress. As always, exercise and eating healthy foods are extremely important along with getting enough sleep, managing your time wisely and simply devoting good old time to just having fun and play.