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What is Stress?
Stress may be defined as the three-way relationship
between demands on people, our feelings about those demands and our ability to
cope with them. Stress is most likely to occur in situations where:
1.
Demands are high.
2. The amount of control we have is low.
3. There is
limited support or help available for us.
Who is Affected Most by
Stress?
Virtually all people experience stressful events or situations
that overwhelm our natural coping mechanisms. And although some people are
biologically prone to stress, many outside factors influence susceptibility as
well.
Studies indicate that some people are more vulnerable to the
effects of stress than others. Older adults; women in general, especially
working mothers and pregnant women; less-educated people; divorced or widowed
people; people experiencing financial strains such as long-term unemployment;
people who are the targets of discrimination; uninsured and underinsured people;
and people who simply live in cities all seem to be particularly susceptible to
health-related stress problems.
People who are less emotionally stable or
have high anxiety levels tend to experience certain events as more stressful
than healthy people do. And the lack of an established network of family and
friends predisposes us to stress-related health problems such as heart disease
and infections. Caregivers, children and medical professionals are also
frequently found to be at higher risk for stress-related
disorders.
Job-related stress is particularly likely to be chronic
because it is such a large part of life. Stress reduces a worker's effectiveness
by impairing concentration, causing sleeplessness and increasing the risk of
illness, back problems, accidents and lost time. At its worst extremes, stress
that places a burden on our hearts and circulation can often be fatal. The
Japanese have a word for sudden death due to overwork: karoushi.
Medical
Affects of Chronic Stress
The stress response of the body is like an
airplane readying for take-off. Virtually all systems, such as the heart and
blood vessels, the immune system, the lungs, the digestive system, the sensory
organs, and the brain are modified to meet the perceived danger.
A
stress-filled life really seems to raise the odds of heart disease and stroke
down the road. Researchers have found that after middle-age, those who report
chronic stress face a somewhat higher risk of fatal or non-fatal heart disease
or stroke over the years. It is now believed that constant stress takes its toll
on our arteries, causing chronically high levels of stress hormones and pushing
people to maintain unhealthy habits like smoking.
Stressed-out men are
twice as likely as their peers to die of a stroke. There are weaker such
findings among women, which is likely due to the fairly low number of heart
disease and stroke cases among women, rather than a resistance to the health
effects of chronic stress. Women seem slightly more susceptible to the effects
of stress than men.
Simply put, too much stress puts you at dire risk for
health problems. Whether it comes from one event or the buildup of many small
events, stress causes major physical alterations that often lead to health
problems. Here is a list of some of these changes:
• Our heart rates
increase, to move blood to our muscles and brains.
• Our blood pressures go
up.
• Our breathing rates increase.
• Our digestion slows down.
• Our
perspiration increases.
• We feel a rush of strength at first, but over time
stress makes us feel weak.
These reactions helped our ancestors survive
threats by preparing for either "fight or flight." Today, our bodies still react
the same way, but the events that cause stress do not require this ancient
mechanism.
Stress can also greatly raise our risk of:
• Ulcers and
digestive disorders
• Headaches
• Migraine headaches
• Backaches
•
Depression
• Suicide
• High blood pressure
• Stroke
• Heart
attack
• Alcohol and drug dependencies
• Allergies and skin diseases
•
Cancer
• Asthma
• Depressed immune system
• More colds and
infections
We have to learn ways to relieve stress, because when it goes
on for very long or happens too often, it obviously can cause many serious
health problems.
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