HEALTH & WELLNESS
B Y T H O M A S F E L I C I A N O
S
tress is so widespread, it
almost fits the category of
epidemic. It affects everybody,
but how much and how long
stress affects any given person
varies. A major variation is the stimuli,
specific stressors, that can set each
person off. Understanding these stressors
can help distance us from unnecessary
unease. In order to fully grasp stress's
effect on our mind and body, we must
look at it from the medical perspective.
The National Institute of Mental Heath
defines stress as "the brain's response to
any demand." In other terms, whatever
situation signals the brain's "fight or
flight" response. In short, think of your
brain as your body's protector and
defender. As such, it produces cortisol,
adrenaline, and noradrenaline that prepare
you to either face a situation head-on or
duck for cover.
More than help you react to difficulty, this
neurological reaction also increases your
heart rate, level of alertness, and muscle
tension. Although handy in a life or death
situation, most of the time this increase in
body awareness has detrimental effects
on our overall well-being.
When a person feels the effects of
stress, their breathing becomes more
rapid, their blood pressure rises, and their
digestive system goes on pause. More
than this, it becomes impossible to sleep
under heightened alert, so many who
are overloaded with stress also battle
insomnia. Most importantly of all, stress
reduces our body's immune system. This
makes it harder to fight off more common
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