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Abby walden

English composition II

Professor Thomas

21 March 2021

How Does Stress Affect The Body As A Whole?

Everyone in the world has experienced the effects of stress. Whether it’s

physically or mentally, the effect that stress has can be very great. Chronic and acute

stress both have serious effects that can deteriorate overall health. Chronic stress has

more long term effects compared to short term. Many people have studied endlessly

about stress and what it can do to a human body. It has also been greatly studied what

people can do to get rid of or minimize stress. There are not any prescription
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medications for treating just stress, but there are many ways to minimize stress and

prevent it. Knowing yourself and your body helps tremendously. When someone knows

what will stress them out and how it will affect them, can help with preventing and

managing stress. Stress affects everyone for many different reasons but it can be

manageable.

Hans Selys was a doctor and noticed common symptoms in some of his patients.

The Symptoms were being extremely tired, having bad moods, and loss of appetite.

Selys was the first to diagnose stress. The word “stress” was originally used in physics.

Selys used this term to name “Nonspecific response of the body to any demand”. Selys

then began to do heavy research on stress and continued to do studies on stress and

how it affects the body. This led to many discoveries and other people observing stress.

Hans Selys opened the door for many other scientists and doctors so they can help with

the effects of stress on people. (Tan, Siang Yong, and A Yip).

The events and situations that cause stress are called stressors. In a video by

Sharon Bergquist, the narrator states, “... more than just an emotion, stress is a

hardwired physical response that travels throughout your entire body” (Bergquist). This

statement explains that stress can affect the whole body. How Rebecca Bernstein

defines stress is very interesting. She defines it as, “...not all stress is bad. It is simply a

response. How harmful it is ultimately depends on intensity, duration, and treatment”

(Bernstein 3). This completely makes sense. Depending on the stressor and the amount

of stress, it can affect a person more or less. Stressing about not knowing what time

you're going out to dinner is a greatly different stress than stress relating to money and

paying bills to stay in a home.

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Stressors can cause chronic or acute stress. Chronic is more long term and has

more intense effects to the body, while acute is short term and has minor effects.

Chronic stress can be caused by something such as suffering with a long term illness or

a job. Acute stress can be caused by having an argument with someone or other small

inconveniences. Most people in the world are stressed because of money and work.

People who are discriminated on based on race, disability, or sexual orientation are

commonly more stressed. Dealing with trying to fit into society can be very hard for

these people. “Normal people” are very tough on the ones who stand out. Also with

trying to do simple things like getting a job, some employers will not hire based on

certain traits such as being gay or having a certain disibility. It’s crazy to think, but also

some employers still hire based off of skin tone. Women also are more likely to get

stressed than men. Women are 28 percent likely to have a great amount of stress, while

men are 20 percent likely. According to the American Psychological Association,

women show more physical symptoms than men but they can connect with people in

their lives while they are stressed and know more about how to manage it. Men lack the

ability to talk about what is stressing them out and how it is affecting them, even if it is

taking over their whole life. (American Psychological Association).

When someone is stressed, the brain tells the adrenal gland to release a

hormone called glucocorticoids, which includes cortisol. It’s also known as the “stress

hormone”. This hormone is produced to help the body handle the stress and to activate

the “fight or flight” response. The “fight or flight” response tells the body what to do when

it is in danger. This response is the reason for increased heart rates, heightened

scenes, a need for more oxygen, and the increase of adrenalin. Sometimes, stress is
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too much for the body to handle and the “fight or flight” response doesn’t always work.

In an article on MedicalNewsToday, the author, Adam Felman, states, “...when the body

becomes triggered too easily, or there are too many stressors at one time, it can

undermine a person’s mental and physical health and become harmful” (Felman 2).

This explains that when there is an abundance of stress, the body’s natural response

may not save them. The “fight or flight” response can also damage cells and change the

way the brain thinks because of the heavy amount of cortisol.

Cortisol helps the brain and the organs communicate. The increase of cortisol

can have serious effects on the body. It can make the immune system work way more

hard than it needs to which can lead to damage. A decreased immune system can

cause problems with collagen tissue, infections, and skin disorders. Irritable bowel

syndrome and sensitivity to acid can occur as well. The increase of cortisol can also

lead to mental disorders and metabolism problems. Having these issues are very

serious and can be hard to reverse. Having these issues may also lead to higher levels

of stress which causes more issues. Along with the communication with the brain and

organs, the stomach has a lot of bacteria. Stress can affect those levels of bacteria and

can lead back to the connections within the brain. It can affect how the brain works and

can control the person’s mood. Cortisol also helps the hippocampus operate which is

where memories are stored. With an increase of cortisol, it makes it harder to remember

things. It also makes it difficult to socialize. (American Psychological Association).

One thing that stress (mainly chronic) can affect are muscles. In an article from

the American Psychological Association, the author states, “Muscle tension is almost a

reflex reaction to stress—the body’s way of guarding against injury and pain” (APA 3).
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This connects to the fight or flight response as well. Pain in the neck and shoulders can

cause tension headaches and migraines. These are very painful and can have their own

side effects like impaired vision and nausea. Muscle pain bh(American Psychological

Association). (Mayo Clinic Staff).

The respiratory system is an important part of the body. Stress can make it

difficult to breath and also cause rapid breathing. It can also greatly affect people with

previous diseases involving the respiratory system such as bronchitis and asthma.

Stress can cause asthma attacks and panic attacks which are also not good for the

lungs because of the difficulty to breathe. Since stress can cause panic attacks, it

makes the heart work harder. It causes more blood to be pumped through the blood

vessels and the heart. The increase of more blood flowing throughout the body can lead

to higher blood pressure. High blood pressure can be very dangerous if it becomes

severe. Headaches, chest pains, difficulty breathing, and blood in the urine can all

occur. The increase of cortisol from stress can start the process of Atherosclerosis

which can lead to a heart attack. There can be overall severe heart damage from the

effects of stress. (Felman, Adam).

Stress can affect the reproductive system. Large amounts of stress can cause

irregular menstrual cycles, making them longer, having them more often, or not having

them at all. It can also cause more intense symptoms of menstruation such as pain.

Chronic stress can increase the chances of developing polycystic ovary syndrome

which affects reproduction. When pregnant, stress can cause troubles with the

pregnancy and increase pregnancy symptoms. In males, chronic stress can lead to a

lower sperm count. Since stress makes the body give off extra cortisol which affects the
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immune system, it can make it harder to fight infections in reproductive organs

(American Psychological association).

There is no medication for treating stress. Stress can cause anxiety and

depression and there are medications for those which have their own side effects. Even

though there are medications for anxiety and depression that is caused by stress, these

medications will not get rid of the stress. There are many things that can be done to

manage and understand stress, mainly self help. Having an understanding of exactly

what the stressors are is a huge first step. After knowing exactly all of the stressors, it

can be easier to manage them. Some may not have easy solutions but it is possible.

Things that can help with stress is meditation, eating healthy, physical activity, spending

time with loved ones, and other fun activities. Therapy can also greatly help. By talking

about the stress and the stressors, having an outside perspective can make you see the

stressors in a different way. (Felman, Adam). (Mayo Clinic Staff).

Chronic stress can really impact mental illness. It is very likely to cause

depression. The stress makes the brain produce less neurons and can also kill neurons.

This affects communication in the brain which can lead to mental issues. It also makes

the brain harder to remember things on top of always thinking about the actual

stressors. (Cherry, Kendra)

The nervous system is divided up into the Central Nervous System (CNS) and

the Autonomic Nervous System (ANS). The CNS consists of the brain and the spinal

cord. The ANS consists of the Sympathetic Nervous System (SNS) and the

Parasympathetic Nervous System (PNS). In the book titled Effects of Stress on Human
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Health, the author, Hülya Çakmur states “The CNS is particularly important in stress

responses, but the ANS plays a key role in physical response to stressors” (Çakmur 2).

The Sympathetic Nervous System which is intertwined with the ANS, has the adrenal

gland that releases the cortisol. The Sympathetic Nervous System activates during

stress and tries to regulate the respiratory, cardiovascular, gastrointestinal and

musculoskeletal systems. The Parasympathetic Nervous System tries to basically put

back together the mess that the stress has created and tries to heal the body. Hülya

Çakmur also stated “The SNS prepares organism for the “fight or flight” and the PNS for

rest and digest” (Çakmur 2). This summarises what the SNS and the PNS do during

and after stress.

Overall, chronic and acute stress can seriously affect the human body. It can

affect a lot in the body, from the brain and how the mind thinks to how the immune

system operates. It affects the nervous systems in the brain which control the whole

body.
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Works Cited*

American Psychological Association. 1 November 2018. Stress effects on the body.

http://www.apa.org/topics/stress/body Accessed 8 March 2021

beckerman , james. “High Blood Pressure Symptoms - Hypertension Symptoms.”

WebMD, WebMD, 16 July 2020, www.webmd.com/hypertension-high-blood-

pressure/guide/hypertension-symptoms-high-blood-pressure. Accessed 21

March 2021

Bergquist , Sharon Horesh, and Adriatic animation. How Stress Affects Your Body-

Sharon Horesh Bergquist . YouTube.com, Ted-Ed, 22 Oct. 2015, youtu.be/v-

t1Z5-oPtU. Accessed 8 March 2021

Bernstein , Rebecca. “The Mind and Mental Health: How Stress Affects the Brain.”

Touro University WorldWide, Health and Human Services , 9 June 2020,

www.tuw.edu/health/how-stress-affects-the-brain/. Accessed 7 March 2021.

Çakmur, Hülya. Effects Of Stress On Human Health . IntechOpen, 2020. Ch. 1-9.

Cherry, Kendra. “5 Surprising Ways That Stress Affects Your Brain.” Verywell Mind, 20

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your-brain-2795040 Accessed 19 March 2021

Felman, Adam. Stress: Why does it happen and how can we manage it?

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/145855 Medical News Today. 12

March 2020. Accessed 7 March 2021.

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Goghary, Zahra I. “The relationship between clinical dishonesty and perceived clinical

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Rafati, Foozieh. Bagherian, Behnaz. Shahrbabaki, PaTheoharides, Theoharis C. “Effect

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