Stress is our body and mind response to any event that is breaking the comfort level of the person. This stress response prepares yourself to protect and adjust in these situation.
According to science and medical world, stress define as a form of mental and physical tension arises which disturbs your body balanced state, resulting in symptoms like anxiety, headache and other.
See, our body remains in the calm state, but when it feels or sense any small problem it can get into stress. This is called normal stress. It is also called as positive stress.
What is the science of stress in the body?
Science of stress is very complicated. If you are from health background, then stress is occured due to sympathetic nervous system (SNS) and Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis.
SNS work for short term stress. When your eyes or ears sense any threat it send it to amygdala. Amygdala transmit these to the hypothalamus. It then send signals to the adrenaline glands, which release the adrenaline and nor adenaline into the blood. This hormones dilates blood vessels so more blood can reach to the body.
The second HPA axis is work when there is a chronic stress. So first when stress does not decline, so then hypothalamus releases hormone called corticotropin releasing hormone. Now this travels to the pituitary gland stimulate to produce ACTH (adrenocorticotropic hormone) which stimulate adrenal cortex of adrenal gland of kidney which release cortisol from the body.
So, this is why in chronic stress patients, there cortisol level are found to be high.
There are some people referred science of stress as fight or flight response. That is also a good way, when body feels stress it either fight with it or flight means leave it. So, in both the cases stress may be there. The science in the body while this response is explained above in medical terms.
What are the types of stress?
There are two main types of stress, Acute stress and Chronic stress.
Acute stress arise out of your daily activities, work pressures and subside quickly. This is good stress as it improves your productivity and efficiency to deal with stressful situation.
Chronic stress, is a form of stress that sustained for months and years. It lead to harmful effects over the body in long term. This is not a good stress. It can also cause multiple health issues.
Signs of stressed
Common signs you can look to understand you are in stress or not are,
- Headache
- Muscle tightness in neck, shoulders and lower back
- Bloating
- Fatigue even after a good sleep
- Feeling irritable, overwhelmed, anxious, restless
- Forgetfullness
This are very common signs in people with stress. There may be different reasons for this symptoms in a particular person.
There are scientific methods you can use to reduce stress like meditation, deep breathing excercise, yoga, relaxation technique, recreational activities, progressive muscle relaxation. This can help you to release stress accumulate over a period of time.