What are the symptoms of stress?
The outcome symptoms of stressful conditions are irritation, impatience, tension, feeling nervous, sweating, increased heart rate, awake in nights, frequent urination, tiredness, inability to work or concentrate on work, constipation, diarrhea, nausea, dizziness, thirst, dry mouth, stomach upset, numbness in hands, legs and muscle pains.
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What causes stress?
There are several number of potential reasons for stress. However, in many cases stressful conditions depends on individual’s attitude and reaction towards changes in surroundings. For example, some people react very seriously if boss fires for the mistakes, while some people think it is common. Some people feel stress if they have heavy workload, assignments, targets and deadlines.
Our surroundings like unsafe neighborhood, heavy noise, environmental conditions like too hot, too cold and regular activities like paying bills, tuition and taking care of children are also some of the factors those contribute to stress.
Some of the potential stressful events include news about death of beloved, diverse, losing job, losing money in gambling, severe debts, accidents, injuries, problems in marriage life.
What are the different types of stress?
Eustress and Distress are two types of stress. Distress is further divided into hypostress and hyperstress.
Eustress: Eustress is often treated as a productive or good stress as it provides immediate emotional strength. It awakens, inspires and motivates us. A person preparing for a class test, interview or participating in a race may experience eustress.
Distress: Distress is a kind of bad stress. People with distress often try to make adjustments or avoid the situations. They are not organized and they feel discomfort in managing day to day schedules. Distress makes people vulnerable to health and mental problems. Distress can be acute or chronic.
Acute distress: This type of distress becomes very severe but stay only for short time.
Chronic distress: This type of distress becomes very severe but stay for long time (for weeks or months)
Hyperstress: Hyperstress occurs when a person is assigned to work beyond what he can handle
Hypostress: Hypostress occurs when a person perform routine duty or no productive work or no work.
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Is there good stress and bad stress?
Eustress is considered as good stress where as Distress is considered as bad stress.
(Refer different types of stress for details)
What happens in our body during stress? (Physiology of stress)
Stress can affect individual’s mental and physical health adversely. Neuronal (sympathetic nervous system) and chemical (adrenaline, cortisol) mediators involve in stress response. In normal conditions sympathetic nervous system (SNS) and parasympathetic nervous system (PNS) balances each other. But during stress, sympathetic nervous system (SNS) dominates parasympathetic nervous system (PNS). Both are parts of autonomic nervous system.
Sympathetic nervous system carries “fight or flight” (hyperarousal) response (fight against or go away from there) during threat or acute stress. In severe or chronic stress, sympathetic nervous system continually dominates parasympathetic nervous system. The chemical mediators, adrenaline and noradrenaline involve in sympathetic stimulations. The outcomes of stimulated sympathetic nervous system are
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Increase in heart rate
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Increase in blood pressure
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Dilated pupils
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Inhibition of contraction of bladder and rectum
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Reduced gastrointestinal motility
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Stimulates conversion of glycogen to glucose
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Decreased urine secretion
Cortisol is a glucocorticoid hormone secreted from adrenal cortex of the adrenal gland. The release of glucocorticoids is stimulated by adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) from anterior pituitary gland. Cortisol has several physiological functions in the body. During stress cortisol levels are increased and when stress is relieved cortisol levels drop down to normal. In normal conditions cortisol regulates glucose metabolism, suppress high immune response, reduce inflammation and release insulin to maintain blood glucose levels. During stress, cortisol is released in excess amounts. If stress is not relieved cortisol levels continually be increased and deposited. Excess cortisol reveres the normal functions. It debilitate cognitive functions, thyroid functions, suppress immune response, decrease muscle tissue, bone density. Together increased sympathetic activity and increased cortisol secretions leads to symptoms of stress like irritation, impatience, tension, feeling nervous, sweating, increased heart rate, awake in nights, frequent urination, tiredness, inability to work or concentrate on work, constipation, diarrhea, nausea, dizziness, thirst, dry mouth, stomach upset, numbness in hands, legs and muscle pains.
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Stress management tips- How to avoid stress?
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Some of the stress management tips
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Make proper scheduling of day to day works
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Take sufficient time to do things
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Do not make yourself over burdened
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Keep time to relax and sleep daily
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Practice meditation
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Take proper and systematic diet
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Take atleast half an hour of aerobic exercise
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Take plenty of fluids
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Avoiding smoking and excessive drinking
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Consult doctor if you have sustained stress
Is there relation between stress, diet and obesity?
People under stress are mostly emotional eaters. They do not bother how much they are eating and what they are eating. They carve for fat foods and sweets. Moreover they lose self- confidence easily and avoid physical activity. Improper diet and physical inactivity makes people under stress obese.
Are there over the counter (OTC) dietary supplements/ medications for relieving stress?
Common stress arising from day to day activities should be managed by self stress management techniques. If you have persistent stress it is advised to contact your physician. Vitamins and some of the herbal supplements are marketed claiming the effectiveness of those supplements in relieving stress.
Are there prescription medications for stress?
Prescription medications are available for stress. These medications are prescribed by doctor after finding the root causes of stress. Most common causes are anxiety and depression. Prescription medications involve antidepressants and anti-anxiety drugs.
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