Body Responses to Stress
The very first thing that must occur for our bodies to react, is we must detect the stress stimulus in our environment. Then - information is sent to our sympathetic nervous system.
-
-Heart rate and blood pressure increase
-
-Cellular immunity decreases
-
-Digestion slows
-
-Sex drive decreases
-
-Emotional and anxiety memories increase
-
-Factual learning and short term learning is inhibited - STRESS SHARPENS AWARENESS at the EXPENSE OF CONCENTRATION.
-
-Sleep is compromised
-
-Growth hormones are diminished
-
-Blood glucose increases
-
-Cortisol leaves more LDL in bloodstream and decreases production of HDL
-
-Blood clotting factors increase
-
-Increased blood lipids
-
-increase fear/anxiety/depression
-
-Insulin resistance increases
These natural body changes are only designed to occur in short term situations. Our bodies are not well equipped to maintain these changes for an extended period of time. When we experience these changes over time we cause our bodies to adapt and this opens the opportunity for chronic illnesses to be expressed.
Take a good look at this list of items and consider the potential for heart disease, obesity, type II diabetes, stroke etc.
The most important take home message is this: We need to start living congruently with how we were designed to live, because if we don’t, we will most certainly develop the chronic illness listed above.
These are lifestyle diseases and stress plays a huge part in their development.
