Relation between Physical Illness and Stress - Research Paper Example

Relation between Physical Illness & Stress of the Institute Appears Here Appears Here Introduction The term stress is now widely used in everyday life to describe a set of conditions, mostly negative, of social, emotional or professional conditions. Stress is a psychological phenomenon which has a negative connotation because it is associated with fear or anger. Long-term stress is a characteristic phenomenon of urban life of this generation (Alonzo, 2000). Stress is caused by several variables, for example, concerns about economic future, old age, health or death of someone close. Stress is the element which causes a set of physiological responses (sweating, increase in heart rate and respiration), as well as, psychological (anxiety, sleep disorders) that occur when a person undergoes a change in circumstances. Several medical researchers describe stress as a feeling that one experiences when one is faced with a situation in which one feels unable to cope properly. It causes a feeling of unease. It’s like a reflex of the body that acts against external aggressions and triggers a series of nervous and hormonal reactions (Whitman, Merluzzi, & White, 1999). Stress also allows mobilization of physical and mental powers. For example, increased heart rate and breathing (due mainly to a discharge of adrenalin) allows more oxygen to the muscles. Most researchers interested in stress assert that stress has a role to play in determination of long-term health of an individual. The paper evaluates the assertion that stress causes impacts on physical health of individuals and assesses it through evidence from peer-reviewed researches. Discussion Amaral and Serra (2009) state that stress is a health problem in itself, but it can also cause other physical and emotional complications. It is agreed among physiologists that stress exhausts the body. A prolonged state of stress causes fatigue and promotes the appearance of diseases, including cardiovascular diseases (Poltavski & Ferraro, 2003). Stress at work is a leading cause of sickness sometimes called burnout or burnout for designate extreme wear at work. Stress can indirectly cause other health problems because it affects one’s behavior (Weiten & Dunn, 2009). Among the signs of stress, there are: i. Poor Nutrition. Skipping meals or overeating, or eating too much of discouraged, as sugary and fatty foods; ii. An Addiction to other Substances. Drinking too much, smoking, using drugs or using illegal drugs to combat stress; iii. Moodiness. One behaves in ways that endanger one’s physical well-being, for example, you quarreling or ignoring traffic lights; iv. Sleep Disorders. Not getting enough sleep, lack of sleep weakens your immune system disorder and your judgment; v. Physical Inactivity. Lack of motivation to get enough exercise Hence, each of the above mentioned outcomes of stress have some negative impact on physical health of the person or increase susceptibility to diseases. Poor nutrition choices weaken immune response system while contributing towards obesity. Use of substances and sleep disorders has all been linked with poor physical health. Jackson, Sellers, and Peterson (2002) mention that stress also acts directly on your emotional health. Chronic stress can lead to anxiety or mood disorders, which can be incapacitating. They are likely to damage your health and even cause more serious problems requiring hospitalization. Even being aware of his anxiety or feel depressed can increase stress (Amaral & Serra, 2009). The above mentioned conditions support the hypothesis that stress directly affects one’s physical health. The reflex of fight or flight is a natural way to behave under stress. When a human subject has an adrenaline rush, the subject’s heart beats faster, blood flow increases, blood pressure rises and breathing s accelerates. When these physiological changes occur at the time when the subject is sitting at one’s desk or stuck in traffic, its manifestation only adds to the wear on physiological system (Weiten & Dunn, 2009). The subject may experience headaches, aches, nausea and palpitations. Stress can also contribute, among others, diseases of the heart, intestinal diseases, mental illness and even herpes has been reported in some cases. From the above mentioned reasoning, it is found that a minor problem affecting one’s nerves or one’s behavior. Stress can have serious consequences for one’s health. For this reason, Weiten and Dunn (2009) suggest that people must be aware of the causes of their stress and listen to their body in order to detect the physical manifestations and learn how to overcome it.  The impacts on physical health caused by stress are triggered by physiological mechanisms involved in chronic stress. These physiological mechanisms are numerous and can contribute to a wide variety of disorders in all systems. The following are the impacts of stress on physical health that are cited most frequently: i. Accelerated Aging. Stress increases oxidative damage which accelerates aging and cell death caused by free radicals  ii. Nutritional Deficit. To produce the energy required by the situation, the body metabolizes nutrients more quickly which can result in a lack of amino acids, potassium of potassium, phosphorus, magnesium , calcium, electrolytes and vitamins B complex, among others. Moreover, essential nutrients are absorbed less well in times of stress iii. Immunodeficiency. Cortisol produced in response to stress can cause a weakened immune system. The body becomes more susceptible to infectious agents, mild or severe, and different types of cancers can result  iv. Stomach Ulcers. Stress is a factor that may contribute to the development of gastric ulcers and difficulty in treating them. Stress is also known to play a role in heartburn  v. Gynecological Problems. Men and women under stress are more likely to experience periods of infertility. It must be pointed out that not all forms of stress has negative impacts on physical health, rather chronic stress is the category of stress which causes manifestation of physical problems. Weiten and Dunn (2009) are of the opinion that stress itself is a natural process and essential to the functioning of life. Only when stress becomes chronic, it can contribute significantly to the pain of living, the weakening of the immune system and the emergence of various diseases and disorders. To cope with mental stressors, the body establishes reflex mechanisms that significantly alter the biological balance. And all these mechanisms in the short term allow the body to respond appropriately in the longer term which contribute to severe disturbances (Pagoto, 2011). Chronic stress is the key word for evaluating impact of stress on physical health of subject. Chronic stress implies that the stressful situation lasts too long without that person can set it, or it recurs too often for the persons abilities, or if the nervous system cannot end the stage of resistance then the human response mechanisms work all the time “at full speed,” causing a loss of biochemical elements as well as physiological and metabolic disorders (Grubaugh, Zinzow, & Paul, 2011). The organization runs out, certain organs or systems weakens or relaxes. Ultimately, in extreme situations, constant stress leads to death. High levels of stress hormones in the blood are an indication of the stress state in which the body operates. Conclusion The paper evaluated the assertion that stress causes impacts on physical health of individuals and assesses it through evidence from peer-reviewed researches. It is found that a number of physical responses are caused by stress which leads to impacts on physical health of individuals. It is also concluded that not all forms of stress have negative impact on physical health, rather chronic stress is the category of stress which causes manifestation of physical problems. References Alonzo, A. (2000). The experience of chronic illness and post-traumatic stress disorder: the consequences of cumulative adversity . Social Science & Medicine, 50(10), 1475-1484. Amaral, A., & Serra, A. (2009). Vulnerability to stress and physical and mental illness. European Psychiatry, 24(1), 210-230. Grubaugh, A., Zinzow, H., & Paul, L. (2011). Trauma exposure and posttraumatic stress disorder in adults with severe mental illness: A critical review. Clinical Psychology Review, 31(6), 883-899. Jackson, B., Sellers, R., & Peterson, C. (2002). Pessimistic explanatory style moderates the effect of stress on physical illness. Personality and Individual Differences, 32(3), 567-573. Pagoto, S. (2011). Psychological Co-Morbidities of Physical Illness. London: Springer Science. Poltavski, D., & Ferraro, F. (2003). Stress and illness in American and Russian college students . Personality and Individual Differences, 34(6), 971-982. Weiten, W., & Dunn, D. (2009). Psychology Applied to Modern Life: Adjustment in the 21st Century. California: Wadsworth Engage Learning. Whitman, T., Merluzzi, T., & White, R. (1999). Life-Span Perspectives on Health and Illness. Ohio: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. Read More