The Impact Of Stress Turns Out To Affect 7 Systems On The Body

Illustration of the impact of stress on the body system (Freepic/diana.gytsku)

YOGYAKARTA Life is certainly always full of challenges. But living without stress, it doesn't feel like it's possible. That's why it's so important to know how to manage stress so as not to affect the body's system. As knowledge, here are the effects of stress on the body's system.

When stressed, the muscles of the body tighten. This is a reflexive reaction to stress or the way the body protects itself from injury and pain. But if chronic stress, the muscles continue to strain, a person will experience chronic muscle tension in the shoulder, neck, and head area. The impact of stress on musculoskeletal or muscle tissue, causes pain in the lower back.

The respiratory system supplies oxygen to cells and removes carbon waste from the body. The air with oxygen enters through the nose and passes through the runoff in the throat, descends through the trakea, and enters the lungs through the bronchus. Bronkioles then transfers oxygen to red blood cells for circulation. When a person experiences strong stress and emotion, respiratory symptoms appear. Such as shortness of breath and fast breath. This is because the airway between the nose and lungs is narrowing.

The heart and blood vessels are two elements of cardiovascular systems that work together in providing nutrients and oxygen to the organs of the body. The activities of these two elements, coordinated in the body's response to stress. Acute or stress stress, which is temporary or short-term, causes a stronger increase in heart rate and contraction of the heart muscle. Stress hormones, including adrenaline, noradrenaline, and cortisol, act as carriers of messages that trigger these effects.

In addition to increasing heart rate and contracting muscles, blood pressure also increases. If stress eases, the body returns to normal. That means, if constant stress is experienced and not managed, it causes problems in the heart and blood vessels in cardiovascular systems, increases the risk of hypertension, heart attacks, and strokes.

Hyphalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis is the main driver of endocrine stress responses when a person experiences challenging, threatening, uncontrollable situations. This ultimately results in an increase in the production of steroid hormones called glucoroticoids, which include cortisols, which are often referred to as "stressy hormones".

Glucocorticoids, including cortisol, are important for regulating the immune system and reducing inflammation. While this is valuable during tense or threatening situations where injuries can result in increased activation of the immune system, chronic stress can result in communication disorders between the immune system and the HPA axis. These communication disorders have been linked to the development of various physical and mental health conditions in the future, including chronic fatigue, metabolic disorders (for example, diabetes, obesity), depression, and immune disorders.

Usus has hundreds of millions of neurons to be able to function independently and communicate with the brain. Stress can affect brain communication. This can trigger pain, bloating, and there is no discomfort in the gut. The digestive tract is also inhabited by millions of bacteria that can affect the health of the gut and brain.

Stress is associated with changes in intestinal bacteria which can also affect the mood. Stress changes the development of the nervous system which can increase the risk of intestinal disease or dysfunction in the future. When stressed, the desire to eat is more than usually possible. Stress also makes stomach pain, bloating, nausea, and eating patterns unhealthy. Furthermore, stress can cause muscle seizures in the intestines, which can be painful.

The nervous system has several divisions, including a central division involving the brain and spinal cord, and a peripheral division consisting of an autonomous and somatic nervous system. The autonomous nervous system plays a direct role in the physical response to stress and is divided into a sympathetic nervous system (SNS) and a parasimpathic nervous system (PNS).

When the body is stressed, SNS plays a role in what is known as a "law or run" response. SNS signals to adrenal glands to release hormones called adrenaline (epinephrine) and cortisol. These hormones, along with the immediate action of autonomous nerves, cause the heart to beat faster, the respiratory rate increases, blood vessels in the arms and legs widen, the digestive process changes, and glucose levels in the blood flow increase to deal with emergencies.

After the stress-inducing crisis ends, the body returns to its original state. Recovery is facilitated by civil servants whose effects are opposite to that of SNS. However, recovery activities also cause other stress reactions. For example, encouraging bronchonstriction and blood circulation to be disrupted. SNS and civil servants have strong interactions with the immune system, which can also modulate stress reactions.

Stress causes the body to release the hormone cortisol, produced by the adrenal glands. Cortisols are important for blood pressure settings and the normal function of some body systems including cardiovascular, blood circulation, and male reproduction. Launching the American Psychological Association, Monday, September 16, excessive amounts of cortisol can affect the normal biochemical function of the male reproductive system.

In addition to influencing the reproductive system, the stress hormone also affects sexual desire. Meanwhile, in women, stress can interfere with menstrual cycles, sexual desire, have an impact on pregnancy. Stress also worsens symptoms in pre-menstruation syndrome. Symptoms include cramps, fluid retention and bloating, bad mood, and mood swing.