The Science of Stress: What Happens to Your Body?
- ladleofferns
- Mar 31
- 4 min read
Hi Folks!
Since April is Stress Awareness Month, we wanted to dive into the science of stress and what happens to your body. Experiencing chronic stress can impact your organs, hormones, and mental health. As if your average daily stressors weren’t enough, living with chronic physical and mental illnesses only adds to your already stress-filled plate. Read on to learn what happens when stress responses are triggered and what you can do to reduce stress.
What happens when a stress response is triggered?
When you perceive a situation to be threatening, signals begin to fire in your brain which activate multiple systems in your body. This activation is commonly referred to as “fight or flight.” First, your amygdala processes information and rings the alarm which sends your hypothalamus into action. We can think of our hypothalamus as a command center. Next, your hypothalamus communicates with the other systems in your body via the autonomic nervous system. The adrenal glands get the first directive and begin pumping adrenaline into the bloodstream. This increase in adrenaline leads to a few other reactions: heart rate increases, blood pressure goes up, breathing becomes more rapid. These different reactions can happen so quickly that we often aren’t aware it’s happening until our system is fully haywire. Lastly, when you stay in a stress response for too long, your hypothalamus sends out more signals that lead to the release of cortisol.
How are different systems in the body affected by chronic stress?
Musculoskeletal System: As we are sure you know, when you’re stressed your muscles tense up. When your muscles are tense for long periods of time, it can cause tension related reactions throughout the body. Some of the reactions you might be familiar with are tension headaches and back pain.
Respiratory System: When you experience stress, your airways can constrict. This can lead to shortness of breath and rapid breathing. Rapid breathing, also referred to as hyperventilation, can bring on panic attacks. Something you might not know is that being stressed can even trigger asthma attacks.
Cardiovascular System: When stressed, your blood vessels dilate so they can pump more blood to large muscles and your heart. This causes an increase in blood pressure. When experiencing chronic stress, the prolonging of dilation can increase your risk of hypertension, heart attack, or stroke. Long periods of stress can also lead to increased cholesterol levels and an increased risk for heart disease.
Endocrine System: As mentioned earlier, stress responses trigger a series of reactions set off by your hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. One of the main hormones released during this time is cortisol. When your levels of cortisol are too high for too long, it can lead to miscommunications between your immune system and your HPA axis. This miscommunication can cause chronic fatigue, diabetes, obesity, depression, and even immune disorders.
Gastrointestinal Systems: Stress can disrupt the delicate and cyclical balance between your gut and your brain. This disruption leads to symptoms like heartburn, acid reflux, and difficulty swallowing. You might also experience bloating, nausea, and even vomiting as a result of increased stress. Prolonged exposure to stress can also impact your ability to absorb nutrients and digest food.
Nervous System: Your nervous system is responsible for the many different reactions that occur in your body when a stress response is triggered. Chronic stress results in a long-term drain on the body. The issue with prolonged stress responses is not so much the impact on your nervous system as it is the impact on other systems in your body.
What can you do to reduce stress?
We are sure many of you have heard the typical stress reducing techniques of “drink more water,” “eat healthy,” and “work out.” While there may be some truth to those techniques, they are often easier said than done when you’re living with a chronic illness.
Here at Ladle of Ferns, we believe in the power of social support. Social support can be one of the best ways to reduce stress. To practice social support, you can join a support group, connect with loved ones and others who are safe, communicate your needs, or seek professional help. You can also try gentle movement. When we say gentle, we mean it. If you are able to walk a little bit, try spending some time walking outside on a nice day. If walking is difficult, try some chair yoga. If movement is not possible, consider trying deep breathing exercises or some mindfulness practices. Some of our favorites are box breathing, visualization, and the 5-4-3-2-1 method. Some other things you can try are identifying and managing your triggers, setting boundaries, and focusing on what you can control. These can be a little more difficult so we recommend working on these with a trusted person or professional.
We would love to hear from you!
Do you notice any of these symptoms when you're stressed?
What are some of your stress response triggers?
What do you find most helpful for reducing stress levels?
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