Part 1: Stress, What Does it Do to Your Body?

Stress is a part of our daily human experience and is associated with a range of emotional, mental and physical demands. Pressures placed on the body by exercise, financial matters, emotional situations, poor nutrition and inadequate sleep all are processed as stress in your body. That is, our body processes are identical despite the great variability in our experience.

Stress activates our sympathetic nervous system also known as our ‘fight or flight’ response. In the brain, the hypothalamus gets the ball rolling, telling your adrenal glands to release adrenaline and cortisol.

The effect of stress on pain perception:

The hormones released in the stress response have a profound effect on the nervous system. Research has shown that stress, particularly when coupled with anxiety, is associated with reduced pain threshold. This means that less stimulus can elicit a pain response. For example, if you usually feel some neck or back pain after sitting at your desk for one hour, it may come on after only 30 minutes if you are chronically stressed.

Digestion:

As part of the fight or flight response, when the sympathetic nervous system is in action, a number of physiological processes that are not considered vital for survival slow down temporarily. These non-vital systems include the digestive system, which is often slowed or even placed on hold to allow for the energy and blood flow this process would usually require to be redirected to more vital areas. This is part of the reason that people will report gastrointestinal distress such as nausea or diarrhoea following exposure to an acute stressor.

Reduces cognitive ability:

Studies have shown that an increase in the stress hormones has a direct correlation with the memory impairment plus other cognitive functions. One of the theories behind why this might be the case is related to the glymphatic system, a system which has only been identified by researchers in recent years.

The role of this system is to remove waste and toxins that build up around the brain throughout the day. This system can only work when you are asleep as the flow of cerebrospinal fluid is greatly increased and the interstitial space changes from 20% of the brain volume to 60% in volume. Therefore, stress which impacts on an individual’s sleep, is likely to result in memory impairment.

Decreases immune function:

The immune system is comprised of organs, tissues, cells and cell products that all work together to fight harmful substances that cause infection and disease. One known mechanism in which the immune system is impaired is via the increased production of inflammation.

When the fight or flight nervous system is under action, energy and blood flow is sent to other process or body parts that are seen to be more important at that time. One study has shown that those who suffer from chronic stress are twice as likely to get the common cold or flu.

Written by Absolute’s Osteopath Ashley Gudgeon