Consequences of stressful situations for the population. Stress and its effects on mental health

Stress is the body's response to various adverse factors. In a small amount, it can even be useful, as it stimulates the body to find solutions from uncharacteristic situations. But with a strong and prolonged effect of stress on the body, many disorders occur. In order to get rid of this negative state, it is necessary to understand the cause of its occurrence.

Causes

Anything can cause a stressful state, any situation that has a strong impact on a person. When a person tries to get rid of everyday stimuli and keeps a lot in himself, subsequently any little thing can cause severe stress. Even the loss of a loved one can feel tragic and upsetting. Such irritants have a strong impact on the emotional background: the death of loved ones, divorce, scandals in the family or at work.

Irritants are divided into three types:

  • mental stimuli (influence of negative or positive emotions);
  • chemical irritants (the influence of toxic substances);
  • biological stimuli (the effect on the body of overloads, injuries, various diseases).

Severe stress can appear in both adults and children. Usually in children it is less protracted. Except in families where children are under a lot of pressure and suffer from constant quarrels.

Treating stress in women and men is equally difficult. It is important to identify the development of a stressful condition at an early stage, then you will not have to deal with the treatment of the consequences.

Symptoms of severe stress

Sleep disorders

The appearance of insomnia or drowsiness indicates the development of disorders in the body. A person who is tired after a hard day cannot fall asleep for a long time, and sleeps very sensitively. Or vice versa, sleeps more than usual and feels sleepy throughout the day. These manifestations can be both a sign and a cause of the disorder.

Malaise

A person suffering from mental disorders also suffers from the physical manifestations of the disease. Stress is often accompanied by the following symptoms: dizziness, nausea, indigestion, tachycardia, frequent colds.

Appetite disorders and habit changes

Under stress, a person may lose appetite or, on the contrary, increase. Abuse of sweets or other unhealthy foods may also be observed. A sharp transition to the use of atypical foods is also a sign of a stressful state. Switching to a separate diet will help solve stomach problems, but it will not get rid of the source of the problem.

Trying to hide and run away from the problem

A person suffering from stress tends to hide from the problem. He avoids people, may not leave the apartment for a long time, sleep a lot, etc. Quite often, people try to escape from a problem with alcohol or drugs. As a result, it leads to self-destruction.

Symptoms in women

Most women perceive everything too emotionally. For this reason, they are more susceptible to negative factors. The slightest negativity can lead to the development of stress. When stressed, women often suffer from headaches, menstrual and hormonal disorders. The disorder makes the woman feel helpless. Getting rid of this feeling alone is quite difficult. In times like these, you can’t do without the help of loved ones.

How to survive stress? To overcome stress, you need to give yourself more time. For example, you can go to a beauty salon or go to nature. Such a pleasant vacation will help you tune in to positive and accept the help of loved ones.

Postpartum depression is the most dangerous for women. After all, the child feels all the negative emotions of the mother, and they can adversely affect the health of the baby. The main manifestations of postpartum stress are: suspension of milk production, sleep disorders, eating disorders. Only a woman who has given birth is too worried, afraid to do something wrong and considers herself a bad mother, feels guilty, which leads to depression.

Symptoms in men

If women can still admit their weaknesses, then men keep everything in themselves to the last. Thus causing significant harm to health. Characteristic signs of a depressive state in men: irritability, the emergence or intensification of bad habits, sexual disorders.

Being under stress, a man tries to get rid of this condition by self-affirmation, thereby causing pain to his loved ones. In such a difficult period, a man more than ever needs female support.

The effects of severe stress

With a strong stress state in the body, malfunctions begin in the body and the following consequences may occur:

  • decreased immunity;
  • increase in pressure;
  • increased risk of stroke and heart attack;
  • development of infertility;
  • depression and neurosis.

Also, many diseases are aggravated after facing stressful situations. For example, eczema, autoimmune disorders, heart problems.

What to do

How to deal with stress? Many people, thinking about how to relieve severe stress, resort to drinking alcohol. However, it is worth knowing that alcohol will never help solve problems. Drinking alcohol only temporarily calms, the next day the anxiety will return, intensifying. Therefore, if in thought about how to survive stress, you thought about an alcoholic drink, put it aside. It is also better to refuse coffee and strong tea. They should be replaced with herbal preparations.

With severe stress, you need to eat foods containing magnesium and B vitamins. These substances have a beneficial effect on the nervous system.

To normalize sleep and general tone, regular physical activity is necessary. It is best to exercise outdoors a few hours before bedtime.

Medical treatment

The safest remedies for the body are herbal preparations. A common herbal sedative is valerian. It is allowed to use for the treatment of children, the remedy is not addictive. But it is effective only in cases where a person is able to cope with his experiences. This sedative can be used for short-term depression, with severe stress, its use will not be effective.

To reduce irritability and calm down a little, you can take drugs that have a concomitant sedative effect. They increase concentration and mental activity. The most common is glycine.

The lack of vitamins in the body can increase the manifestation of stress. In mild cases, taking the right combination of vitamins will help. Such a complex contains large doses of vitamins that are necessary for the normal functioning of the nervous system.

To combat stress, homeopathic remedies and dietary supplements that have a calming effect can be used as an aid. Many of them contain in their composition tonic or soothing plants.

The most effective means for the treatment of severe stress are anxiolytics. A common selective agent is Afobazol. This tool can not only eliminate symptomatic manifestations, but also restore and normalize the functioning of the nervous system. It is not addictive, has almost no restrictions on the use and side effects.

If all of the above methods are ineffective, it is necessary to use antidepressants. These funds are sold only by prescription, their intake is strictly controlled by a doctor.

The effect of taking antidepressants does not appear immediately, but after a while. In some cases, the effect may appear after a few weeks, and in some it may not help at all. Then you need to select another tool.

What are the consequences of nervous stress in humans?

Good day to all! We, the Valitov brothers, welcome each of you to our blog so that today on this online page we can talk about how the consequences of nervous stress affect human health.

After all, stress today is one of the integral components of our lifestyle. We encounter them daily.

They begin in a person with a rise or the usual morning rush, which continues in a crowded minibus, bus, subway car.

Further, stresses are heated up at a production meeting or in the boss’s office, and then they result in quarrels with work colleagues, and in the evening their consequences fall on people close to us.

Due to lack of co-control of the psyche and their emotions, a person can become a hostage of a stressful situation with unpredictable physical or mental consequences for his health.

What is stress, what varieties it is, what dangerous symptoms it can manifest itself in adults and children.

How to avoid the consequences of stress, how to behave in a variety of life situations in order to minimize the effects of its effects on the body, we will talk about this later.

What is stress

Stress is a response of our body to dangerous or imaginary situations, which is accompanied by neuro-emotional stress.

It can be called:

  • Psychological or physical influences;
  • Overwork;
  • extreme situation;
  • Joy;
  • Negative emotions.

At their conscious level, a man or woman perceives stress as a negative component, but it can be both good and bad.

A small dose of negativity or eustress caused by positive emotions is even necessary for a person.

It is a driving and mobilizing force due to the "awakening effect". At the physiological level, this process provides an additional release of the hormones cortisone and adrenaline into the blood, forcing a person to:

  1. Think.
  2. Make quick decisions in difficult situations.
  3. Plan ahead.
  4. Lead a good, fulfilling life.
  5. Solve everyday problems.

A negative type of stress, called distress, negatively affects the human body.

It occurs spontaneously, already against the background of the existing state of tension at a critical point, causing a decrease in the body's resistance, turning into discomfort or illness.

Distress can be:

  • Physiological;
  • Psycho-emotional;
  • traumatic;
  • professional;
  • short-term;
  • chronic;
  • Nervous.

Symptoms of a neuro-emotional disorder

Stress in men, women and children entails a number of mental or physical problems, such as:

  • Extreme exhaustion;
  • Sleep disturbance;
  • excessive anxiety;
  • Irritability;
  • Feelings of guilt and inferiority;
  • Substance abuse.

In doing so, they may experience:

  • loss of appetite or overeating;
  • muscle weakness or pain;
  • Arrhythmia;
  • high blood pressure;
  • Headaches;
  • Increased blood glucose levels;
  • Increased sweating.

It is at this point in our story that we want to talk to you, and at the same time give you advice.

Do you work for a prestigious company that has had two management changes in the last six months? Of course, that happens sometimes!

However, is there something wrong? Analyzing your well-being, do you notice an unreasonable rapid heartbeat, both day and night, constant lack of air, excessive sweating? At the same time, any little thing starts to annoy you, although you would not have paid attention to it before?

Heed our advice! Consult your doctor. Since all these symptoms seem to indicate that you have a nervous breakdown, which must be urgently eliminated in order to prevent more serious consequences.

What does stress lead to

Prolonged exposure to negative psycho-emotional stress disrupts the normal functioning of almost every organ in a person.

In women during pregnancy, it can cause:

  • Increased toxicosis;
  • Development of a birth anomaly;
  • Entanglement of the fetus by the umbilical cord;
  • Premature birth or threatened miscarriage.

Stress during pregnancy in a mother can manifest itself in a child after his birth with such consequences as:

  • Fear;
  • phobias;
  • Enuresis;
  • Diabetes;
  • Autism;
  • Hyperactivity.

In men, the causes of stress can be problems at work, in personal life or related to health.

These factors cause them to experience feelings of extreme fatigue, lack of energy, mood swings, depression, or even mental disturbance.

Despite some features, the consequences of nervous stress have a common component for everyone, which includes a number of aspects, namely:

Diseases of the digestive tract

Due to strong unrest in a person, hydrochloric acid begins to be produced in excess in the digestive tract.

Not fully involved in the process of digestion of food, it creates an aggressive environment inside the stomach, which literally eats away its walls, forming an ulcer.

In addition, negative emotions contribute to spasms of the muscles of the gastrointestinal tract, which in turn interfere with the absorption of nutrients, cause constipation or disorders in men, women and children, and reduce immunity.

Problems of the reproductive system

Chronic stress or nervous disorders negatively affect the reproductive and sexual functions of a person. In women, they cause:

  • Decreased libido;
  • Violation of the menstrual cycle;
  • Infertility.

As for men, because of this, their sperm production decreases, the amount of testosterone decreases, and the risk of impotence increases.

Cardiovascular diseases

Increased psychological overload causes the production of excessive adrenaline in the body of men and women, which causes them to:

  • Increased heart rate;
  • Increase the number of contractions of the heart;
  • Rise in blood pressure;
  • Formed vegetovascular dystonia.

All these factors directly lead a person to a stroke, heart attack, memory impairment, aging of the body.

How to avoid stress and its consequences

Many men and women solve the problems of psycho-emotional overload, both by their own efforts and with the help of loved ones.

Indeed, often friends or family members help to realistically assess the situation, find a plan to get out of a problem situation. A very good cure for stress will be:

  • Physical exercise;
  • Proper nutrition;
  • Yoga classes;
  • Outdoor recreation;
  • Full sleep;
  • Hobby;
  • Visiting cultural events.

A great help in resolving this issue can be a new book by psychology guru Dale Carnegie How to overcome anxiety and fear.

Here you can find a description of many real facts of anxiety that a person often encounters in his daily life and ways to solve them.

If you want to know more about the consequences of nervous stress, we advise you to subscribe to our blog. We give you a real opportunity to be the first to find out new items in our newsletters, discuss them in your comments and share your personal experience.

Stop poisoning your soul, forget about problems and enjoy life!

Goodbye until we meet again!

Long-term exposure to environmental factors on the psycho-emotional state of a person invariably causes a response of the body, which is called stress. Stress always tends to disrupt homeostasis - the optimal mutual cooperation of various systems and organs, as well as the interaction of these systems with the outside world, through the nervous system.

Under the influence of negative factors, the body, trying to protect itself from them, includes various compensatory mechanisms, in which the central nervous system and immunity play the main role. Accordingly, these two vital systems of a living organism are the first to be hit, which is associated with an excessive load on them and the depletion of energy reserves. Of course, when failures occur in the field of these paramount components of the body, other systems suffer, to varying degrees, expressing their pathological state in the dynamics of clinical signs.

The main symptoms as a reflection of stress

The overall clinical picture, as a result of stress factors, as a result of their impact on the body, is divided into four main categories: cognitive, emotional, physical and behavioral consequences that arise due to dysfunctions in the central nervous system and immunity. It is worth considering that most of the clinical signs of biological disorders, for example, symptoms of a cold, digestive system disorders, and the like, do not bear the basis of a truly existing disease. This phenomenon occurs due to erroneous physiological reactions of the immune system, due to its strong overloads.

Cognitive Consequences of Stress

  • Memory disorders. This phenomenon is characteristic of short-term memory. Under stress, amnesic manifestations never affect permanent memory, but it may become common for a person to forget information from the last few hours. A characteristic feature is the loss of information related to numbers and mathematical calculations from memory - phone numbers, simple calculation formulas that the patient often used in everyday life, and so on.
  • Loss of concentration and attention, the inability to even briefly focus on any type of activity, especially one that requires increased attention.
  • Myopia. A phenomenon associated with a decrease in the activity of the same elements of the brain that are responsible for storing short-term information. In order to make an objective and error-free decision, it is required to include some significant practical experience in the process of comprehension, information about which is stored in short-term memory.
  • Chronic pessimism and nihilism. A person tends to refuse any innovations, changes in their activities, including labor. Any occupation or proposal is always negative and will not bring any benefit in the future. Almost everything around the patient loses its meaning.
  • Anxious state. Stress, especially chronic, based on specific factors that the patient is fully aware of and understands their essence, can cause a loop in thinking and result in stable emotional experiences. Initially, a person will try with all his might to bypass potential irritants, and subsequently, the sources of experienced or existing stress will begin to cause a feeling of fear. Therefore, very often, a characteristic consequence of stress is the development of various phobias.
  • Constant anxiety is very characteristic of chronic stress. Even if at some point it is possible for the patient to occupy his thinking with positive emotions, this phenomenon will be very short-lived.

Emotional Consequences

  • Capriciousness.
  • Increased irritability and irascibility, often turning into overt aggression.
  • Complete lack of incentives for emotional and cognitive relaxation. During chronic stress, such conditions often lead to the development of quite serious psycho-emotional overloads with a transition to mental disorders, more often of a depressive nature.
  • Constant feeling of increased fatigue even from minor intellectual or physical labor.
  • Feeling of social loneliness, development of an inferiority complex.
  • The sustainable development of a depressive syndrome with all the ensuing consequences is a psychopathological condition.

Physical Consequences

  • Pain of various origins, radiating almost throughout the body and not emphasizing the symptoms of any particular disease. Most often, painful sensations occur in the region of the heart, behind the sternum, and womb. Women often experience dysmenorrhea - menstrual pain.
  • Diarrhea or constipation. The regulation of responses during a stressful state occurs through the central nervous system, and the autonomic nervous system, its sympathetic and parasympathetic trunks, acts as an intermediary on the way to the executing systems. A wide range of disorders of nervous activity leads to vegetative failures, which, first of all, affect the activity of complex systems, including the digestive one.
  • An increase in the frequency of urination, against the background of small volumes of urine excreted, the organoleptic indicators of which are characterized by a dark color and a stagnant odor.
  • Disorders of the stomach, which manifest themselves in the form of content delays, pain in the epigastric region, belching, heartburn, nausea. For people suffering from gastritis and peptic ulcers of the stomach and duodenum, an increase in the symptoms of these pathologies is characteristic.
  • An upward change in blood glucose levels, which is associated with impaired insulin production. Physiologically elevated concentrations of free glucose in the blood lead to toxic reactions that increase the general symptoms. The presence of diabetes in the patient's history can lead to serious reactions, up to loss of consciousness.
  • Disorders in the work of the cardiovascular system in the form of an increase or decrease in blood pressure, an increase or decrease in heart rate, arrhythmia, extrasystole. Such a scatter of clinical manifestations is also associated with vegetative dysfunctions in the regulation of physiological processes. The lack of normological regulation often leads to loss of consciousness due to incorrect redistribution of blood in the brain, especially against the background of low blood pressure. The reverse pathological effect can be a hypertensive crisis and, as a result, strokes or heart attacks.
  • Loss of sexual desire, decreased libido.
  • High instability to infectious pathologies, especially of the respiratory plan. A characteristic distinguishing feature of chronic stress is a constant runny nose, cough and respiratory dysfunction.
  • For women, menstrual irregularities are often characteristic in the form of long delays, pain, and so on.

Behavioral Consequences

  • Appetite disorders. Acute stress, as a rule, is characterized by an increase in appetite, with prolonged exposure to stress factors, a gradual decrease is observed, and then a complete lack of appetite is possible.
  • Sleep disorders. There is also a dependence on the time of exposure to stress factors - in the early period of stress, drowsiness, as a rule, is increased, and then decreases. With chronic exposure to stress factors, the patient is characterized by constant lack of sleep, which greatly affects his behavior and appearance.
  • Social isolation.
  • Neglect of one's duties and lowering the level of hygiene requirements addressed to oneself.
  • Manifestation of nicotine, alcohol and drug addictions in an attempt to reduce the heavy perception of stress factors.
  • The emergence of bad habits, such as biting nails, scratching, and so on. Many men are characterized by regular masturbation.

General adaptive stress syndrome

The body always seeks to eliminate stress factors through a psycho-emotional response. If this is not possible, the central nervous system launches defense mechanisms that seek to adapt the body to a stressful environment by regulating homeostasis. Hans Selye, studying stress and its nature of impact, defined the concept of General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS), which clearly demonstrates the effects of stress on the body as a whole.

HAS is characterized by three phases flowing sequentially one from the other:

The excitation phase, characterized by increased activity of the sympathetic division of the autonomic nervous system, is divided, in turn, into two subphases:

  • Shock. During the period of shock, there is a decrease in the volume of circulating blood, against the background of a general decrease in sodium, chlorine and glucose in the plasma. This condition resembles the symptoms of Addison's disease. At this stage, there is a “realization” of the stress factor and an assessment of its harmful status.
  • Antishock. When the threat of a stress factor is fully assessed, the nervous system brings the body into a general state that can be characterized as alarming. During this period, the activity of the blue spot in the brain is activated, which begins to stimulate the production of norepinephrine and adrenaline, while the sympathetic trunk of the autonomic nervous system enters a state of excitation: the heart speeds up, blood pressure rises, breathing increases, the digestive system is suppressed, tone increases skeletal muscles, increases the concentration of cortisol and glucose in the blood plasma. Thinking is at the stage of making a strategically correct decision - "fight or flight."

The resistance phase is the next stage in the development of the general adaptation syndrome, where the hormonal status plays a dominant role. Increases the level of blood nutrients for cells, such as: glucose, lipids, proteins. The level of immune reactions decreases, which is especially well seen on the leukocyte formula: a decrease in the level of lymphocytes, eosinophils and an increase in the level of neutrophils. Cortisol brings the body into a state of active readiness, bringing it to the peak of resistance, which quickly leads to the depletion of physical energy reserves.

Recovery or exhaustion phase:

  • The path of recovery indicates the successful overcoming of stress factors by the body or their elimination. Increased levels of glucose and other nutrients have a beneficial effect on anabolic reactions, which are aimed at restoring homeostasis and cell regeneration.
  • at the moment of the end of all the energy resources of the body and the nervous system is no longer able to maintain physiological functions. In addition, the body's immune system is seriously damaged.

If the exhaustion phase is prolonged, this will lead to long-term pathological changes that are often irreversible and increase the risk of serious mental and biological disorders - stomach ulcers, diabetes, chronic heart failure, phobias, generalized anxiety, depression. In rare cases, the occurrence of schizophrenic syndromes is noted.

The occurrence of stress and its impact on a person is physiologically determined by changes in hormonal balance. As a result of the reaction of the body, a feeling of anxiety and anxiety first appears, all forces are mobilized to solve the problem. Then comes the phase of adaptation and exhaustion, which is characterized by a deterioration in the emotional state, nervous strain and chronic fatigue.

The development of stress is influenced by innate characteristics and early experience:

  1. Genetic risk factors.
    When conducting psychological research, it was found that people's reactions to certain events depend on 30-40% of the parents' genes and 60-70% on life experience.
  2. Impact on the embryo.
    The risk of stress in the future in a child increases if the mother was in a negative psycho-emotional environment during pregnancy.
  3. Type of higher nervous activity.
    Determined at birth. It affects a person's response to stimuli. For example, melancholic people experience mental disorders more often than phlegmatic people.
  4. Children's experience.
    Excessive experiences can distort the perception of the world and lead to insufficient resistance to the action of a stressful situation.

Parental scenarios can provoke the development of stress due to errors in education and negative experiences. A person is able to correct this state with awareness of the problem, sufficient motivation and control of emotions.

Stress can arise due to social environmental factors:

  • abrupt changes in the position of a person in society;
  • increased responsibility;
  • the predominance of intellectual activity over physical;
  • lack of free time and the need to hurry;
  • chronic fatigue;
  • violation of the daily routine;
  • long work shifts;
  • lack of creative elements in the work;
  • the need for a long wait;
  • frequent change of jobs;
  • bad sleep;
  • unhealthy diet;
  • bad habits.

An additional influence is exerted by the social environment of a person. It creates a comfortable or uncomfortable environment. People with close family ties are less prone to stress because they feel secure.

When mental stress occurs, cognitive factors are of great importance. A person may feel discomfort with increased individual sensitivity of receptors and an incorrect assessment of the situation.

People with negative personality traits are more prone to developing stress. These include a tendency to aggression, hostility and suspicion, low self-esteem and lack of motivation.

The effect of stress on the human body

The question of how stress affects health cannot be answered with certainty.

This condition increases the risk of developing heart disease, worsens the psychological mood and can provoke. However, stress is a natural defense mechanism that helps to quickly mobilize forces to overcome obstacles, so there are positive consequences.

The effect of stress on the immune system

In stressful situations, the immune system works worse.

The negative effect is associated with a decrease in the concentration of lymphocytes. This is due to increased synthesis of corticosteroids. If a person tries to get rid of discomfort with the help of alcohol and smoking, the condition worsens.

The impact of stress on physical health

During the occurrence of stress, an increased level of hormones can increase a person’s endurance and performance, but this effect is short-term. After his disappearance, the state of health deteriorates sharply. The negative impact of stress on human health is expressed in migraine attacks, muscle pain, concentration disorders, digestive disorders, increased fatigue, etc.


The impact of stress on mental health

Fluctuations in the hormonal background have a strong impact on the psychological state of a person.

The patient loses the ability to adequately assess what is happening. There may be excessive demands on yourself and other people. The person becomes lethargic or aggressive. Patients complain of insomnia and anxiety. Maybe .

Effect of stress on performance

To answer the question of how stress affects the body of a man or woman, it is necessary to take into account the individual characteristics of a person. In most cases, performance is reduced due to chronic fatigue and impaired concentration. Patients often make mistakes. Unable to plan. Often there are conflicts with colleagues.

Usually you do not want to work, motivation disappears.


Recovery of the body after a stress disorder

Depending on the degree of violations, therapeutic measures may be different. Sometimes it is necessary to carry out medical treatment to normalize the psychological state. In other cases, it is recommended to rest so that the body can recover from the increased load, and normalize the emotional background.

The following measures may help:

  1. Emotional outburst.
    The method helps to get rid of negativity without coming into conflict with others. The methods may be different. For some people, it is enough to shout in a secluded place. Anti-stress dolls help to get emotional release.
  2. Physical exercise.
    Feasible training allows you to get rid of excess energy, stabilize the psycho-emotional background and improve overall tone. However, it is important to avoid overvoltage.
  3. Creation.
    Allows you to get rid of negative emotions and relax. You can buy special coloring pages or do your favorite hobby.
  4. Communication with animals.
    Pets help to calm down and relax. Tactile contact allows you to normalize hormonal levels.
  5. Psychologist consultation.
    The specialist will not only give recommendations on recovery, but will also help you believe in yourself and get rid of worries.
  6. Meditation, breathing exercises, yoga and other relaxing practices.
    Moderate exercise contributes to changes in hormonal levels.

The choice of method depends on the individual characteristics of the character. The help of others is of great importance in rehabilitation. It is desirable to talk and spend time with family members more often. This will help you bond and feel safe.

In society, any nervous breakdown is considered to be stress, and its extreme manifestations are considered hysteria. From the point of view of medicine, hysteria and neurasthenia are mental disorders and are subject to correction by psychiatric specialists. However, the impact of stress on a person is by no means limited to neurological disorders.

The term "stress" appeared in medicine from physics, where it denotes the tension of the system due to the force applied from the outside.

The human body as a single system is daily under pressure from external factors. Stressors can be environmental causes:

  • Air pollution,
  • Atmospheric pressure jumps;
  • Magnetic storms;
  • Sudden changes in air temperature.

Medical stressors are any diseases (from traumatic injuries to infectious ones), social stressors are conflict situations in a team, society. The impact of stress on a person is great - it negatively affects physical and psychological health.

Medical aspects of stress

In 1926, the founder of the doctrine of stress, Hans Selye, published his observations of patients suffering from various diseases. The results were astonishing: regardless of the disease, everyone had loss of appetite, muscle weakness, high blood pressure, loss of aspirations and desires.

Hans Selye called stress the same reactions of the body to any external influence.

The most powerful stressor, Hans Selye believed, is the lack of a goal. Also, in a state of physiological immobility, the human body is more susceptible to the development of diseases: stomach ulcers, heart attack, hypertension.

The impact of stress on a person changes the conditions of life. For example, with strong positive emotions, the vitality of the body increases dramatically, this is ensured by high blood pressure. A person, having fulfilled his dream, feels a loss of appetite and muscle weakness - when exposed to negative emotions, a similar decline in strength is perceived very painfully.

Stress, in fact, is an innate reaction of the body, enabling a person to adapt to life in new conditions. Therefore, in medicine it is called the adaptation syndrome.

The impact of stress on human health

The development of stress in every person occurs according to a single mechanism. In contact with a stress factor, the central nervous system announces an alarm. The further reaction of the body is not controlled by the will of the person, but is carried out by the vegetative, independent nervous system. The mobilization of vital organs and systems begins, guaranteeing survival in extreme circumstances. Due to the excitation of the sympathetic nervous system, breathing and heartbeat quicken, blood pressure increases. The physiological impact of stress on human health ensures the centralization of blood circulation: lungs-heart-brain. The hormones "flight and fight" are released: adrenaline and norepinephrine. People experience dry mouth and dilated pupils. Muscle tone rises to such an extent that it is often manifested by trembling of the legs or hands, twitching of the eyelids, corners of the mouth.

With the further development of the adaptation syndrome, the effect of stress on human health is expressed in the body's response to adaptation to new living conditions.

The effect of stress on the human body

In the active stage, hormones of the "second line of defense" appear - glucocorticoids. Their action is aimed at emergency survival due to the internal reserves of the body: all the glucose reserves of the liver are used, and their own proteins and fats break down.

If the reaction continues with the depletion of vital forces, the effect of stress on a person continues. The "alarm" mechanism is activated again, but there are no internal reserves anymore. This stage of stress is final.

All the forces of the body during stress are directed to the work of the central organs: the heart, lungs and brain, so the rest of the vital organs at this time suffer from a lack of oxygen. Under such conditions, gastric ulcers, hypertension, bronchial asthma, migraine-like pains, tumors of peripheral organs (cancer) can develop.

With a prolonged course, the effect of stress on the human body is manifested not only by the development of diseases, but also by the depletion of the nervous system. This medical condition is called neurasthenia. Neurasthenics have pain in all organs, but most of all, in the head. The person understands that his nervous forces are depleted and considers such a state to be chronic fatigue syndrome. From the point of view of pathological physiology, this is nothing more than a protracted adaptation reaction.

The effect of stress on the human condition

The general tone, that is, the mood of people depends on the hormonal background. Having set a certain goal, a person wakes up, feeling full of strength for any accomplishments. Psychological mood sets cortisol - the main anti-stress hormone. Its content in the blood in the morning varies greatly depending on the mood for the coming day. Under normal conditions, on the eve of a working day, the content of anti-stress hormone is much higher than on a day off.

When the impact of stress on a person's condition reaches a critical point, the morning does not bode well. Therefore, the whole day is considered "spoiled".

A person loses a sense of the correct assessment of what is happening. Surrounding events and influences are perceived inconsistently with their strength. Excessive demands on others, for example, on oneself, are often not justified. Often, the impact of stress on a person exacerbates the course of chronic diseases. They begin to escalate, as they say, "out of schedule." Not in autumn and spring, during periods of planned therapeutic measures, but in winter and summer.

The effect of stress on human behavior

In an unstable state, aspirations and goals are chosen by a person, without taking into account their own capabilities. Any desire to achieve something, in fact, a negative emotion, becomes positive when the desired result is achieved. If the goal remains unattainable, the emotion becomes a strong stressor.

In extreme conditions, the effect of stress on human behavior is especially noticeable, depending on the initial state of health and temperament, as a character trait. In the same conditions, people with different attitudes to the surrounding reality behave in completely different ways. According to Pavlov's classification, there are four types of higher nervous activity, weak (melancholic) and three strong, but with some features:

  • Unbalanced, reacting to any impact with a violent reaction - choleric;
  • Balanced, inert - phlegmatic;
  • Mobile and balanced - sanguine.

The influence of stress on a person of different types of higher nervous activity is not the same. Strange as it may seem, but unbalanced people endure stress most easily. The effect of stress factors on such a person ends with the level of the primary response of the body. Whereas in people who are balanced, stress passes into the second phase of adaptation, and then leads to exhaustion.

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