Stress is a natural physical and mental reaction to everyday life experiences. Everyone will experience stress from time to time. Stress can be caused by daily activities, such as work and household chores, to other more severe situations.
With short-term and limited exposure, stress can even benefit our health. The body responds to stress by releasing hormones that increase breathing and heart rate so the muscles can react more quickly.
If it does not go away, or even if the severity increases, stress can negatively impact health. Chronic stress can cause various symptoms, such as temper, anxiety, depression, headaches, and insomnia.
In this article, we discuss stress and its impact on each of the constituent systems of the human body.
Musculoskeletal system
The musculoskeletal system is a system in the body that consists of muscles, connective tissue, nerves, bones, and joints. This system plays a vital role in exercise. Muscles will reflexively tighten when we face stress as a defense mechanism against illness and injury. The muscles will then release their tension after the stress is over.
Chronic stress conditions cause the body's muscles to be in a wake mode for some time. Pulled muscles can provoke other reactions in the body in the long run, even increasing stress-related health problems. For example, headaches are often associated with shoulder, neck, and head muscle tension. Back pain is also often associated with stress, especially stress from work.
Respiratory system
The human respiratory system is responsible for ensuring the availability of oxygen supply and cleaning carbon dioxide waste from the body. Air entering the nose and through the larynx into the throat is sent to the bronchioles in the lungs to be transferred to the red blood cells. The heart later distributes red blood cells rich in oxygen throughout the body.
Stress and strong emotions can cause respiratory symptoms such as shortness of breath and rapid breathing. This is caused by the narrowing of the airways lining the nose and lungs.
While generally not a problem for people without the respiratory disease, stress can worsen breathing problems in people with certain illnesses, such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
The alveoli, located in the bronchioles, are where gas exchange with carbon dioxide occurs.
Cardiovascular system
The heart and blood vessels are the two elements that make up the cardiovascular system and work together to distribute oxygen and nutrients to all organs in the body. The activity of the heart and blood vessels is also affected by the body's response to stress. Stress hormones, including adrenaline and cortisol, act as intermediates to the effects of acute stress by increasing the force of muscle contractions and heart rate.
The blood vessels that supply blood to the major muscles and heart enlarge, pumping more blood to these organs and raising blood pressure.
Chronic stress, which repeats over time, can also contribute to long-term cardiovascular problems, such as high blood pressure, heart attacks, and strokes.
In addition to improving the health of the cardiovascular system, exercise can also improve one's mood.
However, there are differences in the risk of stress-related heart disease in women who have entered menopause. Estrogen levels in pre-menopausal women help blood vessels respond better to stress.
Meanwhile, women who have entered menopause lose this protection and reduced levels of the hormone estrogen in the body, putting them at greater risk for heart disease.
In addition to the adverse effects on the musculoskeletal, respiratory, and cardiovascular systems, as mentioned above, excessive stress can also affect the digestive and female reproductive systems. Choosing a supportive environment, regular exercise, and getting enough sleep are stress management strategies that can be implemented.
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References:
American Psychological Association. (2018). Stress effects on the body. [online]. https://www.apa.org/topics/stress/body
Pietrangelo, A. & Legg, T. J. (2020). The Effects of Stress on Your Body. [online]. https://www.healthline.com/health/stress/effects-on-body