What It Is, What It Does To You, and Where It Comes
From
Another reason why you should have a lot of liquid swishing around
inside you:
One of the body's reflex responses to stress is to
thicken the blood with extra clotting factors and red blood cells,
both from the marrow and from the reservoir in the spleen. Having
this "sludge" effect in your arteries can compromise the
circulation and, in coronary vessels already partly restricted from
heart disease, predispose you to a heart attack. Hydration thins
the blood. Thus including plenty of liquid in your daily diet can
offer real benefits in your defense against stress. (Remember, coffee,
soda, or booze doesn't count.)
Thirteen billion doses of tranquilizers, barbiturates,
and amphetamines are prescribed yearly.
Hundreds of experiences in life cause stress. These
"stressors" create eustress (good stress) or distress
(negative stress). Our bodies are designed to meet these stressors.
However, each person must determine what is just the right amount
of stress for them to function at their optimum level. Experiencing
too little stress causes irritability, boredom, dullness, and apathy.
Too much stress can produce comparable results, along with feelings
of being overwhelmed. Defining stress is relatively simple compared
to the task of developing effective stress-management tools. One
thing is certain:
Eliminating the destructive effects
of stress requires a concentrated effort.
It has been well established that mental distress can heighten,
and in some cases, even cause physical pain. On-the-job or home-related
anger, anxiety or depression has been linked to tension pain in
the back, peptic ulcers, migraines, heart attacks and joint pain.
Eight million Americans have stomach ulcers.
According to the International Headache Society, the
most common trigger for migraine headaches is stress. Interestingly,
the attacks may occur after the stress; (e.g., weekend migraine
that afflicts the sufferer when a stressful workweek is over).
Here's how your body reacts to a stressful situation (called the
"Flight" or "Fight" Response):
- Various hormones such as epinephrine and norepinephrine are
secreted
- Pupils dilate to increase visual field. Heart rate increases
to deliver blood to muscles faster
- Lungs expand to increase surface area for oxygen intake
- Muscles contract, ready for sudden movement
- Capillaries in digestive system contract
- Liver releases sugars and fats into blood to fuel muscle cells
- Capillaries near skin contract to increase blood available for
muscles
- Increased sweating in selected areas: thick, oily odoriferous
secretions
- Saliva becomes reduced and thickens
One survey of 1,029 men and women showed the top 5 stressors to
be:
- work
- not enough time
- money
- kids
- health (own and others)
More than 90 percent of personnel directors responding to a survey
said mental health care will become an increasingly important issue
in the future. Almost 70 percent believe that mental pressure is
such a significant factor at work that companies will someday need
to provide "mental health days" as well as vacation days
so that workers can unload their stress.
We spend 20 to 30 percent of our time just looking for things.
People suffer most from stress when there is nothing they can do
to relieve the situation.
Whereas men typically relax after a workday, women are more likely
to experience increased stress as they switch to the demanding domestic
roles of mother and homemaker. Consequently, they may have elevated
adrenaline and blood pressure levels that persist into late evening
hours.
It appears that in some cases, stressful events contribute to or
acutely trigger the onset of Body Dysmorphic Disorder; a psychiatric
disorder in which "normal-looking" or even attractive
people are preoccupied with thoughts that they look monstrously
ugly.
There are an estimated 50,000 stress-related suicides each year
(only one in eight attempts are successful.) Also, we have 12 million
alcoholics in this country.
According to government figures, 84 percent of men and 88 percent
of women have experienced stress. Forty percent experience at least
a moderate amount of stress during an average week, and people between
the ages of 30 and 44, the so-called baby boomers, are experiencing
more stress today than people of any other age group.
Want more facts, figures, tips, techniques and other fun stuff
about stress? Then sign up for Stress
Stuff - just enter your email in the box on the left and click
the Stress Stuff button. It's free!
|
