According to Stanford neuroendocrinologist Robert Sapolsky, who has studied stress in baboon troops, it is the relative safety from predators and high amounts of leisure time enjoyed by some primates — including humans — that has transformed these useful biological coping mechanisms into a source of pointless suffering and illness. – courtesy of Why stress is deadly, www.livescience.com
During a stress response, pupils dilate, muscles tense, breathing increases and adrenaline makes your heart pump blood faster. This is vital for an animal, because it shoots oxygen to the muscles and brain, enabling the animal to react quickly to physical danger, such as a ravenous tiger.
Meanwhile, the animal’s body shuts down all non-essential processes such as digestion, reproduction (ovulation and erectile function), growth and parts of the immune system, reserving all available energy for fight or flight.
Humans experience the same energy boosting response. Historically, it may have been during the hunt for wild beasts, evading capture during battle, defending children from harm, or fighting fire.
Today our daily stress is way less survivalist (or dramatic) – being indecisive about what to wear, no milk in the fridge, rushing to get kids out the door, running out of petrol, being late to work, having the internet down, difficult clients, discover teen has been skipping school . . . ironically, a stressful life is no different to fleeing a tiger for eight hours a day – your body does not know the difference.
It is no wonder that stress is a major contributor to cardiovascular disease as the leading cause of death in humans – having an elevated heart rate for long periods increases the risk of heart attack or stroke. Further, when our immune system is shut down for extended periods, the result is inevitable – we get sick and can’t fight it. We are at the mercy of something as insignificant as the common cold.
To get technical, people under chronic stress have elevated levels of the chemical Interleukin-6, associated with heart disease, arthritis, osteoporosis, Type 2 diabetes and some cancers. They also tend to do things that can increase their IL-6 levels, such as smoking, and for overeaters, the chemical is secreted by fat cells. Stressed people also may lack exercise and sleep, yet exercise and normal sleep reduce IL-6.
Research shows some people, and animals, are more prone to stress. A 2007 study found that mice that tended to stress out produced too much of a brain protein called BDNF, which apparently caused them to overreact.
“The increase in BDNF may have an adaptive role normally, allowing an animal to learn that a situation is bad and avoid it in the future,” said study leader Eric Nestler of the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. “But under conditions of extreme social stress, susceptible animals may be ‘over-learning’ this principle and generalizing it to other situations. They avoid their aggressors, but they also avoid all mice and even other fun things like sugar or sex.” – courtesy of Secret to stress revealed in mice, www.livescience.com
High levels of early life stress may result in hypersensitivity to stress later, as well as adult depression. We know that stress increases negativity. Although it is common to worry about children and relationships as this is “appropriate concern”, some people “sweat the small stuff”. This type of worry is negative visualisation, and the resulting anxiousness is becoming increasingly common, which is why stress has become a killer. We appear to have lost our ability to chill out, and de-stress on a daily basis.
Stress can also heighten reactions, which is not always a bad thing. Exploding over spilt milk is at one end of the scale, while working under deadline can bring efficiency and focus to those who know how to harness the power. Adrenaline helps a few people achieve the almost impossible in the 11th hour.
During a stress response, pupils dilate, muscles tense, breathing increases and adrenaline makes your heart pump blood faster. This is vital for an animal, because it shoots oxygen to the muscles and brain, enabling the animal to react quickly to physical danger, such as a ravenous tiger.
Meanwhile, the animal’s body shuts down all non-essential processes such as digestion, reproduction (ovulation and erectile function), growth and parts of the immune system, reserving all available energy for fight or flight.
Humans experience the same energy boosting response. Historically, it may have been during the hunt for wild beasts, evading capture during battle, defending children from harm, or fighting fire.
Today our daily stress is way less survivalist (or dramatic) – being indecisive about what to wear, no milk in the fridge, rushing to get kids out the door, running out of petrol, being late to work, having the internet down, difficult clients, discover teen has been skipping school . . . ironically, a stressful life is no different to fleeing a tiger for eight hours a day – your body does not know the difference.
It is no wonder that stress is a major contributor to cardiovascular disease as the leading cause of death in humans – having an elevated heart rate for long periods increases the risk of heart attack or stroke. Further, when our immune system is shut down for extended periods, the result is inevitable – we get sick and can’t fight it. We are at the mercy of something as insignificant as the common cold.
To get technical, people under chronic stress have elevated levels of the chemical Interleukin-6, associated with heart disease, arthritis, osteoporosis, Type 2 diabetes and some cancers. They also tend to do things that can increase their IL-6 levels, such as smoking, and for overeaters, the chemical is secreted by fat cells. Stressed people also may lack exercise and sleep, yet exercise and normal sleep reduce IL-6.
Research shows some people, and animals, are more prone to stress. A 2007 study found that mice that tended to stress out produced too much of a brain protein called BDNF, which apparently caused them to overreact.
“The increase in BDNF may have an adaptive role normally, allowing an animal to learn that a situation is bad and avoid it in the future,” said study leader Eric Nestler of the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. “But under conditions of extreme social stress, susceptible animals may be ‘over-learning’ this principle and generalizing it to other situations. They avoid their aggressors, but they also avoid all mice and even other fun things like sugar or sex.” – courtesy of Secret to stress revealed in mice, www.livescience.com
High levels of early life stress may result in hypersensitivity to stress later, as well as adult depression. We know that stress increases negativity. Although it is common to worry about children and relationships as this is “appropriate concern”, some people “sweat the small stuff”. This type of worry is negative visualisation, and the resulting anxiousness is becoming increasingly common, which is why stress has become a killer. We appear to have lost our ability to chill out, and de-stress on a daily basis.
Stress can also heighten reactions, which is not always a bad thing. Exploding over spilt milk is at one end of the scale, while working under deadline can bring efficiency and focus to those who know how to harness the power. Adrenaline helps a few people achieve the almost impossible in the 11th hour.
A serial killer called Stress
According to a study of stress in baboon troops, it is the relative safety from predators and high amounts of leisure time enjoyed by some primates — including humans — that has transformed these useful biological coping mechanisms into a source of pointless suffering and illness.