Stress on Your Body

anthony · #1 26-06-2006, 10:50 PM

I really liked this article outlining how stress impacts our bodies, because stress is a major player in PTSD, and most people just don't understand the physical impact that PTSD and stress causes our longevity of life, too suddenly shorten.

Quote:

Stress and your body

The following are symptoms of the acute "flight or fight" stress reaction:

Fast beating, racing heart, often palpable
Blood pressure soars
Fast racing breath
Digestion slows down
Sweaty palms. Stress causes extreme heat in the body. Without perspiration to cool the body down, we would spontaneously combust!
Dry mouth
Muscles tense
Blood clots faster
Glucose and fats pour into the blood to provide energy for all the action taking place inside the body
Rushing thoughts
Irrational fears and anxiety

Stress, disorders and disease

Long-term and unmanaged stress can cause and exacerbate the following:

High blood pressure
Heart disease
Allergies, hives, hay fever
Asthma
Migraines
Irritable bowel syndrome
Eczema
Psoriasis

Stress and your heart

Heart attack, high blood pressure, thickening of the arteries (atherosclerosis or plaque formation), thrombosis (formation of blood clots), stroke. Many medical doctors believe that occupational, relationship, financial or work related stress is the most important risk factor and cause for coronary heart disease and heart attacks, often starting with a silent elevation in blood pressure.

Go for regular physical check-ups, high blood pressure is a silent disease, as is early diabetes, high cholesterol and thickening of the arteries! It's important to determine your day to day working blood pressure, not only the one that's measured in the doctor's room while you're anticipating hell and damnation! However, the tendency for your blood pressure to rise might indicate a reactive narrowing of the blood vessels (arteries) when you experience situations that are stressful for you.

Stress and your skeleton

Backaches, headaches and muscle tension are very common and most people will suffer from one or more of these conditions during their lifetimes. Tension plays a major role in muscle spasm often associated with stress. Disorders of this kind are often related to chronic stress and the feeling of helplessness individuals experience when they feel unable to cope with the cause of their stress.

Environmental stressors such as pollution, poor working conditions, poor ergonomics (such as too low computer chairs leading to repetitive strain injury), noise combined with emotional factors, often lead to backaches, headaches and other musculoskeletal problems. This diminishes the efficacy and productivity in the workplace tremendously. The cost of backache alone in Western countries comes to astronomical figures. Individuals suffering from these conditions (such as backache, tension headaches, migraine, muscle cramps, spasms, diminished flexibility and mobility of muscles and joints, susceptibility of injuries) often do not eat properly, they live a sedentary life and/or they abuse painkillers. This in turn makes them even less able to cope with stress.

Stress hormones also interfere with the bodies ability to build bone, resulting in bone loss, especially in women.

Stress and sexual problems

Impotence, premature ejaculation, lowered libido, frigidity, loss of self confidence, premenstrual tension and even infertility in men and women are associated with long-term unmanaged stress. These symptoms in turn exacerbate the stress. A well balanced sex life is essential for our ability to manage sex and for our general health and wellbeing.

Stress also plays a major role in the individual's experience of the transition periods of life: teenagers, menopause (male and female), retirement and old age.

Stress and chronic fatigue

Under optimal levels of stress we are productive, creative, communicative, enthusiastic and healthy. Once we pass the level of optimal performance, we enter the negative phase of stress with low efficiency, productivity, creativity and poor interpersonal relationships. These cumulative factors lead to mental and physical fatigue.

Mental fatigue, ironically, often drives us to do even more to achieve the same level of performance. This further depletes our reserves and resources, leading to a disruption in homeostasis, or internal balancing of endocrine, neurological and immune function. Physical and mental fatigue leads to more stress in a vicious circle often leading to "burn-out".

Stress and obesity

Because of the secretion of cortisol in long-term stress, fat tends to accumulate around the abdomen and back. The fat is stored in anticipation of the coming famine. This is due to the stress signal of the basic survival of the human species response! Never mind that your stress is due to a heavy workload and a power-hungry, driven personality! Your body's reaction to stress is the same as primitive man's who was constantly involved in a fight for survival. Fat storage was and still is, great for survival during famines.

Stress, diabetes and insulin resistance

The adrenalin released during the stress reaction inhibits insulin, the major hormone whereby the body removes sugar from the blood. This is great when we have a physical response to a stressor or trigger that threatens our survival. When we have chronic stress, without the physical outlet, as is mostly the case, sustained high sugar levels combined with high cortisol (the hormone secreted during long-term stress) levels and a susceptible individual, this might lead to diabetes in later life. Stress also exacerbates existing diabetes. Diabetes can, in turn, lead to other diseases, mostly cardiovascular disorders.

Stress and your skin

Research shows that 40% of skin disorders are associated with stress. Many doctors believe that it is much higher. Dermatitis and eczema are often the direct result of stress. Other skin disorders, such as psoriasis, urticaria (hives), acne and herpes simplex (cold sores) are exacerbated and often caused, by chronic stress. Unsightly skin conditions often lead to more emotional stress due to the social implications.

Stress and your digestion

The link between stress and ulcers in the stomach or duodenum, is complex. Ulcer development is associated with continual stress and high levels of gastric acid. People with ulcers, on the other hand, are often very susceptible to stress and tend to be anxious. The Helicobacter pylorum infection often associated with ulcers, also indicates an immune system that's functioning below par. This in turn, is often a result of long-term unrelenting stress. Zinc deficiency, often associated with chronic stress, has been implicated in the gastric mucous membrane sensitivity for high acid levels.

Other digestive problems linked with stress: oesophageal spasm, diarrhoea, irritable bowel syndrome and spastic colon, ulcerative colitis, Crohn's disease.

Stress and your immune system

Short-term stress enhances immune function. Sustained stress suppresses immune function. The more stress, the fewer antibodies you will produce. Both kinds of immunity (cell mediated and humoral immunity) are affected by unrelenting stress, which means that you'll be more likely to be infected by viruses (also those linked to cancer), bacteria, fungi and parasites.
You'll also be more sensitive to environmental toxins, electromagnetic emanations from high tension electrical cables and pollution. The link between stress and immune function is far-reaching, explaining the effect stress has on disorders ranging from the common cold, autoimmune diseases (such as multiple sclerosis, systemic lupus erythematosis, rheumatoid arthritis, ulcerative colitis, Crohn's disease) to HIV/Aids, through to cancer.

Stress and substance abuse

The inability to cope with stress often leads to the increased consumption of alcohol, tranquillisers, drugs to help people sleep, use of recreational drugs and smoking. This is a mistaken effort to try and relieve tiredness, anxiety and life pressure. Alcohol's initial effect is to mimic the stress reaction! The later effect of alcohol is depression. Alcohol may give a short-term lift which appears to relieve tension, but can, in the long term, turn into a problem of changed behaviour and dependency. Tranquillisers and sleeping pills often lead to dependency and a need for increased and stronger dosages to have an effect (tolerance). Smoking may also have a transient calming effect, but nicotine actually mimics the stress response. Smoking can damage virtually any organ of the body.

There appears to be a link between smoking, alcohol abuse, high consumption of coffee, as an example of addiction by association, all in a futile attempt to address the high stress levels in a person's life. The accumulating effect of addiction and poor lifestyle choices considerably weakens the ability to cope with stress and increases the risk for developing various diseases.

Stress and depression

This is the mental disorder mostly associated with stress. High cortisol levels and a serotonin-noradrenalin dysfunction, all common to chronic stress, are all implicated in depression.

Stress can make individuals more susceptible to psychiatric disease and also exacerbates existing conditions.

Stress and insomnia

Sleep disruption is one of the earliest symptoms of stress. Sufficient sleep is extremely important for us to function properly and to be able to manage the day-to-day stresses of living. Sleep helps for emotional and physical recovery after a stressful day. Insomnia is therefore a major problem as it diminishes our resistance to stress.

Other symptoms of stress

Nightmares, forgetfulness, fatigue, persistent irritability, apathy, lack of concentration, social withdrawal, loss of or increase in appetite, increased coffee and tea consumption, increased aggression.

Stress and the South African situation

We are exposed to crime on a daily basis, wherever we live. Most South Africans live in a constant state of fear and anxiety. This is a good example of how fear, anxiety, guilt, despair and hatred constantly evoke the fight or flight reaction, which has to be processed and balanced.

Many South African men have been brought up with the idea that they should suppress all their emotions and they find it difficult to cope in South Africa. Many men live with the thought that he and his family are potential targets of criminal activities. We all have to deal with feelings of helplessness and hatred. We are often overly attached to our material possessions and the loss of them causes intense shock and anxiety as well as financial strain.

Emotionally, women tend to cope with this type of trauma better than men. Society allows women to give expression to a wide range of emotions. The socially acceptable reaction for men is aggression and rage - certainly not heartache, uncertainty, vulnerability, fear and an overwhelming feeling of helplessness.

We all have to learn to cope with crime. We cannot suddenly change it; we can't really all move house or relocate to another country; we can't run away; we can't attack the aggressor. We have to find the answer within ourselves.

What is important is that people should talk to one another. Partners should communicate their feelings to each other. Relationships with other people create a safe, confidential space for sharing feelings. If you find it difficult to cope with a traumatic experience, it is highly recommended that you and your family go for trauma counselling for posttraumatic stress disorder, before you internalise the experience and it forever influences your life negatively from the deep unconscious where it's buried in the shadows of your existence.

Good things can develop from bad experiences. People are reaching out to one another again. Couples are learning to talk to each other, men are discovering that it is normal to feel uncertain, scared and helpless. This is often a stimulus for spiritual growth and an awareness of the important things in life. People sometimes decide to realise life-long dreams or try a new job. How you tackle or react to a situation is your choice.

We must become more alert and learn to spot signs of danger in the neighbourhood. Criminals don't just appear from nowhere. If we were less concerned about tomorrow and less regretful about yesterday, we would be better able to focus on the present and not operate in a state of unawareness of our surroundings. This would enable us to use the fight or flight reaction for the purpose for which it was created. We can also take the necessary steps within our power to safeguard our house, workplace and the lives of our nearest and dearest as best as possible.

By taking control of how you utilise your fear reaction, you can change from being a victim to being in control of a situation.

Today's society is generally very negative and we pass this message on to our children. We must start the healing process. We cannot wait for the government or the police service to do everything. Emphasise the power of love, rather than the power of hate. South Africa is in a period of transition which will lead to the rebirth of a more tolerant and balanced society - perhaps in our lifetime, perhaps not. It is difficult to see the light when it's still dark. Remember, that darkness is neither an entity nor a reality - it is only a place where the light is absent. There is a deep feeling of mutual respect and dignity among most of the people in our country. Let us build on that feeling!

Source: Health24

Roerich · #2 13-08-2006, 08:26 AM

bdixon,

Here is the latest research on the topic of heart disease and PTSD:

Roerich
Thu Aug 10, 2006 12:25 AM BST144

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is associated with increased levels of two coagulation (clotting) factors and may thereby promote atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries) and increase the risk of cardiovascular disease, investigators say.

Several studies have demonstrated the increased cardiovascular risk associated with PTSD, even years after the trauma. Suggested mediators of this relationship include unhealthy lifestyle, chronic low-grade inflammation, and blood clotting activation, but until now no one had investigated any link between PTSD and a "hypercoagulable" state.

To that end, Dr. Roland von Kanel from University Hospital Berne in Switzerland, and his team recruited 14 adults diagnosed with chronic PTSD and 14 control subjects matched by gender and age who had also experienced a traumatic event but were not diagnosed with PTSD.

The levels of specific PTSD symptoms (re-experiencing, avoidance, and hyperarousal) as well as depression and anxiety were assessed by interview. From blood samples, the investigators measured blood levels of several clotting factors.

The team reports in the journal Psychosomatic Medicine that coagulation factor levels did not differ significantly between the two groups.

However, among all 28 subjects, hyperarousal severity and PTSD symptom severity were associated with one specific clotting factor known as FVIII:C.

Also, in the PTSD group alone, hyperarousal and PTSD symptom scores were associated with levels of the coagulation factor fibrinogen, although the association was attenuated after controlling for depression and anxiety.

The team concludes that symptoms associated with PTSD could lead to a hypercoagulable state, which "could be of particular clinical importance in terms of an elevated cardiovascular risk and overall mortality several years down the line."

SOURCE: Psychosomatic Medicine July/August 2006.