Psychological and Physiological Effects of Stress-induced Stimuli Essay

Psychological and Physiological Effects of Stress-induced Stimuli - Essay Example Stress and human health often go hand-in-hand as much clinical research supports that each individual's response to stress has immediate, and sometimes long-term, effects on mental and biological health. The stress reponse is the reaction to stressors, or the events and circumstances that trigger sensations of pressure, frustration or anxiety. There are distinct biological and psychological changes that occur in an individual when exposed to stressful situations and, depending on the nature of the stressful event, the body's stress response can become more intense. Each individual maintains a variety of potential stressful stimuli, including life changes, work-related pressure or even self-induced stress brought on by psychological irrationality in which the individual maintains a self-defeating attitude towards their self value. There are any number of situations in which a person might feel overwhelmed by life situations, however, the response to the stress (whether catastrophic or perceived) varies in intensity based on each individual's ability to cope with the stressors. It is often the cognitive approach to coping with stress that makes the distinct difference between a healthy or a rather unhealthy stress response. Almost immediately after being exposed to a stressful si... Almost immediately after being exposed to a stressful situation, the brain's hypothalamus stimulates the sympathetic branch of the autonomic nervous system and the adrenal glands to release stress hormones such as adrenaline and norepinephrine into the blood - leading to increases in heart rate, blood pressure, respiration, and perspiration (Morris & Maisto, 2005). From a physiological standpoint, the stress Stress Response 4 response can be related to the physical, chemical effects on the body and the severity of long-term health effects vary by individual. A well-adjusted person, who purposefully recognises these physical changes when confronting stress, might begin a regimen of stress-relieving practices, such as meditation or breathing exercises, to bring the physiological effects down to a more controlled level. A person who is easily overwhelmed by stress may act inappropriately to these hormonal changes or become, in the long-term, a maladaptive person based on an inability to mentally cope with the stress. This indicates the relationship between the physical stress response and the psychological effects of long-term exposure to stress stimuli. Physiological Effects of Stress When the body recognises stress-related environments, the stimulation of the sympathetic nervous system affords the body an opportunity to perform vigorous muscle activity, suggesting that the biology of this stimulation is to prepare the body for increased activity; sometimes viewing stress as a perceived threat. The sympathetic nervous system increases arterial pressure and increases blood flow to active muscles, thus increasing glycolysis and increasing muscle strength (Loomis, 2005). Glycolysis, by simple definition, is a metabolic process that