Acute versus Chronic Stress
Stress refers to the psychological reaction to pressure or threat which generally creates tension, nervousness, and edginess in humans. Acute stress refers to a short sharp burst of stress caused by inconsistent stress factors (Boonstra, 2013). This is like a temporary high that comes and goes. The advent of stress triggers the release of the hormone adrenaline which has a temporary effect on the nervous system. Chronic stress, on the other hand, is said to have occurred when the body finally responds to prolonged pressure from persistent stress factor. When chronic stress is achieved, the individual feels that they have lost substantive control of themselves. From a biological perspective, chronic stress may also lead to the release of corticosteroids whose impact is more definitive than adrenalin whose impact is short term (Boonstra, 2013).
Brain’s reaction to stress
Stress is received and deciphered in the brain by the hypothalamus. This is a forebrain section, situated just below the thalamus and acts as a coordinator between the autonomic nervous system and the hormone-based functions of the brain. The autonomic nervous system is the part of the nervous system that carries passive messages to the brain, without logical control or even notice of the individual (Goyal et al., 2014). Being a nervous system, the messages about the presence of stress are carried to the hypothalamus in impulse format. The hypothalamus interprets the messages and transmits the danger to the pituitary gland, which controls hormonal reactions. It is this pituitary gland that releases hormones such as adrenaline to enable the body to handle the stress.
Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.
Hormones and Stress
A hormone is a chemical compound, made up of complex molecules and is produced by glands with the multicellular organism. Specific hormones carry specific instruction to defined organs so as to regulate the physiology and behavior of an organism. When the hypothalamus gets enough impulses to arrive at the conclusion that the body individual is under stress, it triggers the pituitary gland that caused the production of two hormones adrenalin and cortisol (Smith & Vale, 2006) . Adrenalin increases the heat rate thus raising the blood pressure to heighten the process of energy generation. This process requires an injection of more energy, in the form of glucose into the system and the instructions for the glucose increase are given by the cortisol. The combined effect of the two is to give the body more energy to combat whatever threat it is facing.
Hypothalamic–Pituitary–Adrenal Axis
When the body is faced with stress, there arises the need to react to the stress, yet this has to be undertaken without affecting homeostasis. This is the obligation of the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis (HPA) (Smith & Vale, 2006) . The HPA is a combination of three systems to with the hypothalamus, the pituitary gland, and the adrenal gland. HPA is involved in several bodily functions that combine chemical reaction to impulse stimuli in the body. Most importantly, homeostasis, which is a careful chemical balance in the body must also be maintained, even as the body reacts to different stimuli such as stress. The general reaction of the HPA when stress s detected is the release of glucocorticoid from the Adrenal gland to enable the body combat the stress factors (Smith & Vale, 2006) . However, this must be done in a very meticulous manner so as not to affect homeostasis hence the need for careful coordination between the three HPA organs.
Stress Countering Recommendations
Stress itself, as well as the process the body employs to fight stress, can be adverse to the body. It is, therefore, advisable for anyone feeling stressed to take active measures to combat the stress (APA, 2017). Among the recommended ways for countering stress is avoidance of the stress factors. This can be an issue, memory or individual that is causing psychological disturbance. The second recommendation is undertaking active exercises such as swimming, walking or jogging. Exercises are known to extenuate on stress. Getting social support from a loved one is also another means of combating stress (APA, 2017). Secondary means include intentionally laughing out loudly and meditating, which have also been known to be effective in countering stress.
References
APA. (2017). Five tips to help manage stress . Retrieved June 20, 2017, from http://www.apa.org/helpcenter/manage-stress.aspx
Boonstra, R. (2013). Reality as the leading cause of stress: rethinking the impact of chronic stress in nature. Functional Ecology , 27 (1), 11-23
Goyal, M., Singh, S., Sibinga, E. M., Gould, N. F., Rowland-Seymour, A., Sharma, R., & Ranasinghe, P. D. (2014). Meditation programs for psychological stress and well-being: a systematic review and meta-analysis. JAMA Internal Medicine , 174 (3), 357-368
Smith, S. M., & Vale, W. W. (2006). The role of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis in neuroendocrine responses to stress. Dialogues in Clinical Neuroscience , 8 (4), 383-395.
