In this module, I was able to measure my knowledge of just how much stress I'm under and how that's impacting my mind and body. I was however astonished to find out about the effects of long-term stress on both my brain and my body.
APA Quiz Results
When I took the WebMD quiz, I managed to score 92 percent, missing just one question. Hardly any of the responses were especially surprising to me since I had many stressful experiences personally and as part of my previous career. I was on active duty Army for over 18 years and was responsible for the preparation and management of all the logistics management that took place in my company. I've been under stress often, and I've been doing studies on my own to take steps to reduce stress and deal with environmental and personal stimuli. Part of my job was to manage property loss during training exercises and manage the movement of all property. Stress came with the job because I had to manage multiple people and their properties. Seeing all the impacts that stress could have on the human body is rather alarming and therefore should not be taken lightly, particularly in a job like the Army. I begin to understand more about stress, its effects, and ways to reduce stress in my life.
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Common Myths
In Article 6 Myths About Stress, the APA lists several of the most common stress myths. Stress has been indicated in many research studies in exacerbating very real physical illnesses — everything from heart disease to Alzheimer’s disease (APA, 2018). The misconception that I find most inaccurate is that only severe symptoms demand attention. It strikes a chord for me, as a previous active military member, this is an issue that doesn't seem to be fading away. Life in the military is very stressful. You are away from your families for weeks sometimes months. Then you throw deployments in there. Now you have more stress from being away from your family to being in a different country fighting to stay alive. Soldiers do find themselves somewhat stressed out, and then the next thing you know, you're beginning to see the reports about a rise in suicides among service members. Minor symptoms of stress are the early warnings that your life is getting out of hand and that you need to do a better job of managing stress (APA, 2018).
How Stress Affects the Brain
Many people understand that stress will affect you over time if it's not under control. Since watching the video (Murgia, 2017) I will make an effort to get my stress under control. He guides us through the chemical process through which the human brain is affected by stress and the long-term effects that it has on our bodies. Stress is really not a bad thing. Stress is beneficial when it improves our concentration or increases adrenaline, for example in sports or public speaking. Prolonged stress that many of us encounter in relationship issues, employment issues, financial problems, etc., will significantly change the brain. Chronic stress can affect the size, structure, and function of the brain.
Stress starts with the pituitary-adrenal axis hypothalamus (HPAA). A variety of connections between the brain and the kidneys. The HPAA also regulates how the body responds to stress. If you're under stress the HPAA releases a hormone called cortisol. Increased cortisol levels over a prolonged period of time can damage your brain. Chronic stress increases the number of neural pathways in the amygdala, the brain's fear core, and as cortisol levels continue to increase, the hippocampus degrades. The hippocampus is essential for people's memories, learning, and stress management and also reduces the activity of the HPA Axis. When the Axis of HPA is diminished, so is the ability to control stress. Cortisol will make the brain shrink. Too much cortisol contributes to the reduction of the pre-frontal cortex that controls decision-making, attention, judgment, and social interactions. This could cause depression and Alzheimer's disease.
The video also revealed a study with rats in which the amount of affection that the mother rat gave her baby played a big part in how that baby reacted to stress later in life. The newborns that were nurtured by their mothers produced more cortisol and were not as prone to stress. The babies of neglectful mothers were the complete opposite. They were far more susceptible to stress. This is called epigenetic alterations and can be corrected in the same way that the results of prolonged stress can be changed in our brains. Work outings and meditation with breathing exercises will reduce stress and increase the size of your hippocampus by helping to improve your memory.
Do you think cognitive stress has the most influence (or impact) on the body’s response to stress? Explain.
I most definitely agree that cognitive stress has the greatest effect on the human body. It has the biggest impact on the body more than any other stressors or stress-related symptoms. Cognitive stress has an effect on your brain. Your brain is the command center of your whole body. The second you change that command center; things will begin to get crazy. Long-term stress results in an increase in cortisol, which can be harmful to the brain. Extended periods of cognitive stress usually equate to loss of memory and Alzheimer's disease. It can be difficult to cope with the effects of chronic stress. Since the cause of prolonged stress is more continuous than acute stress, the body never receives a clear message to return to normal operation. For chronic stress, the same life-saving reactions in the body will affect the respiratory, digestive, cardiovascular, sleep, and reproductive organs. So it's my opinion that if you let stress overwhelm you and let it affect you for a long period, you'll start breaking down.
Short-Term Versus Long-Term Stress
The brain is impacted rather differently by contrasting short-term stress with long-term stress. Stress is your brain's way to arrange and coordinate things. When you think of short-term stress, you think of the fight or flight response. Short-term stress can sometimes be effective. Stress could push you to prosper in such circumstances as taking an exam or interviewing for a job. Stress could keep you vigilant and focused, too. On the other end, prolonged stress is harmful to you, because your body never receives all the evidence to return to a normal state of homeostasis. The issue, however, is this; the body reacts to both of them in the same way. While short-term stress could be beneficial for you, long-term stress has many negative consequences on your body.
If managed correctly, can stress be a good thing?
Indeed, stress can be a good thing if it's managed properly. You should first identify the signs of your body's reaction to stress. When you see that stress has a harmful impact on your health, attempt to identify and minimize stressors as much as you can, and if you're unable to do otherwise, speak to your doctor. Daily exercise and relaxation could also help to control stress. You are coping with stress such as a new job or wedding plans, establishing a prioritized timeline, and setting goals that can be accomplished. Checking the boxes could contribute to completion and permit your brain to rest if only for a few moments. I personally think that stress can be controlled and used efficiently because, without stress, we would not be here as humans.
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