Effects of Chronic Stress
“Your body is designed for cortisol to be released in any given stressful situation, but in small doses and in short bursts. Today even though our acute stresses are declining in frequency and severity (most of us are far less likely to be chased by a lion in our daily lives), our chronic stresses are going through the roof.
Despite (or maybe because of) electricity, computers, cars, indoor climate control and food everywhere the prevalence and severity of chronic psychological stress and its attendant cortisol is taking its toll.
Long term exposure to large doses of cortisol will kill you….but slowly.
When pressures are relentless, your cortisol, response can remain elevated for days, months, or years. Evidence of the association between job stress, psychological distress, elevated cortisol, depression, and disease is extremely compelling. Psychological stress in adolescence is directly linked to the risk of heart attacks and diabetes in adulthood.
The release of cortisol and your body’s reaction to stress are the result of a cascade of responses. Threat is first interpreted in a walnut sized area of the brain called the amygdala. Whether it’s evading a lion or a line of creditors , your amygdala is scanning the environment for these threats, and talking to other areas of the brain to determine how you should handle it.
When a threat is detected by the amygdala, several things occur .First the amygdala activates the sympathetic nervous system (SNS). The SNS raises blood sugar and blood pressure, to prepare you for the acute stress.Second like the childhood game of telephone ,the amygdala tells the Hypothalamus ( the brain area that controls hormones), which tells the Pituitary , which tells the Adrenal glands to release cortisol,known as the HPA axis ( like the gossip girls). But long term, this can exact a toll on your arteries and your heart, leading to hypertension and stroke.”
