Parish Health Team

Physical Responses to Stress

The Parish Health Team is addressing the importance of having effective stress management skills; we began in February, Heart Healthy Month, to reduce risk of heart attack and stroke from stress.

Stress can be either be positive or negative. As a positive force, it helps you avoid danger. When a deer leaps out in front of you and you must slam on the brakes, your nervous system ramps up the body’s ability to rapidly respond to a crisis. Heart rate, blood pressure, respiratory rate all rise, “flight or fright.” The liver dumps its stored cholesterol and sugar for lubrication and fuel, the adrenal glands dump their stored  steroids and epinephrine for power and  heightened awareness. All good. When you are safe again, the other half of the nervous system restores normalcy. But your body responds every time to stress, whether or not there is danger. Repetitive stress, like conflict in your daily life or commuting when cars often pull in front of you, constantly dumps all those modulators, forcing your organs to make more. Bad cholesterol (low density lipoproteins) clog the arteries that supply the heart muscle with oxygen and fuel—heart attack can result. Spiking blood pressures could spring a leak. Since the brain receives the first oxygenated blood at high pressure and uphill—stroke can result. Even if you’re not eating sugar, the liver is dumping its storage, wearing out the pancreas’ ability to produce insulin—diabetes can result. Steroids also cause blood sugar to rise dramatically. All bad. We urge you to take a moment to identify what your personal stressors are this week. And then we will talk more about managing your responses to your stressors.

For more information, we recommend the Mayo Clinic Patient Eduction: https://www.mayoclinic.org/ diseases-conditions/adjustment-disorders/symptoms-causes/syc-20355224.

Ruth Fugee, RN, MSN, Parish Health Team

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