A life stressor is any physical, mental, or emotional stimulus that influences the body or mind to activate hormonal responses. Stress, the natural manifestation of this pressure, is an intriguing psycho-social phenomenon.
Formats
There are three types of stress: (I) acute – from a transient event such as a heated argument, or discomfort from getting stuck in vehicular traffic, bereavement, etc.; (ii) acute episodic – from having to meet deadlines, fortunes assessments, etc. and (iii) chronic – from being unemployed, an apparent perpetual unaccomplished graduate student, enduring persistent abuse, or being in the midst of a precarious conflict.
Pervasiveness
Biologically, stress manifests right from growing up in the womb (i.e., intra-uterine-), through infancy (e.g. learning to feed), childhood (e.g. practising to chew, cry, sit, touch, crawl, stand, walk, and talk), adolescence (e.g. coping with peer influences, lifestyle options cum choices, school performance), adulthood (e.g. seeking employment, acquiring property, raising a family, paying bills, learning to drive), and old age (e.g. coping with geriatric burdens of [probably] being frail, acting a positive image role for young folks).
NB: The classic (normal) physiological stress during pregnancy and lactation cum the transition from pre- to post-menopausal stages in women who need special mention.
The following portray typical societal stressful scenarios: drivers avoiding traffic to save time or outwit law enforcement, hawkers shouting to attract customers, teachers handling bigger-than-usual class sizes, pilots undergoing pre-flight psycho-medical checks, politicians preparing for campaigns, truck pushers “over-pushing” because of overloading and/or deflated tires.
Stress is also encountered in waking up early to prepare for work, struggling in a queue to board tro tro during rush hour, quarrelling, being uncertain about income vis-à-vis honouring family responsibilities (e.g., funeral donations), preparing for examinations, or awaiting application (e.g., visa) outcomes.
Other stressors include apprehension, betting, boredom, excitement, fear of failure, illness, lottery, negative self-perception, perfectionism, precarious relationships, timidity, trauma, and far-fetched expectations.
Lifestyle
Three aspects of daily living evoke, provoke, and instill stress:
Smoking is an acquired addictive behaviour that, even though has been associated with deleterious health outcomes, is arguably perceived to offer solace during stressful moments. The act indeed triggers the generation cum proliferation of free radicals that are potential physio-biochemical stress-related trouble-shooters.
Eating induces body thermo-specific dynamic actions. Food initially gets digested in the alimentary canal, after which the derived energy, vitamins and minerals are absorbed into the blood for circulation to other parts of the body. These events invariably lead to slight transient upsurge in blood flow rate that culminates in elevated body pressure and temperature.
Many individuals often feel relatively dull after a heavy meal. It [probably] is for this reason that typical breakfast meals are lighter [both in weight and energy density] than lunch and supper. The apparent typical attitude favours eating sufficiently light food for work during the day, and heavy meal after work.
Effects
Chronic stress can cause anxiety, constipation, depression, diarrhea, eating disorders (e.g., anorexia and bulimia), elevated heart-beat, fatigue, headache, hypertension (i.e., high blood pressure), indigestion, insomnia (i.e., inability to sleep), irritability, muscle tension, nausea (i.e., feeling like vomiting), abdominal discomfort, among others.
Such stress makes the heart work harder for long to increase the risk of associate cardiovascular accidents (i.e., “stroke”), myocardial infarction (i.e., “heart attack”), arrhythmia (i.e., atypical heartbeat rhythm), and even [rarely, though], sudden death.
Stress has also been associated notoriously with obesity, emaciation (i.e., excess weight loss), diabetes, heartburn, flatulence, adverse skin conditions, bodily pains, and infertility.
Further, there could be uncomfortable feelings of being overwhelmed, restless, fidgety, moody, indifferent, ill-motivated, sad, and overly depressed.
Stress can also be manifest in swings in body composure, unusual physical outlook, and (positive or negative) alteration in temperament, tolerance profile cum anger thresholds.
NB: Prolonged and unmanaged stress can lead to significant body “wear-and-tear”, to heighten the risk of mental health disorders.
Stress stimulates the immune system to defer infections and heal wounds faster. Ironically, over time (e.g., as in ageing), stress hormones weaken it, thus rendering the body more susceptible to infection, frequent prolonged illness and extended injury recovery periods.
Brain function
The brain requires a regular supply of glucose (i.e., blood sugar) and oxygen to function optimally. There are active systems to ensure that the concentrations of these available do not fall below critical threshold levels, to avert life-threatening episodes of hypoxia (i.e., low brain oxygen) and neuroglycopenia (i.e., low brain glucose).
NB: Hypoglycemia (i.e., low blood sugar) from depleted brain fuel can lead to brain dysfunction, and ultimately, probable irreversible damage.
This deprives brain cells of their primary energy source, and potentially occasion symptoms like blurred vision, confusion, dizziness, fatigue, rapid heartbeat, shakiness, sweating, weakness, or slurred speech. These together can present as seizures or coma, if unmanaged.
Alcohol in the blood induces body stress just as glucose does. Once ingested, it is absorbed directly into the blood stream from the stomach wall; it does not wait to be ‘digested|”, as it is accorded a form of biological “VIP” treatment.
The body actively mobilises water from other parts to dilute the absorbed alcohol in the blood. In so doing, the body becomes dehydrated, and triggers the brain-mediated feeling of thirst and urination, just as happens with glucose in diabetes.
Campus stress
Typical stress among students prevails right from having been admitted, through seeking a place of residence (preferably on/or close to campus), moving from one department to another to register, attending lectures and laboratory sessions according to the (sometimes inconveniencing) “dictates” of time tables, and, above all, having to co-exist with roommates whose social attitudes and academic orientation may not be compatible with yours.
Epilogue
Stress in life is inevitable. It is prudent, nonetheless, to avert stress-prone scenarios as much as practicable. It can, and must, be managed.
Its effective management (per WHO guidelines) includes positive (reasonable) lifestyle etiquette, good planning, social support, and seeking needful professional advice.
The writer is a retired UG-, Queen’s-, and Harvard-trained freelance writer on science and public health matters.
E-mail: wbowusu2021@gmail.com
BY DR (DR). W. B. OWUSU
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