How does stress correlate with your physical well-being, and why does it affect that?

Jordan Stump
Stress is something that can happen to all of us at some point in time during our lives. It comes in different waves of intensity and can affect so many other things that function in your body. Stress can be so bad sometimes that is actually makes you sick. Stress has such strong affect on the body that it can trigger the body's response to perceived threat or danger. This is known as the flight-or-flight response. It can affect certain hormones in the body that will speed up and slow down certain functions. Some main functions it affects are adrenalin, it releases cortisol which speeds up ones heart rate, slowing down digestion, shunting blood flow and other major muscle groups that change certain nervous. In certain cases that deal with chronic stress these functions sometimes will not return to normal for a period of time after whereas mild forms of stress will. stress is defined as, "any type of change that causes physical, emotional or psychological strain." Although this is true sometimes certain stress is not always bad or harmful. There are many different forms of stress; Eustress, Acute Stress, Episodic Acute Stress, Chronic Stress. They all have there own unique function and effects on the bodies systems and nerves. When stress gets as bad as chronic stress thats when you start to see physical symptoms. The symptoms start off mild, like headaches and more likely to catch colds. When stress gets serious they get; depression, diabetes, hair loss, heart disease, hyperthyroidism, obesity, obessive-compulsive or anxiety disorder, sexual dysfuntion, tooth and gum disease, ulcers, and cancer. Stress is a big part of health in a humans body. Doctors say as many as 905 of visits are from symptoms of stress.

http://stress.about.com/od/stresshealth/a/stresshealth.htm