Custom «The Harmful Effects of Stress upon the Human Body» Essay Paper Sample

In the era of haste and rapid gain of power, people are more and more exposed to the bad effects of stress on their bodies and minds. As a matter of fact, stress cannot be prevented, which makes it even harder to treat and cope with its consequences. Just as Ben Benjamin states, “stress is a fact of life”, which everyone experiences at least once during their lifetime, and which, if not treated correctly, can lead to the disastrous results. Without a doubt, in some cases, stress can be well resisted, but how can the quantity of beneficial stress be estimated? Also, is it safe to just presume that the body can withstand a certain amount of stress before actually getting hurt? The answer to these questions comes to mind when thinking about how much people risk in order to feel the adrenaline in their blood. However, this erratic behavior has proven itself to be very damaging on health, thus leading experts to the conclusion, that stress cannot be beneficial to the human body.

When facing a stressful situation, the body enters a state called “fight or flight”. During this phase, there are cascades of reactions in the body, leading to the release of several chemical substances that are meant to help the body cope with the stress. Substances such as adrenaline and cortisol were proven to help the body by increasing its strength and stamina, but they have harmful effects on the brain and heart. In the newsletter for the HEALTH Touch magazine, Ben Benjamin, wrote an essay on the way stress affects the body, and he says that cortisol is especially dangerous for the body, because “when it lingers in the body for prolonged periods, cortisol has been seen to weaken many types of tissue raising the risk of chronic back, neck, and other injuries” (Benjamin, n.pag.). Furthermore, it suppresses the immune system, making the body unable to heal from injuries that may occur. Therefore, these effects raise an important problem: is it worth the risk of developing immune or heart disorders for a few moments of exaltation?

When the stress levels get out of control, people may feel angry and agitated without a specific reason. These emotional responses are driven by the sympathetic nervous system, which tries to let the person know that the level of stress is high enough to become damaging. Unfortunately, the stress amount becomes harmful long before any symptoms appear, and at this point people may even experience memory problems, negativism and difficulty to concentrate. These are only a few of the most common stress overload symptoms, which should be known by anyone who is aware of their own health. There is no doubt, that stress is very harmful for a person and that the emotional and psychical signs can anytime migrate towards physical and behavioral ones.

In the study on the effects of stress and principles of stress management, conducted by the Klinic Community Health Center, the experts prove that stress, which affects brain and the physical state, can determine serious illnesses. According to them, the digestive tract can suffer the most, as the chemical substances that are released determine “gastritis, stomach and duodenal ulcers, ulcerative colitis and irritable colon.” (Klinic Community Health Care, n.pag.)What is more, the lungs, heart, muscles, bran, hair, skin and even reproductive organs suffer, as they are all innervated and affected by the sympathetic system. Conditions such as heart attacks, musculoskeletal aches, asthma, impotence, insomnia, excessive hair loss and psoriasis are very common among those, who are very exposed to daily stress.

In conclusion it should be mentioned, that even though a small amount of stress might be good for a human body, the limit between the amount one can resist and the amount, which causes severe damage to the body, is nearly inexistent. That is why people need to be educated regarding stress and know that they should always avoid it if possible, because the amount of stress that can bring benefits for the body is already gained through the basic activities of a normal person.