Stress

Medical Author: Peter J. Panzarino Jr., MD, FAPA
Medical Editor: Leslie J. Schoenfield, MD, PhD
Medical Revising Author: Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD
Medical Revising Editor: Jay W. Marks, MD

• What is stress?
• A brief history of stress
• What are the signs and symptoms of poorly managed stress?
• Who is most vulnerable to stress?
• Teen stress
• What is the healthy response to stress?
• How does the response to stress work?
• What is the role of the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis (grouping) in stress?
• What is the role of the locus coeruleus in stress?
• How do the connections in the brain work in stress?
• What do we know about using (activating) and overusing our internal systems that respond to stress?
• What are the effects of stress on medical and psychological conditions?
• Conclusions about the effects of stress
• How can we manage stress?
• What's in the future for stress?
• Stress At A Glance
• Related Stress Articles:
  Stress Management - on WebMD
• Patient Discussions: Stress - Physical Symptoms

Stress, Hormones, and Weight Gain Medical Author: Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD Medical Editor: William C. Shiel Jr., MD, FACP, FACR Most people admit that when they're under stress, healthy eating habits can be difficult to maintain. Whether eating to fill an emotional need or grabbing fast food simply because there's no time to prepare something healthy, a stressed-out lifestyle is rarely a healthy one. But weight gain when under stress may also be at least partly due to the body's system of hormonal checks and balances, which can actually promote weight gain when you're stressed out, according to some researchers. Cortisol is a critical hormone with many actions in the body. Normally, cortisol is secreted by the adrenal glands in a pattern called a diurnal variation, meaning that levels of cortisol in the bloodstream vary depending upon the time of day (normally, cortisol levels are highest in the early morning and lowest around midnight). Cortisol is important for the maintenance of blood pressure as well as the provision of energy for the body. Cortisol stimulates fat and carbohydrate metabolism for fast energy, and stimulates insulin release and maintenance of blood sugar levels. The end result of these actions can be an increase in appetite. Learn more about stress' effects on the body » Top Searched Stress Terms: symptoms, definition, effects on the body, relief, management techniques, work, reduction, types, how to deal with, physiological effects, stress caused diseases, hives

What is stress?

Stress is simply a fact of nature—forces from the outside world affecting the individual. The individual responds to stress in ways that affect the individual as well as their environment. Hence, all living creatures are in a constant interchange with their surroundings (the ecosystem), both physically and behaviorally. This interplay of forces, or energy, is of course present in the relationships between all matter in the universe, whether it is living (animate) or not living (inanimate). However, there are critical differences in how different living creatures relate to their environment. These differences have far-reaching consequences for survival. Because of the overabundance of stress in our modern lives, we usually think of stress as a negative experience, but from a biological point of view, stress can be a neutral, negative, or positive experience.

In general, stress is related to both external and internal factors. External factors include the physical environment, including your job, your relationships with others, your home, and all the situations, challenges, difficulties, and expectations you're confronted with on a daily basis. Internal factors determine your body's ability to respond to, and deal with, the external stress-inducing factors. Internal factors which influence your ability to handle stress include your nutritional status, overall health and fitness levels, emotional well-being, and the amount of sleep and rest you get.

Stress has driven evolutionary change (the development and natural selection of species over time). Thus, the species that adapted best to the causes of stress (stressors) have survived and evolved into the plant and animal kingdoms we now observe. Man is the most adaptive creature on the planet because of the evolution of the human brain, especially the part called the neo-cortex. This adaptability is largely due to the changes and stressors that we have faced and mastered. Therefore, we, unlike other animals, can live in any climate or ecosystem, at various altitudes, and avoid the danger of predators. Moreover, most recently, we have learned to live in the air, under the sea, and even in space, where no living creatures that we know of have ever survived. So then, what is so bad about stress?

Stress - Physical Symptoms

The MedicineNet physician editors ask:

Symptoms of stress can vary greatly from patient to patient. What were your physical symptoms?

Comment submissions for this question have ended.
See 21 Viewer Comments

View Comments

From the Doctors at MedicineNet.com

Circumcision: The Surgical Procedure - Read about circumcision, a medical procedure that removes the foreskin of the penis. Circumcised males have a lower risk of contracting sexually transmitted diseases and penile cancer. Source:MedicineNet Shingles - Learn shingles symptoms (contagious rash), vaccine, causes (chickenpox [varicella] virus, stress), treatment, how it's transmitted and postherpetic neuralgia. Source:MedicineNet High Blood Pressure - High Blood Pressure: Medical information about hypertension, its treatment, therapies and prevention Source:MedicineNet Read 738 more Stress related articles ... Psoriasis Poses Danger for More Serious Complications Autism Linked to Low Birth Weight Green Tea May Help Brain Cope With Sleep Disorders Tim Russert Dies of a Heart Attack Family History Ups Shingles Risk Imaging Advances Map Brain Areas Affecting Mood Mom's Stress in Pregnancy May Up Baby's Asthma and Allergy Risk CARDIA Studies Open Window on Heart, Lung Diseases Perk of Good Job: Aging Mind Is Sharp Health Tip: Have Hives?