The Body Adapts To Stress
The body was designed to be marvelously adaptive, and soon becomes accustomed to high stress response levels. In fact, for some people this becomes a way of life. Unless they are continually experiencing stress symptoms, they don’t feel quite right.

If however, stress remains at a high level over a long period of time, the body responds by increasing adrenalin and cortisol (stress hormones) production along with blood fat and sugar concentrations. Serious health problems involving the circulatory, digestive, and nervous systems can occur. The body’s immune system decreases, thereby making the body more susceptible to illness.

The Body Warns Of Too Much Stress
Of course the body can’t go on indefinitely under high stress levels. It begins to send out warning signals such as headache, digestive upsets, anxiety attacks, depression, and general fatigue. The stress response uses a great deal of energy, so the body’s protective systems go into action. It urges that physical and emotional energy supplies be replenished with food, sleep and recreation.

What’s The Worst Kind Of Stress?
The most harmful form of stress is not the result of major life crises – the death of a spouse, divorce, the loss of a job – as once believed. While the stress associated with these events is often severe, it is also short-lived and therefore has little time to cause damage to our bodies.

Far worse, scientists now theorize, is the chronic, uncontrolled low-level tension caused by our responses to the pressures and irritations of everyday life – such as difficulties at work or at home, anger, rejection, interruptions, being late for work, financial anxieties, arguing with a loved one, deadlines. Each little frustration that occurs throughout the day speeds the heart rate, dilates the pupils and floods the bloodstream with powerful hormones. In the long-term, this uncontrolled low-level tension forces the body to go into overdrive, sapping our energy and damaging our physical and emotional health.

Stress Dangers
Chronic unrelieved stress harms the immune system, decreasing the body’s ability to fight diseases, infection and allergy. Medical conditions that are related to stress include heart and circulatory diseases, ulcers, colitis, asthmatic conditions and lowered immunity leading to infectious illness.