Five Physical Effects of Stress That Cause Your Body to Have the Stress Response by Shafir Ahmad

When you are stressed, you can get into a zone of physical stress also. This physical stress can often be caused when you have a sudden jolt where your body and nervous system has a shock or some other powerful news. This is also known as the Fight Or Flight response. What are the effects of such stress on your body?

Well first of all, you will start breathing at a quickened pace. This is even before you start running or fighting. This increased breathing rate will bring lots more oxygen to your lungs, which then gets transferred to your bloodstream.

Your heart rate also goes up, increasing rapidly and increasing your blood pressure. This is so that your blood with the extra oxygen can be pumped faster to your muscles and brain, giving you a jolt of energy.

Your body also activates your sweat glands, in anticipation of the increased heat that you will produce as a result of both your increased blood flow, as well as from the exertion you will have when either running or fighting. You'll start sweating even if it is a cool day.

Your stomach and the rest of the digestive system pauses their digestive functions, so that the blood supply can be diverted to your muscles and brain instead. After all, you will need to move and think fast.

Your muscles also tense up rapidly. This reaction makes you ready to fight or take flight in an instant. Tense muscles are also able to withstand any beatings or physical force, including punches or wounds made by a sharp instrument.

Those are just five of the physical effects that stress can have on your body. It does not matter to your body if the stress response is caused by a robber jumping out at you from behind a dark alley, or when you have a deadline you have to meet and it seems hopeless. And these physical effects can happen even when you are not in direct physical harm, such as the stressful situations you get into in your daily life.