General Adaptation Syndrome began as a way for humans, like other organisms, to survive physical threats. However, in the modern world, GAS can make us vulnerable to physical damage from the stress of everyday problems. When our bodies respond to these common annoyances as if they were life-threatening situations, the steady flood of stress hormones in our bloodstream can create lasting damage in the form of stress-related illnesses. To learn more about some common stress-related illnesses, click on each affected body system below.
| Psychological/Neurological System | Stressful life events can lead to depression or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), a condition in which a person vividly re-experiences the sensations or emotions of a traumatic event over and over. In addition, ongoing unrelieved stress can lead to burnout, the feeling that you do not have the psychological or physical resources to deal with the stress in your life. Neurologically, both tension headaches and more serious migraine headaches are related to stress. |
| Gastrointestinal System | Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) and peptic (stomach) ulcers are stress-related conditions that affect different parts of your digestive system. IBS, which affects 10-15% of the U.S. adult population, causes intestinal cramping and constipation or diarrhea. Each year, about 500,000 Americans develop peptic ulcers, or sores in the protective lining of their stomachs. Symptoms include “heart burn,” abdominal pain, bloating, and nausea after meals. Untreated, ulcers can cause bleeding and even perforation of the stomach. |
| Cardiovascular System | Chronic high blood pressure related to stress can damage the walls of blood vessels. In addition, stress hormones increase the clotting ability of blood, which can lead to blood clots in the circulatory system. Clots that block blood vessels in the heart cause heart attacks; clots that block vessels in the brain cause strokes. |
| Immune System | Stress can cause autoimmune diseases to flare up. These diseases, which include psoriasis, multiple sclerosis, and rheumatoid arthritis, occur when the body’s immune defenders begin attacking healthy cells. Researchers suspect that prolonged stress may also interfere with the immune system’s ability to detect and destroy cancer cells, although more research is needed in this area. |
It’s important to note that the relationship between stress and illness is more complex than saying that certain illness are "stress induced." Stress does not cause any illness directly, but it can make an existing condition worse; or it can work with other factors like genetics and diet to make an organism more vulnerable to illness.
