In most organisms, physical responses to stress follow a common pattern of signs that are easy to observe and identify. Unlike adaptation to a stressor, which can be unique to an individual, physical symptoms that occur in the same pattern each time are considered to be part of a syndrome, or collection of responses. The physical stages of response to a stressor are called the General Adaptation Syndrome, or GAS. Read more about the stages of GAS below.
Alarm
Resistance
Exhaustion
Seeing or even thinking about a stressor sends a signal from your brain to your adrenal glands, prompting them to release stress hormones. These hormones prepare your body for fight or flight by increasing your heart rate and blood pressure, dilating your pupils, and shunting blood to the muscles of your arms and legs, among other things. This is the alarm stage.
If the stressor from the alarm stage is still present, the body maintains its fight-or-flight responses. If the stressor ends or lessens, the body slowly returns to its normal state. With some rest and without additional stressors, the body repairs any damage caused by stress. This is the resistance stage.
The body can’t maintain the fight-or-flight response indefinitely. If the stressful situation continues, the body’s defenses weaken, and the individual becomes more susceptible to infection and even death. This is the exhaustion stage.
In the short term, General Adaptation Syndrome allows organisms to react immediately to physical threats, giving the organism a better chance of survival. Over an extended time, the flood of stress hormones caused by this syndrome can harm the organism’s health.
Most of us aren’t facing physical dangers or threats every single day. So why do we have so many stress-related illnesses? Basically, our bodies interpret everyday problems and annoyances the same way they do physical threats. And they respond, often dramatically, with General Adaptation Syndrome.
Question
What actually causes the damage to a physical organism subjected to repeated or continuous stressors?
