Not all stresses are stressful, or negative. If one deals with stress smartly, it can work and help us to reach our goals more quickly. You'd call this 'eustress' - it motivates and propels us to do well in life. Eustress can be defined as pleasant, or therapeutic stress
Our mind and body are designed to react to anxiety and stress by generating a surplus of chemicals and hormones- cortisol, epinephrine and norepinephrine, among others. This prompts the 'alarm bell,' followed by frenetic activity through the adrenal glands. This is also, in effect, the trigger for the pituitary gland to respond with equal alacrity, while jazzing-up the chemical 'rush' and stirring the sympathetic branch of the autonomic nervous system for that archetypal 'fight-or-flight' response - a beneficial principle, which provides the facility to swiftly respond to serious threats. Like getting out of harm's way of a speeding car, or holding one's kids back, at the last moment, before they contemplate to run impulsively across the street.
All of this, day-in and day-out, may lead to a fullblown stress response - because we don't need the typical 'fight-or-flight' response for just about every event in life. Picture this: you are late at work, and you can't find your desk key, or your boss is in a bad mood, or your wallet is missing - they are not life-threatening events. Long, continual stress reactions, however, lead to a certain psycho-physiological response-equation. This causes heightened, or excess, cortisol levels - a response that can trigger hypertension (high blood pressure), sleeplessness, anxiety, depression, tension, frustration and anger. It can affect the immune system and also increase the risk of heart disease, diabetes, gastric ulcers, as also cancer.
New research has found that cortisol can lead to obesity too - the first symptom of cortisol surplus. Other signs include a tired, fatigued feeling, or irritation, not to speak of hypertension.
Cortisol can be extremely toxic to brain cells; it can cause them to die, especially in the wake of long, continued spells of extreme stress. As we grow old, our natural ability to switch off the cortisol 'reaction' slows down. This is also the basis for its elevated levels. Cortisol is not a bad agent, though - it is, like cholesterol, a vital component of our body, performing important functions. It plays a key role in the maintenance of adequate blood pressure; it also helps release blood sugar for increased responsiveness during stress. When it is continually elevated, cortisol can cause damaging effects in the body, such as thinning of bones, hypertension, inflammation, diabetes, and fat deposits around our waist - even in the presence of a good lifestyle regimen. What's more, it can lead to a weakened immune system.
What increases cortisol? Smoking, coffee and alcohol; also, lack of exercise, insufficient sleep and sedentary, or skewed lifestyle habits. This may, in turn, lead to continued stress and the creation of free radicals - a known trigger for chronic degenerative disorders, such as heart disease, arthritis, Alzheimer's disease and cancer.
Now, what do you do in the face of stress? The common practice of reaching out for a steaming cup of coffee is no relief - in reality, it is an invite for trouble. A cup of coffee can trigger cortisol levels to rise to above normal levels. This escalation is often sustained for 48 hours. When cortisol goes up, your blood sugar and inflammation levels shoot up - enough reason for cortisol to be linked with increased risk of hypertension, diabetes, premature aging and cancer.
Not all stresses are stressful, or negative. If one deals with stress smartly, it can work and help us to reach our goals more quickly. You'd call this 'good' stress, or 'eustress' - it motivates and propels us to do well in life. Eustress can be defined as pleasant, or therapeutic stress. Yes, we can't always avoid stress. In fact, sometimes, we don't want to. It is such 'controlled' stress that gives us our competitive edge in performance-related activities - at work, or sports.
In a study, it was found that our genetic make-up may be 'rewired' by way of stress. The study found that a composite grid of thousands of genetic connexions in yeast cells, to highlight a paradigm, changed when subject to stress. The study also figured that 'rewiring' was widespread. As a matter of fact, 70 per cent of the genetic interactions that occurred, when cells were under stress, did not ensue in normal cells. This could be a novel exemplar to 'swot' not only biological reactions to stress, but also use them to gauging how cells deal with stress, illness and medical treatment. The information spoor could also throw new light on how cells work under stress.
Other studies have found that certain genes may predispose some people to produce lower levels of the brain molecule, neuropeptide-Y (NPY). Such individuals are evidenced to be more receptive to negative - not positive - stimuli in key brain circuits related to emotions. They are, therefore, suggested to be less defiant in the face of stress and/or predisposed to a higher risk of depression, the common cold of psychiatric illness. Research envisions that this understanding would eventually facilitate the early diagnosis of emotional and other illnesses, leading to newer 'customised,' bespoke, or 'tailored,' therapies to suit individual needs, based on one's genetic profile.
While a host of clinical studies have shown that NPY helps to restore calm after stressful storms, or events, new research has made significant strides in analysing how relaxation techniques, viz., meditation and yoga - aside from tai chi, breathing exercises, progressive muscle relaxation, biofeedback, guided imagery and qi gong - improve emotional wellness by changing certain patterns of gene activity that affect how our body responds to stress. As mindbody pioneer Herbert Benson, MD, explained, "It's not all in your head. What we have found is that when you evoke the relaxation response, the same genes that are 'turned-on,' or 'turned-off,' by stress are 'wiggled' just the other way."
Nidamboor is a wellness physician, independent researcher and author
A version of this article appears in the print on August 31, 2023, of The Himalayan Times.