It has three main stages
1. Alarm reaction stage
The alarm reaction stage refers to the initial symptoms the body experiences when under stress. You may be familiar with the “fight-or-flight” response, which is a physiological response to stress. This natural reaction prepares you to either flee or protect yourself in dangerous situations. Your heart rate increases, your adrenal gland releases cortisol (a stress hormone), and you receive a boost of adrenaline, which increases energy. This fight-or-flight response occurs in the alarm reaction stage.
2. Resistance stage
After the initial shock of a stressful event and having a fight-or-flight response, the body begins to repair itself. It releases a lower amount of cortisol, and your heart rate and blood pressure begin to normalize. Although your body enters this recovery phase, it remains on high alert for a while. If you overcome stress and the situation is no longer an issue, your body continues to repair itself until your hormone levels, heart rate, and blood pressure reach a pre-stress state. Some stressful situations continue for extended periods. If you do not resolve the stress and your body remains on high alert, it eventually adapts and learns how to live with a higher stress level. In this stage, the body goes through changes that you are unaware of in an attempt to cope with stress.
Your body continues to secrete the stress hormone and your blood pressure remains elevated. You may think you are managing stress well, but your body’s physical response tells a different story. If the resistance stage continues for too long of a period without pauses to offset the effects of stress, this can lead to the exhaustion stage.
Signs of the resistance stage include:
• Irritability
• Frustration
• Poor concentration
3. Exhaustion stage
This stage is the result of prolonged or chronic stress. Struggling with stress for long periods can drain your physical, emotional, and mental resources to the point where your body no longer has the strength to fight stress. You may give up or feel your situation is hopeless. Signs of exhaustion include:
• Fatigue
• Burnout
• Depression
• Anxiety
• Decreased stress tolerance
• The physical effects of this stage also weaken your immune system and put you at risk for stress-related illnesses.
Micronutrients for the Brain
Dietary nutrients are critical for brain structure and function, so they have a potentially profound impact on mental health. An increasingly robust body of research points to the detrimental effect of unhealthy diets and nutrient deficiencies, and to the protective value of healthy diets – along with select nutritional supplements as required – for maintaining and promoting mental health.
Research literature suggests dietary improvement and nutritional interventions may help reduce the risk or even arrest the progression, of certain psychiatric disorders. Clinical studies support the use of certain nutrients, which influence a range of neurochemical activities beneficial for treating mental disorders, as medicinal supplements.
Some of this comprehensive nutritional formulation include Neurozan Plus manufactured by the UK’s No. 1 Vitamins company. VITABIOTICS
Sources:
1. Harvard Health Publishing in consultation with Gregory Fricchione, MD, Director, Benson-Henry Institute for Mind-Body Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital and Mind-Body Medical Institute Professor of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School
2. www.vitabiotics.com
Who we are: Harley’s Limited is one of East Africa’s most respected Pharmaceutical, Medical, OTC products, and healthcare service providers.
Source: Harley’s Digital Marketing &
Idah Muthama, Vitabiotics Sales Manager.
