Unit 4: Question 2

Describe the stages of the general adaptation syndrome. What problems occur

with continued exposure to stress?

The general adaptation syndrome, coined by phycologist, Hans Selye, describes three

stages that the body go through when adapting to a stressful situation or stressor. The

three stages are alarm, resistance and exhaustion.

At first, the sympathetic nervous system reacts by instructing the adrenal glands to

secrete hormones that increase heart rate, blood pressure, breathing and blood sugar.

This increased sugar in the blood results in increased energy but also can lead to fever,

nausea and headache. The digestive system shuts down so that more blood is directed

to the muscles. Now the body are coping with or resisting the stressor and during the

resistance stage, the person may feel more in control. This stage will continue until the

stressor ends or until the body runs out of resources to cope. Noradrenaline seems to

affect the pain sensitivity released in this stage.

Once the body’s resources have been depleted, the exhaustion stage starts. Muscles

are fatigued and the overload of sugar in the bloodstream causes a sudden drop in

energy. This stage can lead to stress-related illnesses such as hypertension or a

weakened immune system. The parasympathetic nervous system activates which

brings the body back to its normal state.

Selye termed the illnesses connected to stress diseases of adaptation i.e. hypertension

and ulcers. He also discovered that the immune system which protects the body against

diseases and injuries is negatively affected by stress.

Researchers discovered that stress triggers the same reaction as infection in the body’s

immune system. Furthermore, the negative effect on the functioning of the immune

system seem to last even after the stress is over and the stressor no longer present.

Studies have shown that men with continued stress at work and at home seem to be at

more risk of obesity, high blood sugar, high triglycerides and low HDL levels. This

results in a higher risk for coronary heart disease and bad health choices such as higher

alcohol consumption, smoking, junk food and no exercise.

These bad health choices usually lead to obesity which can result in Type 2 diabetes.

This is due to the insufficient effectiveness of insulin in the oversized body to remove

the sugar from the blood. Although it can be medicated, the far-reaching effect indicates

that diabetes can be an associated with the decline in mental functioning of middle-aged

individuals and therefore stress plays a long-term role here.

Since stress suppresses a healthy immune system, it can be said that stress can be a

contributing factor to the growth of cancer. Stress reduces the release of natural killer

cells, which destroys tumor cells and acts against viruses, which makes it more difficult

for the body to fight the growth of cancer cells. The continuous release of adrenaline

and noradrenaline can cause damage to telomeres which control the stop and start of

cell reproduction. When the cells start growing out of control, tumors can form.

Some studies have indicated that children exposed to stress are more susceptible to

fever during illness and strangely seem to improve the functioning of their natural killer

cells. Stress furthermore seem to be a contributing factor in depression and HIV/AIDS.

In today’s fast paced society, the effects of prolonged stress are clear and psychologists

can assist people in focusing on better health care and general wellness, but not without

focusing on one of the main causes: stress.