Stress - Causes and Symptoms

Stress: causes and aids
"No time, I'm totally in stress" - this sentence is very common, because stress is part of everyday life for many people: one appointment after another, anger with the boss, overtime, missions, constant accessibility, compatibility of work and family , private conflicts and the constant feeling of "not having done enough" - these are just a few examples that make sure that breaks and moments of relaxation are lost.

It is quite normal to a certain extent, because "positive stress" (Eustress) increases the attention, increases our performance and motivation - without harming the body. It becomes difficult only when this condition occurs too often or permanently and is not mitigated by suitable exercises and home remedies for stress relief. Then we perceive it as negative (distress), feel threatened, overwhelmed and often experience physical consequences. Permanent negative overuse increases the risk of (serious) health problems such as stomach problems, bowel problems, high blood pressure, heart disease or back pain.

contents

What is stress?
How stress manifests itself?
How is stress??
Dealing with stress
stress reduction

What is stress?

Medically, stress (English: "pressure", "stress", (over-) effort) is defined as a physical or mental burden on the organism with certain stimuli, which are called stressors. These factors can be physical, mental or physical, such as infection, surgery, injury and burns, such as anger, anxiety and pressure to perform. The body responds with an increased stimulation of the sympathetic with increased secretion of catecholamines (epinephrine and norepinephrine), also called "stress hormones". As a result, there is an increase in blood pressure, heart rate and cardiac output.

This mechanism is similar to the fear of a developmentally developed protective response of the body, which enables the person concerned to mobilize all physical reserves to avoid a threatening situation through fight or flight. Today, however, it is no longer the primeval predators that provoke a stress response. Nevertheless, 80% of Germans complain about stress.

It is not automatically negative, but basically a "normal" reaction to environmental stimuli. We humans even need challenges and a certain amount of "dose" to be motivated and effective at all. Because this "positive stress" (Eustress) increases the attention, promotes the performance, increases the self-esteem and ensures happiness, for example, if an exam passed or a project was successfully completed - this is the accomplishment of professional tasks just like that how to organize the organization of a big family celebration.

Eustress does not harm the body. However, as with everything else, the right level is important here too, because if a stressed condition persists or the tension can not be compensated, it quickly develops into negative stress (dysstress). This usually strains the body a lot and causes the stressed person to feel threatened and overwhelmed. Here is enough already the thought "I can not do this" or a belated train, which leads to the fact that you may no longer in time for the interview. As a result, fears and the knowledge that the task or the goal is not or only with a huge amount of effort to create - it comes to hectic and ill-considered "blind actionism" and the affected tries by all means the last energy To mobilize reserves.

However, dysstress can also be triggered by a low demand. These can arise, for example, when the daily work is characterized primarily by dull, irrelevant activities or monotonous routines. No meaning is seen in the work and instead it is continued diligently without reaching any concrete goals. As a result, affected people feel tired and exhausted after work, although the day was not that exhausting.

How stress manifests itself?

This only occurs for a short time, it usually has no long-term negative effects on health. This is the case, for example, in everyday situations such as a surprising traffic jam on the way to work. If this condition persists only for a short time, the initially mobilized energy is not needed, but it breaks down quickly and does no harm to the body. Stress can therefore be well tolerated over a certain period of time and in a certain "dose" - especially when regular physical balance in the form of relaxation and exercise is provided.

Stress can lead to pain in the entire body. Because stress often leads to tension.

However, if the excessive demand is too strong or lasts too long, the energy reserves are quickly depleted, so that this negatively experienced distress, depending on duration and intensity, can lead to physical and mental problems. Which symptoms should be experienced, a survey of the health insurance DAK (DAK, "intentions for 2008" of 12/2007) should shed light. By far the most common symptom of stress was irritability (67%). Other symptoms that plague more than half of respondents are concentration problems or nervousness (58%) and tension (54%). This is followed by sleep disturbances, listlessness and headaches, digestive problems such as diarrhea or constipation and stomach aches.

If persistent factors affect humans and the condition becomes a permanent guest, it can also lead to more serious health problems or functional derailments such as chronic hypertension, gastric juice overproduction and vegetative disorders. Secondary diseases may be a reduced blood flow to the coronary arteries, gastritis, gastric ulcer but also anxiety disorders and depression or reinforce existing underlying disorders.

In addition, negative stress often results in back pain and disturbances in the cycle or in the sexual area. The risk of cardiovascular disease (eg, heart attack, stroke, coronary heart disease), lung disease, infections and depression increases with permanent stress. Severe stress-related symptoms are also suspected to lead to an increased risk of cancer.

How is stress??

Stress can be triggered by very different situations - so-called "stressors": One gets in a panic, because he realizes that he can not do his job in time, another gets sweats and starts to shake, because he immediately Address in front of a large audience. Some stressors, such as the death of a loved one, (imminent) unemployment or conflicts within the family mean for almost any negative stress. Other triggers, such as a surprise traffic jam or a visit too early, even though the apartment is not yet finished, does not automatically lead to negative stress in all people, but instead is taken quite serenely.

In a survey commissioned by the Techniker Krankenkasse (TK, F.A.Z. Institute 2009), 1,014 Germans aged 14 years and older were questioned about frequent stress triggers. Occupation, school and study ranked first with 43%, followed by financial concerns (27%), peak hours (25%) and general conflicts (21%). Furthermore, housework, child rearing and the care of relatives were mentioned (mainly by the female interviewees). Another representative survey on stress as a leader among the stress factors raised health problems, financial worries, environmental influences and noise as well as the fear of war or terror (GesundheitPro.de 2008).

handling

How people deal with congestion today depends critically on their personality and how they judge the state that affects them. Eustress builds the tension, excitement and creativity needed to accomplish difficult tasks. Successfully coped with stressful situations, e.g. Passing a test in turn leads to positive emotions and thus strengthens the immune system. While the adrenaline distribution under great challenge can help one to achieve high spirits and best performances, in the other an excessive pressure to perform inhibits the creative solution finding. The neurobiologist Gerald Hüther from the University of Göttingen was able to visualize this latter fact using imaging techniques.

stress reduction

In addition to talking to partners, friends and relatives, walking and cycling, sport seems to be an adequate and popular means of reducing stress. In the surveys already mentioned (DAK 2007; TK 2009), sport ranked among the top three places when it came to the question of preferred stress reduction strategies. But beware: People who exercise excessively are sometimes plagued by an increased susceptibility to infections because the body is not allowed sufficient periods of regeneration. This in turn stresses the organism and weakens the immune system. Here it is necessary to compensate for the respective degree of strain by appropriate breaks, so that the sport remains a stress experience of a positive nature. (No)