Stress directly affects our immune system both positively and negatively, Swedish research reports.
A doctoral dissertation at Jönköping University of Health in Sweden, which examineshow psychological stress and physical activity (which is also a stress to the body) affects the immune system in children, adolescents and even women between 18 and 22 years.
The result shows young women exposed to psychological stress as children - but later in life - had fewer immune cells of the kind that play an important role in preventing the development of autoimmune diseases such as type 1, ms and celiac disease.
On the other hand, they had more of the cells that help protect against virus-infected cells and cancer cells.
This is an important piece of puzzle when it comes to continued research on the occurrence of autoimmune diseases, according to a press release.
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The methods and councils used have a scientifically proven effect. They are based on an overall perspective - that is, how we take care of our thoughts, feelings and our body.
What happens to the body in stress?
Early stress research focused almost exclusively on the acute stress response and was largely based on animal studies. Today, stress research has come about to address individuals' reactions to chronic and prolonged stress.
One can simply divide today's stress research into three main areas: a biological, environmental and psychological orientation. These research traditions have a different focus and are largely based on, and are a further development of, previous theoretical models of stress.
Biological stress research
Biodiversity research builds on Canon's and Selyes basic research and focuses on investigating the physiological processes behind the stress response. It has been observed that repeated or prolonged activation of these bodily reactions increases the risk of both physical and mental illnesses. The greatest interest has been on the activity of the autonomic nervous system, and mainly the adrenal and adrenal cortex's role in the production of adrenaline and cortisol. In order to measure physiological reactions, there are essentially three methods:
1. Analyze the occurrence of stress hormones (eg blood, saliva or urine)
2. Measure cardiovascular responses (eg, heart rhythm, blood pressure)
3. Measure the stress's effects on the immune system (psychoneuroimmunology)
Environmental-based stress research
This focus focuses on stress-triggering factors in the environment or life events that require a high degree of adaptation. The primary objective has been to map the environmental events that lead to perceived stress and stress-related diseases.
Adolf Meyer already established in the 1930s that there was a connection between stressful life events and a number of disease states. Based on this thought, over time, we have tried to map various factors in the environment and life events, which for most have been found to be associated with perceived stress.
The stress response - our biological alarm system
Under stress, we react in a variety of ways - bodily, cognitive (thoughts), emotionally and behaviorally. How the reactions are expressed is largely related to how long we are exposed to the stress-triggering situation. The immediate stress response can be seen as the body's alarm system (the so-called fight-flight response). The alarm will be activated as soon as you feel angry, threatened or challenged. When the alarm goes out hormones that triggers a series of physiological changes in the body, which aim to maximize the availability of energy in the body.
Stress's Physiology
The latest stress research has shown that the brain-to-body interaction is very complicated. Among other things, the immune system seems to play a greater role than previously thought. Through complicated communication between the body's different signaling systems - via nerve signals, neurotransmitters, hormones and immune systems, the body mobilizes resources to cope with the threat image. Simplified, you can divide the physiological responses into two different systems:
System 1 (the sympathetic-adrenomedullary system):
When the brain interprets a threatening situation, the part of the nervous system called the sympathetic nervous system is flashed fast. The sympathetic impulses then stimulate adrenal medulla adrenal gland secretion of stress hormones (called catecholamines), such as adrenaline and norepinephrine. They raise the level of alertness, increase heart rate and blood pressure. It is this reaction commonly referred to as the flight-fight response.
System 2 (the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical system):
Within a few minutes after the sympathetic reaction has been activated, an increasingly complicated interaction between the nervous system and the hormone system develops. One of the key reactions is that the brain's hypotalamus secretes a hormone (CRF) that stimulates the pituitary gland to secrete the hormone ACTH, which in turn activates the adrenal glands to secrete the hormone cortisol. Cortisol is spread with blood and affects several processes and organs in the body - among other things, it affects the turnover of carbohydrates, fats and proteins in the body's tissues and affects the immune system.
The adrenal hormones take longer to reach all organs of the body, but also stay longer. The interaction between the sympathetic nervous system, hypothalamus, pituitary gland and adrenal glands allows the stress reaction to be alive as long as the threat persists.
Defense response and submission reaction
In recent research, it has been seen that the type of stress and ability to deal with has an effect on which of these physiological systems and which reactions dominate. Some researchers therefore share in them a fight-flight, which is essentially expressed by system 1 (the sympathetic adrenomedulary), and a subversion reaction (defeat) dominated by system two (the hypotalamic-pituitary- adrenocortical). Unlike catecholamines (adrenaline, norepinephrine) that dominate in situations requiring active practice (system 1), high cortisol levels (system 2) appear to be more closely associated with situations when the individual is passive and helpless and in which the individual is exposed to stress during long time.
These two systems appear to have different adverse effects on the body in repeated and prolonged stress.
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