The PsychologicalPhysiological Effects of Stress on the Brain
The life of the human being is never always what one would want owing to the challenges and events of life which are faced on a daily basis. There is no way a human being will get all one wants and at the time when one wants it. Similarly, life will never be what one wants it to be. Instead, and this is where the real issue lies, life presents to the human being what has been preplanned by fate or by nature, and mankind has no say or choice but to go through the life as it is and in the form presented. This has been the cause of varying physiological, psychological, and physical states of the human being as one goes through the different aspects of life (Forbes et al., 20006). One day one is presented with good things which one likes and the physical and mental health of the one is at its best. On yet another day one is faced with disappointments and the body state of health is unbearable. These variations in life events, known as stressors, make the body to react differently with the aim of bringing about a state of being that is best suited to keep the person out of danger. Naturally, the body will react to stressors in such a way that the affected person is prepared for emergencies. This is done by the secretion of the hormones adrenaline and cortisol which prepare the body for any eventuality.
Safety First the only Language the Body Understands
Although there are two different types of stressors to the body eustressors (positive stress) and distressors (negative stress), the body responds in the same way to both. Therefore, in the event of any form of stress, positive or negative, the body will secrete the hormones norepinephrine or adrenaline and cortisol which will work jointly to cause a number of effects on the body, all with the aim of getting the person into a state of emergency or preparedness because the body interprets stress in only one way possible danger. Once the stressor is detected or sensed by the body and registered by the brain, the two hormones are secreted (Patrick Verona, 2007).
The resultant symptoms include a rapid rise in the blood pressure, a faster pounding of the heart, tighter muscles, an enhanced and more acute sensory power, and a faster rate of breathing. These changes in the body system are aimed at increasing the stamina and strength of the individual, enhancing ones focus and reducing the reaction time the overall effect being that the person is made ready to fight or flee from the stressor which, as mentioned before, the body always registers as a potential danger (Patrick Verona, 2007). All these symptoms result from a series of chemical or physiological processes that basically take place in the central nervous system which is composed mainly of the brain and the nervous system.
The Physiological Processes Involved
The hormones secreted by the body in the event of stress adrenaline or norepinephrine and cortisol work to increase the rates of respiration and beating of the heart, processes which result in more blood being send to the skeletal muscles. The result is to make any pain less severe, make the immune system more active, and ensure that body sugars and fats are turned into energy needed to flee from the perceived danger. Now, while acute stress, the stress that lasts for a short while, might be beneficial - causing someone to get away from danger or to act fast enough to avoid a dangerous encounter - prolonged or chronic stress can prove very harmful to the body and the brain, including shrinking of parts of the brain like the hippocampus. This prolonged stress usually results from internal as well as external issues of life like anxiety, changes in lifestyles, work, the need for perfectionism, unrealistic expectations, negative self image, strained relationships, pessimism, lack of assertiveness, failure to accept certain life events like death of loved ones, financial woes, among others. The series of events have different effects on the brain (Pizzagalli et al., 2005).
Stress and Memory
The secretion of cortisol in stressful conditions causes the loss of memory because neurotransmitters responsible for transmission of neurons are dulled. This is because the cortisol diverts all the glucose in the blood to the muscles, depriving other body parts like the brain of energy (Forbes et al., 20006). Because of the shortage of energy, the brains hippocampus is diminished so much so that it cannot create any new memory.
Noise Stress and the Functioning of the Brain
It has been found that stress that is directly caused by the bodys response to annoying noise can have very harmful effects on the brain. Specifically, noise stress can increase psychiatric disorders. Many of these disorders are closely associated with the areas of the brain that is only unique to people known as the prefrontal cortex (PFC). Noise stress is capable of causing a malfunctioning of the prefrontal cortex specifically by the effect it has on the dopamine. The dopamine is a very important transmitter of neurons that has been identified as being present in many brain disorders such as Parkinsons disease and ADHD. The brain has been known to be very sensitive to noise and to other sounds. When the noise is loud enough to cause stress on the brain, the effect is that the person concerned can get oneself in danger for failure to recognize the danger fast enough. What happens is that owing to the fast nature of noise stressors and the immediate need there is to respond to such threatening noise, the mind that is usually conscious does not get the chance to register and review the issue at hand (Forbes et al., 20006).
This effect can be very risky because unless the brain consciously registers a certain event or occurrence, it cannot provide the necessary response needed to get one out of the situation as soon as possible. For instance, it is very easy for drivers to cause accidents in areas which are noisy than in silent areas because the stressing noise is given a lot of response by the brain, leaving the conscious mind with no chance to deal with a possible accident (Forbes et al., 20006). The result is to go right ahead and get involved in the accident even if the accident would have been prevented had the noises been absent. What happens is that even though a threatening stimulus can be present to a level that is only unconscious to the brain, the signal that registers and delivers the threat is only able to trigger a response in the attention center found in the cortex from where it can then be send or transmitted to other parts of the brain so that the required type of response can be carried out by the body systems or organs necessary (Forbes et al., 20006).
Stress sand the Blood Brain Barrier
The human brain is permeated by no less than 400 miles of blood vessels that are responsible for the transportation of various substances to and away from the brain. They bring to the brain fuel, oxygen, and nutrients and take away from it excess heat and all forms of waste materials. In this intricate network of blood vessels are capillaries which form the blood brain barrier (BBB). This is essentially a network of protective material essential and unique to the central nervous system. This BBB is present in all vertebrates and forms in the first three terms of the life of a fetus (Engels, et al. 2007). It works to protect the neurons from viruses, poisonous matter, and toxins of all nature that are found in the bloodstream. It also shields the neurons from sudden, unpredictable changes in the chemistry of the blood that are occasioned by variations in the chemical intakes into the body.
When one is stressed, however, that person has a greatly reduced ability to control the movement of these chemicals, pathogens, viruses, and other poisonous matter through the blood brain barrier (Coan, Allen McKnight, 2006). When stressed, therefore, there is likelihood that people will have dangerous chemicals passing across this barrier and into the brain where they can cause possible damage to the brain depending on their nature. For instance, many nations have been known to give their soldiers certain drugs to protect them from effects of biological and chemical weapons. Under normal circumstances, these chemicals are not expected to cross the blood brain barrier. However, when stressed because of the war going on, such soldiers have been reported to experience symptoms like headaches, dizziness, and nausea, all which suggested that the drugs taken had managed to get into their brains (Patrick Verona, 2007). In essence, stress increases the permeability of the blood brain barrier.
Stress and the Immune System
As earlier pointed out, not all stress is harmful but some of it can be very helpful. Apart from the fact that being stressed increases the nervous systems efficiency and rate of working which serves to get a person out of potential danger, say to move out of a bad relationship or noisy area which can cause damage to the ear drum, stress can also enhance or weaken the immune system depending on the exact nature of the stressing agent (Coan, Allen McKnight, 2006). By using the concentration of SIgA in the saliva, it has been established scientifically that stress from acts like watching action packed movies can actually lower the body defense mechanisms against diseases as opposed to stress caused by work or by being assigned tasks which need to be completed within a very limited period of time. According to the findings, these close deadlines and other targets might be stressful at the start but work in the long run to help increase the bodys natural defenses against diseases (Coan, Allen McKnight, 2006).
The reason is that if the stress is positive, a positive response is likely to result from the brain. Among the events that take place in such a case is the release of norepinephrine that is critical in the creation of new memories. Therefore, it is in the time when one is stressed mildly that one can find oneself able to remember issues which has otherwise been forgotten for a long time. With this positive stress, for instance that occasioned by strict deadlines, the brain is able to be encouraged to think in amore creative manner which in turn stimulates itself to develop newer connections within itself (Forbes et al., 20006).
Noise Stressors and LQTS
There is a disorder of the heart called Long QT Syndrome (LQTS) which is directly linked to acoustic stress - one resulting from noise or other startling sounds like sirens and alarms. This disorder is characterized by a delayed or prolonged recovery of the electrical system of the heart such that the length of time taken between successive heartbeats is abnormally long (Coan, Allen McKnight, 2006). The result is usually that the brain gets starved of oxygen due to the delayed blood delivery there and the person can easily collapse and drop dead in an instant. This is preceded by an abnormally fast and strained heart rhythm (Coan, Allen McKnight, 2006).
Stress and Depression
It has been established that stressful conditions in ones childhood can have a big role in determining the way one leads life in adulthood. As earlier noted, stress that is only acute or short-lived is more likely to be beneficial. However, chronic or prolonged stress is almost always associated with negative outcomes. Children who are exposed to stressors early in life stand a high chance of being depressed later in life (Hofmann et al., 2005). This is because stress has the effect of causing the nerve cells of the brain to significantly shrink such that they get to disconnect as one grows. Once the nerve cells of the brain disconnect, the person has higher chances of getting depressed. What is thought to happen is a significant change in the way the synapses at the hippocampus spine are made to develop, a large number of them getting lost in the process. This causes the hippocampus to fail to function properly. Therefore, it is always a good thing to ensure that young children are as free from stressors as possible as this will help in the normal development of the brain nerve cells (Harmon-Jones et al., 2006).
A similar case has been reported which points out that the more one is abused in ones childhood the more the chances that that person will be depressed in life. This is believed to be because stress early in life seems to alter the genetic makeup of people to be more prone to stress. This is unlike the one who is lovingly cared for and who is more or less parented in the best way possible who will develop a genetic system that makes one less susceptible to stressors in life. What usually happens is that when the body secrets a lot of cortisol into the blood stream because of the stress of a person, the brain cells usually get to be exposed to the stressors for a very long time (Patrick Verona, 2007). Only a brain with resistors can help lower the level of anxiety brought about by these stressors and so shield the brain cells. Therefore, there are brains with resistors and brains without resistors, which means that the one is safe from the harmful effects of cortisol while the other is in danger of getting damaged because of the increased level of cortisol. The difference is usually genetic the parents of the offspring as well as the nature of the care that one received while young. Therefore, good care will enhance the ability of a child to resist harmful effects to the brain (Hofmann et al., 2005).
Conclusion The Psycho-TheologicalBiblical Perspective
The Bible views stress as a condition which is brought about largely by factors that are to be found in the persons way of thinking. Thought patterns are said to be responsible for the level of stress that person will get and if one can focus on positive and not negative thoughts then all will be well. For instance, there is an exhortation to people not to be anxious about anything but with everything by prayer and petition with thanksgiving people ought to make their requests known to God. In reward, God will keep their minds in perfect peace (Philippians 46-7).
The Bible also cites worry as a great cause of stress which ought to be done away with. In essence, there is a pointer that worry does not bring anything helpful to anyone but only adds more trouble (International Bible Society Staff, 2008). There is a call on believers not to worry for anything like food to eat, clothing, or shelter because if at all God gives food to birds and clothes the plants of the forest which are of very little value to Him compared to human beings, then he will surely give a lot more to people. Worrying will not add any cubit to ones life (Matthew 626-34). The Psychologist, therefore, ought to be focusing a lot more on the state of mind of the client when seeking to address problems to do with stress (International Bible Society Staff, 2008). The Biblical perspective points out that stress affects the brain so much and that the effects can be alleviated by changing the way one thinks and views life issues. It emphasizes the need to be positive in life.
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