Stress: Is it good or bad?
In order to improve, we need stress. We need to push the body and the mind in order to get better.
One of our main physical reactions to stress is the release of the hormone cortisol into the body. It has a multitude of effects, including making glucose available to the brain, generating energy from stored reserves, and focusing energy on immediate threats rather than less urgent needs. It also raises blood
pressure to optimize the flow of blood throughout the body.
But, stress can also be bad. If we are under too much stress, and cortisol is released into the body too often, it begins to have negative effects, like a car running “in the red” for extended periods of time.
When cortisol levels remain consistently high, The immune system can become repressed, increasing blood pressure and causing hypertension—a sustained high blood pressure that causes damage to the heart and blood vessels. It can also encourage fat deposits and even cause some level of bone loss.
Exercise is a form of stress and does cause the release of cortisol. However, just as exercise conditions the muscles and the heart, it also conditions the body to react properly to the release of cortisol and trains the body to keep cortisol levels balanced. Excessive regular release of cortisol can also be a significant factor in overtraining—when we push the body too hard, excessive cortisol leads to fatigue and a drop in performance.
So you have to be careful not to stress the body and mind too much.
But again: YOU MUST STRESS THE BODY AND MIND SOME IN ORDER TO IMPROVE.
Healthwise and The Measured Word are our free Newsletters and we invite you to subscribe to one or both. Healthwise has articles about everyday health and science converations, while The Measured Word is a wry humorous take on everything and anything that’s topical, including politics, cooking, AI, earwax and…. well perhaps not earwax!
Healthwise: Exploring the Frontiers of Wellness and Science | Tom Kane | Substack
The Measured Word | <Tom Kane> | Substack
