Stress

Pronunciation

Definition 1

In medicine, the body’s response to physical, mental, or emotional pressure. Stress causes chemical changes in the body that can raise blood pressure, heart rate, and blood sugar levels. It may also lead to feelings of frustration, anxiety, anger, or depression. Stress can be caused by normal life activities or by an event, such as trauma or illness. Long-term stress or high levels of stress may lead to mental and physical health problems. (NCI Dictionary)

Definition 2

A pathological process resulting from the reaction of the body to external forces and abnormal conditions that tend to disturb the organism's homeostasis. (NLM, Medical Subject Headings)

Definition 3

The response of the body to physical, mental, or emotional pressure. This may make a person feel frustrated, angry, or anxious, and may cause unhealthy chemical changes in the body. Untreated, long-term stress may lead to many types of mental and physical health problems. (NCI Dictionary)

Definition 4

The biological response to noxious, demanding, or unpleasant stimuli or conditions; do not confuse stress with STRESSOR, which is the stimulus. (NIH CRISP Thesaurus)

More information

Everyone feels stressed from time to time. Not all stress is bad. All animals have a stress response, and it can be life-saving. But chronic stress can cause both physical and mental harm.

There are at least three different types of stress:

• Routine stress related to the pressures of work, family, and other daily responsibilities
• Stress brought about by a sudden negative change, such as losing a job, divorce, or illness
• Traumatic stress, which happens when you are in danger of being seriously hurt or killed. Examples include a major accident, war, assault, or a natural disaster. This type of stress can cause post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Different people may feel stress in different ways. Some people experience digestive symptoms. Others may have headaches, sleeplessness, depressed mood, anger, and irritability. People under chronic stress get more frequent and severe viral infections, such as the flu or common cold. Vaccines, such as the flu shot, are less effective for them.

Some people cope with stress more effectively than others. It's important to know your limits when it comes to stress, so you can avoid more serious health effects. (NIH: National Institute of Mental Health)