Everyone experiences stress from time to time, but it differs per person how well you can handle it. But how exactly does it work?
You often feel stress coming on:your heart rate goes up, you get sweaty hands and you are on edge:you are more alert than usual.
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We have two main stress systems in our body. The autonomic nervous system, which consists of two parts:the sympathetic and the parasympathetic part. They play a role in acute stress situations, for example if your view on a difficult issue is suddenly asked during a meeting.
“The parasympathetic part is active at rest and ensures that your body remains in balance,” explains Anja Huizink, professor of the Department of Clinical Developmental Psychology at the Free University of Amsterdam. “As soon as something happens that requires arousal, that brake is released, also called the vagal break:the activity of the parasympathetic part decreases and the sympathetic part comes into action. The result:increased heart rate, rapid breathing and sweaty hands.” According to Huizink, you can see the autonomic nervous system as the 'fast' stress system, because it ensures that you can act immediately.
“Then we have another system, which is slower and reacts later to stressful situations. The hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal cortex axis, better known by the English abbreviation HPA axis. Where the autonomic nervous system reacts reflexively, the HPA axis has more awareness. Hey, I don't have enough skills for this stressful situation,
that doesn't feel good. There is a little more thought involved, which is useful if the stressful circumstance lasts longer than a few minutes.”
The HPA axis slows down the autonomic nervous system, because it takes too much energy to stay in a hyper-alert state for a longer period of time. Huizink:“The HPA axis dampens the sympathetic system, so that the parasympathetic system can take over again, and initiates processes to ensure that your body recovers again.
For starters, the hypothalamus, an area in your brain, is activated.
This causes the pituitary gland to become active, which then activates the adrenal cortex
stimulates the production of the stress hormone cortisol. You can measure cortisol in your hair and saliva, among other things. This ensures the release of glucose and cholesterol, among other things.”
