Article Information
The article’s topic is Stress and Health: A Review of Psychobiological Processes. The study was published on 4th September 2021 in the Annual Review of Psychology journal. The article has been authored by three authors, Daryl O’Connor, Julian Thayer, and Kavita Vedhara. In particular, Daryl O’Connor is affiliated with the School of Psychology at the University of Leeds. The second author, Thayer, has been affiliated with the Department of Psychological Science under the School of Social Ecology. The third author, Vedhara, is affiliated with the School of Medicine at the University of Nottingham. The article is a peer review, mainly accomplished by studying numerous articles.
Summary of the Article
The accumulative science connecting stress to adverse health impacts is massive. Stress can impact health directly via autonomic and neuroendocrine responses and indirectly via modifications in health conduct. Moreover, the studies researched within this article affirm that stress affects various biological schemes and that these systems interrelate with each other to familiarize and react to shifting ecological demands that are alleged as stressful (O’Connor et al., 2021). For instance, the authors have unearthed a thrilling advance in stress and health research concerning examining cortisol in hair. Hair cortisol delivers another biomarker of HPA initiation free from various restrictions of other biological measures. After detecting glucocorticoids in hair by 2004, scholars have investigated the reliability and validity of hair cortisol assessment (O’Connor et al., 2021). The study found that a one-centimeter segment delivers an amount of normal cortisol secretion in the past month, as a 3-cm hair portion gives an amount of cortisol discharge in the past three months. Thus, hair cortisol is a dependable pointer of chronic stress and strongly influences body mass index (BMI), increased blood pressure (BP), diabetes, and adiposity.
Reflection on Stress
I have learnt that stress is a normal experience, as controlled amount has its advantages and cons, but, but what matters the most is how one deals with it. People undergo increased stress, and this adversely affects their lives. More particularly, I have learned about the precise infections caused by stress. For instance, when stress increases or is prolonged, the dangers of mental health challenges and medical complications arise. Long-term stress contributes to psychological disorders, such as anxiety, depression, and sleep complications. Prolonged stress also enhances the danger of medical complications, for instance, headaches, gastrointestinal challenges, deteriorated immune system, high BP, and cardiovascular infection.
In my life, I expect stressors from my education, family, and relationships. Therefore, I plan to exercise more. Sharif et al. (2018) show that physical activity upsurges one’s whole health and sense of well-being, which places more energy in daily life. In other words, physical activities assist enhance the creation of the brain’s feel-good neurotransmitters, identified as endorphins. More specifically, I will engage in daily routines of morning and evening runs, side planks, pushups as well as lunges. Thus, by improving my exercises, I hope to eliminate stress’s physical and mental effects.
References
O’Connor, D., Thayer, J., & Vedhara, K. (2021). Stress and health: A review of psychobiological processes. Annual Review of Psychology, 72, 663–688. Web.
Sharif, K., Watada, A., Bragazzid, N., Lichtbroun, M., Amitala, H., & Shoenfeldbc, Y. (2018). Physical activity and autoimmune diseases: Get moving and manage the disease. Autoimmunity Reviews, 17(1), 53–72. Web.