During fight or flight, cortisol also reduces non-essential life-saving functions including: altering the immune system, suppressing the digestive and reproductive systems, and turning off some of the processes that enable your body to grow.
You can imagine that this would come in handy for a zebra who is being chased by a lion. The stress response is intended to be a short-term response. But we humans are different. We experience stress for many reasons that have nothing to do with life or death — paying bills, raising a family, maintaining relationships, performing at our jobs; these are known as psychological stressors, or fears that exist in our heads.
In both cases, it will release adrenaline and cortisol to enable you to deal with the situation at hand. The problem is that many of us find ourselves in a constant state of psychological stress.
As soon as we overcome one stressful situation, we find ourselves in another. The bills are paid for the month, but now you need to resolve that fight with your spouse and then prepare for an important presentation at work. Remember the zebra? When the lion began chasing him, his body kicked in the adrenaline and cortisol to enable him to escape. He then burned off the excess cortisol as he was running away and returned to a non-stressed state: the cortisol and adrenaline production was halted, his blood pressure came down, his heart rate decreased, and his other bodily functions returned to normal.
The stress response is helpful in the short term, but the impact of being in a continued state of stress is devastating to the health of your body.
Research has shown that a prolonged stress response and increased levels of cortisol can cause heart disease, depression, digestive issues, sleep problems, anxiety, weight gain, sexual dysfunction, memory loss, and many other serious health issues.
There are also studies that show that increased levels of stress in children can shut down production of growth hormones and stunt physical development. So, what are you supposed to do? The easy advice is to tell you to eliminate the stressors that you can, and stop worrying so much about the rest. Instead, you need to find healthy ways to cope with the stressors of life.
Any activity that increases your heart rate will work, such as walking, biking, jogging, swimming, yard work, Zumba, or kickboxing. Exercising for at least 30 minutes a day, most days of the week, will reduce your daily and long-term levels of cortisol.
If trying to find a way to add exercise into your daily schedule is stressing you out, think about ways that you can incorporate it into your existing routines. Breaking up the 30 minutes in to multiple spurts throughout the day will still be beneficial.
Doing something is always better than doing nothing. Any physical activity can be beneficial. Yoga is becoming increasingly popular and offers many physical benefits, including: increased flexibility, increased muscle tone and strength, higher energy levels, weight loss, cardiovascular and respiratory health, among others. Additionally, the breathing and meditation aspects of yoga can help to reduce cortisol, manage stress, increase a sense of well-being, and develop coping skills.
There are other ways to deal with stress on a psychological level. The first is to make an earnest effort to put your daily stressors into perspective.
Life consists of the concrete, agitated present of solving a problem that someone else might not even consider exists. But sometimes it consists of being a blade of grass, buffeted and bent by the wind but still standing when the wind is long gone.
View 2 comments. Mar 28, Brendan Monroe rated it it was amazing Shelves: essential , depression , melancholia , non-fiction , science , anxiety , stress. I'm a major stresser. I stress over big things, over little things, over all things. Because I'm a stresser, I'm all too often a stressor i. It sucks, really. I don't like stressing, something that all those who are constantly telling me to "calm down," "chill out," "relax!
It's not like I can just flip a switch here. If only! It worries me, because of course, along with stressing, I'm also anxious. Yes, an I'm a major stresser. Yes, anxiety is a constant companion. I worry all the time that I don't have enough time, so I spend all my time worrying. Time, money, people I worry because I stress. Mainly because, if I get so stressed going to the grocery story and I very much do , how will I handle something truly monumental?
Like, say, the death of a loved one, or bad health news? I have, for now, been incredibly fortunate to not to have had to deal with either. My stress sometimes starts off over small things, not emailing a friend who emailed me a month ago, say, forgetting to pick up toothpaste, and then spirals into greater stresses, what I call "tomorrow stresses" though my stress is happening very much in the present moment.
I don't have health insurance, so what if something happens to me and I need to go the doctor? What if I can't pay my rent? What if I am forced forced to work in an office again?
No, I won't take anxiety medication. I flat out refuse to even consider the prospect of anti-depressants or the like I'm not really depressed anyway I don't think. I've always viewed pills as the worst sort of coping mechanism well, aside from harder drugs like alcohol or heroin, that is. Always having to constantly up the dosage to maintain the same feeling of No thanks.
No disrespect intended to anyone who takes prescription meds, by the way. Whatever you need to get you through the day. I just know that it's not something I can envision for myself So I've tried other things. I've downloaded a meditation app and one of these days — tomorrow, let's say, as I do every day — I will actually start it.
I bought and read this book, which I otherwise wouldn't have done. It's a very good book. I liked it a lot and I'm glad I read it.
Boiling down stress to various chemical elements, leading to an over abundance of glucocorticoids, leading to umm, bad things , helps I think. It takes the emotional component out of it, makes it feel more mechanical, like a broken chain on a bicycle that can, maybe, be fixed. Some might complain that of the 18 chapters that make up "Why Zebras Don't Get Ulcers," only the final one, "Managing Stress," actually tells you how to, uh, manage stress. But those 17 former chapters are equally as important.
For one thing, they give you a better idea of the effects of stressing out spoiler: they're not good , which was, yes, stressful to learn about. But for another, the cumulative effect of all the various stressors, of learning the hows and the whys of it all, is oddly comforting. Many would likely consider a book about stress a particularly timely read, in light of, well, the times.
Which is a funny thing, because I've found — pathologically? In some way, it again goes back to the idea of time, of missing out on life, on things. Misery does love company, and the fact that so many people are, sadly, miserable at the current moment — isolated in their homes, unable to attend any sort of gatherings or events as they've all been canceled — comforts me as I know that 1. I'm not alone and 2. I'm not missing out on anything.
Yes, maybe I'm a villain ripped straight from a comic book. At least credit me for my honesty. And that's the one aspect I wish Robert Sapolsky — who I feel I'd very much like as a person — had covered, albeit my edition the third, released in may have been slightly too old for that, Millennial that I am. Which is whether there is any truth to the idea that anxiety and stress may be not just individual, but generational as well.
You often hear, or at least I do, that Millennials are more prone to stress, more anxious, than their generational predecessors. There are, of course, many very reasonable explanations for this.
Student debt. Gross inequality. Global warming. Helicopter parenting. Stricter moral upbringings. Growing up in the age of global terrorism. General disenchantment with modern politics. Untempered capitalism. Doubts as to whether one can truly make a difference, etc etc etc, ad infinitum.
Because when I talk to my Millennial counterparts, I don't feel unique in my anxiety, in my stress over how to survive, how to make a living, in Nobody seems to have the answers, and the general advice from our elders seems to be "don't worry so much" when indeed there seems to be so much to worry about. It's an anxiety stemming not from a fear of nonexistence, of our mortality, but of existence itself, of reconciling with the fact that a human existence bears no more meaning than an animal one, because we are, after all, just animals.
We struggle to reconcile with this fact, to cope with the reality that there is no meaning to any of it. The only answer, then, is to make our own meaning. To find it in books, in relationships, in writing, in forms of expression that will outlast ourselves. You may even find it here. View all 4 comments. Feb 23, hayden rated it it was amazing. Jun 17, Laura rated it it was amazing Shelves: neuroscience , psychology , read , science , read-in-english , non-fiction.
A brilliant and incredibly well-written book. Every time I read something by Sapolsky I get amazed with how prodigious he is. No matter what he's talking about, everything he says is interesting and engaging. That summarises my feelings with this book. I don't find the stress subject very interesting, just because I often suffer from it, therefore I prefer to act like it doesn't exist, but unexpectedly, this helped me realize that I've been doing the entirely wrong thing want to know why?
However, don't come to this book expecting to get advice for your stress problems. This book will teach you about how your body reacts to stress, why it happens, the biology and chemistry behind it and also, how it could end up killing you. Just in the last chapter, Sapolsky will specifically talk about what could you do about it, though repetively saying that it's an entirely subjective thing.
This summarizes it: By now, if you are not depressed by all the bad news in the preceding chapters, you probably have only been skimming. Stress can wreak havoc with your metabolism, raise your blood pressure, burst your white blood cells, make you flatulent, ruin your sex life and if that's not enough, possibly damage your brain.
Why don't we throw in the towel right now? One of the greatest things about Sapolsky's books, it's that though some things are difficult to get, he will continually repeat what you have learned and how everything it's connected. Some topics may be hard, but he will do everything to make it clear for you. Jan 07, Nick Weeks rated it liked it. Well researched book. Sapolsky, who I am a big fan of, explains why certain types of stresses like long work days end up having more serious negative effects on your physiology than do other types of stress such as a lion chasing after you.
Sure the lion stresses you out then and there but a week from now your bodily functions won't still be affected by it. My one beef with this book is that it doesn't give you much in the way of how to handle stress. I felt somewhat more stressed after reading Well researched book.
I felt somewhat more stressed after reading reading this book because I finally had a good understanding of all of its negative effects but still didn't know what to do about it Jul 29, Jahed rated it it was amazing. Should be compulsory reading for every high school biology student. A thorough dismantling of the reductionist cell biology mindset of the 20th century, Sapolsky shows you how very complex and intricate the interaction is between organism and environment, and how 'genes' may be overrated in a lot of ways.
Feb 03, Troy Blackford rated it it was amazing. Sapolsky is everything you could want from an author on a serious topic like stress: a world-class leader in the field of research, a clear and perceptive writer, and equal parts hilarious and profound. Learning about the physiology and psychology of stress would be interesting either way, but learning about it through his book is at least doubly so.
Highly recommended. I've been wanting to read this ever since I saw a documentary on stress that included Sapolsky's research. In the meantime, I've also become fairly interested in the human microbiome. So, this kinda played right into all of that Maybe I should come back to it someday. Sep 23, Kristina rated it it was amazing. This manifestation of stress is going to my 'books to give friends as a gift' list. The topic is morbid but written in a way that makes it a must read for anyone interested in managing their own well being and avoiding brain shrinkage.
Feb 09, Morgan Blackledge rated it it was amazing. Sapolsky is god. He's a great writer. But he is an immortal lecturer. Youtube his Stanford classes and behold! Pure genius. View 1 comment. May 05, Chris Herdt rated it really liked it. This book is a good introduction to stress and its effects on physiology and psychology Nicola's area of expertise. Although it is written for a lay audience, I often got the feeling it was written for a lay audience of primarily MDs.
By the end of the book, you will feel like you and epinephrine, norepinephrine, and glucocorticoids are all old friends--but in spite of the terminology, it is really an easy read and full of good humor and interesting anecdotes e. Her This book is a good introduction to stress and its effects on physiology and psychology Nicola's area of expertise. Here is a quote, taken out of context, that I enjoyed: "Every child cannot grow up to be president; it turned out that merely by holding hands and singing folk songs we couldn't end all war, and hunger does not disappear just by visualizing a world without it Would that it were so.
And shame on those who would sell this view. Sapolsky is an unapologetic atheist, but appears to have a high opinion of many religious people. He also speaks frankly about sex. He also believes in animal testing, although he thinks that some past tests went too far.
Sep 12, kyle rated it it was amazing. First off, Sapolsky is a delightful writer. For a rather depressing book on all the scientifically understood harmful effects of stress, this book is often laugh out loud funny. But beyond that, Sapolsky is brilliant. He makes complex topics seem simple, but doesn't simplify to the point of losing the complexity. Quite a feat. If you are ever curious about examining what stress really is, and what effect it has on your body, this book is a must-read especially useful I think for yoga teachers.
Feb 26, Bouke rated it it was amazing. It explains the mechanics of how stress works on a biological level, not holding back on naming names when it comes to hormones and glands and all that.
The author managed to make the book accessible while simultaneously being in-depth, which I really appreciate. May 01, Asim rated it liked it. I enjoyed this book but think for most people this book will not be more than a 3. He covers the driest of things with humor and charm. I would recommend the first four lectures to everyone. Our body is designed to respond to stressful situations. We are, just like the zebra, wired to temporarily alter our physiology when a lion shows up during our leisurely aftern I enjoyed this book but think for most people this book will not be more than a 3.
We are, just like the zebra, wired to temporarily alter our physiology when a lion shows up during our leisurely afternoon stroll. The difference is the zebra goes back to regular life after, but humans seem to treat a myriad of situations as if the lion is back and the stress-response that the body goes through takes a toll on our bodies. Take the cardiovascular system. When you see the lion or have an important presentation or an impending difficult conversation , your body starts prepping and marshaling all the resources in the body to get the hell out of there.
Your digestive tract shuts down, breathing rate skyrockets, the heart beats faster and your blood pressure goes up. This entire routine saves you from being lunch but is expensive in the long run. For example, as part of the response, the blood pounds through your veins and returns with deafening force to the heart. Now, if this happens very often, the walls of the heart will be forced to thicken to accommodate this regular flood and cause ventricular hypertrophy.
In addition, if you chronically increase the force with which blood is coursing through the vessels they have to work harder, it needs more muscle, this thick layer of muscle makes it more rigid and more resistant to flow hence persistent high blood pressure. As he describes it, your heart is basically a pump with hoses. Subject it to this treatment too often and it will wear out. He then goes on to cover ulcers, aging, sleep, metabolism etc.
If you want the details read the book, otherwise just remember that most of the stressors in your life are not really life-threatening so leave the panic for when you do meet the lion. Feb 20, Paul Barnes rated it liked it Shelves: psychology. I read this on the recommendation of an Ezra Klein podcast.
Unlike zebras, we get stressed because we're constantly worrying about the future. Takeaways included: sleep is really valuable and waking up for hours in the middle of the night is a classic symptom of depression; prolonged depression elevates risk of heart disease three- to four-fold; abusive parenting lifts the risk of adult depression; the role of learned helplessness; feeling chronically time-pressured is a function of a chronic need I read this on the recommendation of an Ezra Klein podcast.
Takeaways included: sleep is really valuable and waking up for hours in the middle of the night is a classic symptom of depression; prolonged depression elevates risk of heart disease three- to four-fold; abusive parenting lifts the risk of adult depression; the role of learned helplessness; feeling chronically time-pressured is a function of a chronic need to prove oneself due to feeling insecure.
There are no silver bullets. Only to strive for more of a sense of control, more predictability, more outlets and more social affiliation. Mar 09, Bob Klein rated it it was ok. Sapolsky is an amazing writer and Primate's Memoir ranks as one of my favorite books.
That said, the title, cover, and prior experience with Primate's Memoir led me to have unrealistic expectations of this book. It is thorough and well-written, but approaches the topic of stress from a phsyiological perspective that doesn't spare any of the details.
As such, it often calmed my stress by putting me to sleep. The subtitle's promise of a section on "coping" with stress didn't pan out, and amounted Sapolsky is an amazing writer and Primate's Memoir ranks as one of my favorite books. The subtitle's promise of a section on "coping" with stress didn't pan out, and amounted to a few pages of an attempt at the end of the book.
If you're looking for a tutorial on the physiology of stress and its relationship to a wide variety of human ailments and conditions sickness, age, gender, etc. May 29, Valerie added it. It's designed to keep you alive for the next 15 seconds, or to ease your death. As such, it's necessarily thriftless. If you can survive to the 16th second only by losing a limb, it's worthwhile to sacrifice the limb.
Otherwise, it's wasteful and disabling. Zebras don't get ulcers because they mostly only release stress hormones 'in the event of an actual emergency'.
Humans deliberately evoke stress on an everyday basis, and the reckless decisions the body makes under the influence of stress hormones, too often, results in the loss of limbs, supression of the immune system, etc.
Recommendation: don't pull the fire alarm unless there's a real fire. Feb 25, Charlene rated it it was amazing Shelves: general-science , neuroscience , favorites , biology. This book is simply exquisite. Sapolsky is a fantastic scientist as well as a wonderful writer. In this book, he will help you understand the evolutionary purpose of the stress response and elucidate why we differ so much from other animals.
We humans have a useful stress response but use it in very unuseful ways. If you read this book, you will be treated to the wonderful and unexpected story of J. Barrie, author of Peter Pan. What does his life have to do with the neuroscience of stress? Rea This book is simply exquisite. Read and find out! You will not be disappointed.
View all 7 comments. May 12, Ivana rated it it was amazing. As someone who is suffering from anxiety and depression, along with several genetic mutations that aid these disorders, I found it informative and hopeful.
Though this book is dated '94; much research has been done since, and some of the issues the author is referring are understood today , it is very relevant. I think everyone should read it. At some point, each of us will experience stressors that will affect our health, and for that reason alone, this book should be read. Mar 06, Sujit Nair rated it it was amazing. Going forward, I'm not going to stress myself over anything. While, I'm aware of how cortisol wreaks havoc, this book provides sheer evidence why our lifestyles are leading to shorter life spans.
More letting go, sleep and meditation for me. For the ones who are fascinated by jargons in the biology and neuroscience field, grab this book already! May 16, Abderrahmane Nadir rated it it was amazing. Dec 30, M. I finished it at last!
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