Science Explains:The secret to beating stress is in our hormones

It wouldn’t be October without everyone careering back to campus after a summer away from the grind with a whole host of ‘new year new me’ aspirations. Ready to throw ourselves into a year of productivity with new highlighters, pens and folders – the promise of complete sets of notes is tangible. However, our inevitable fall doesn’t take long. A string of spontaneous nights out and hungover lie-ins can quickly find us falling behind faster than you can say “deadline!”. It’s then hardly a surprise that we find ourselves below the clinical light on the second floor of the library, greeted by the chorus of happier freshers who are yet to be experiencing that mind-numbing, tear-causing, nauseating feeling: stress.

So, as you sit there amongst the desks, comforted only by the fact you managed to bag yourself a plug seat, you begin to wonder if the cause of that throbbing headache could possibly still be the eliminator hangover you’ve been nursing all day. With a deadline at 12:00 tomorrow, you accept you’re going to be here all night. The pressure is building and your brain reacts. The section of your brain called the hypothalamus, despite being very small, controls an enormous variety of things in the body. In charge of which hormones secrete and when, it also determines when we need to eat and sleep, along with our blood volume and body temperature.  Sensing the danger of the imminent hand in, the hypothalamus causes the secretion of a host of hormones and cytokines into the blood stream, including adrenaline and cortisol (the so called ‘stress hormone’).

The hypothalamus causes the secretion of a host of hormones and cytokines into the blood stream

The more stressed about the deadline you get, the more your body reacts in a ‘fight of flight’ kind of way, primarily because of the adrenaline that the adrenal gland is kicking out.  Cortisol works in tandem, causing the body to release more glucose into the blood, increasing blood sugar, as well as supressing the immune system. At first these effects seem great – you can power through your all-nighter, not affected by sleep or hunger. However these hormones aren’t meant for a long term response, like one caused by doing a degree at Warwick.  

However these hormones aren’t meant for a long term response, like one caused by doing a degree at Warwick

We’ve all been there though, and managed to hand something in regardless. While relying on stress to motivate you is not a long term strategy, for some, it gets the job done. Over longer periods of time however, extreme or ‘chronic’ stress has been closely linked to psychological issues such as depression and anxiety. An all-nighter (whilst it may not feel like it at the time) is a relatively short burst of activity, but flooding the body with these hormones regularly causes physical symptoms such as increased heart rate,  blood pressure or reduced immune response so it’s no wonder that it affects mental health as well.

Adrenaline in large quantities can cause a fair amount of trouble alone. In excess, it can cause vasoconstriction – a tightening of the blood vessels resulting in a rise in pressure and a reduction in blood flow to the head. The body uses dilated vessels to help cool down, so this causes sweating, and the reduced blood flow causes dizziness. Shortness of breath and palpitations are also very common, and in extreme cases, are all symptoms of a panic attack. As the hypothalamus tries to understand why the body is failing, it causes the secretion of yet more adrenaline, only making matters worse.

Adrenaline in large quantities can cause a fair amount of trouble alone

Terrifying, and often unpredictable, panic attacks are periods of extreme stress that effect people of all ages. Breathing exercises, counselling and medication are all recommended as treatment, however it’s often a bit late for that when you’re in the middle of one. When attempting to address the more long term effects of stress, endorphins are key.  Released by intense physical activity such as running , swimming  or dancing, they inhibit pain signals, but can also produce a feeling of euphoria. You don’t need to go outside either – laughter and sex also cause endorphins to be released.

Either way, all the endorphin releasing activities seem to point towards a drunken night out with your very best of friends. That’s right, science is telling us to go to Smack, and since we’re all too stressed to sleep at night anyway, we might as well not be alone..