Stress (biology)

Stress, whether physiological, biological anaa psychological, be an organism ein response to a stressor, such as an environmental condition anaa change insyd life circumstances. Wen stressed by stimuli wey dey alter an organism ein environment, multiple systems respond across de body. Insyd humans den chaw mammals, de autonomic nervous system den hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis be de two major systems wey dey respond to stress. Two well-known hormones wey humans produce during stressful situations be adrenaline den cortisol.

De sympathoadrenal medullary axis (SAM) fi activate de fight-or-flight response thru de sympathetic nervous system, wich dey dedicate energy to more relevant bodily systems to acute adaptation to stress, while de parasympathetic nervous system dey return de body to homeostasis.

De second major physiological stress-response center, de HPA axis, wey dey regulate de release of cortisol, wich dey influence chaw bodily functions, such as metabolic, psychological den immunological functions. De SAM den HPA axes be regulated by several brain regions, wey dey include de limbic system, prefrontal cortex, amygdala, hypothalamus, den stria terminalis. Thru these mechanisms, stress fi alter memory functions, reward, immune function, metabolism, den susceptibility to diseases.

Disease risk be particularly pertinent to mental illnesses, wer by chronic anaa severe stress dey remain a common risk factor for several mental illnesses.

 References 

 External links 

The American Institute of Stress
I'm so stressed out! Fact sheet, 2025, National Institute of Mental Health, US National Institutes of Health
Caring for your mental health, December 2024, National Institute of Mental Health, US National Institutes of Health 



Category:Endocrine system
Category:Sympathetic nervous system