General adaptation syndrome

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General adaptation syndrome
Hans Selye first introduced general adaptation syndrome after performing experiments on rats. Since stress is almost a common occurrence, Selye described general adaptation syndrome as body’s predictable way of responding to stress. Through his experiments, Selye observed the physiological changes which occurred in the rats after exposure to events that were stressful. This helped him make a conclusion that the particular changes were not isolated body’s typical reaction to stress instead. Thus, stress does not just cause mental pressure but has the physical impact as well (Burgess, para1). He came up with three stages the body undergoes when responding to the stressful situation. The alarm stage is the first stage, then the resistance stage and the exhaustion is the last stage.
The alarm stage describes the initial experiences happening within the body by the time is under stress. At this stage, the hypothalamus part of the brain receives a distress signal which allows it to release glucocorticoids hormones (Burgess, para9). As a result, these hormones trigger the issuing of a stress hormone known as cortisol and adrenaline which boosts the energy in a person. This causes the blood sugar, blood pressure, and the heart rate to go up, the changes that are governed by the sympathetic branch which is part of the autonomic nervous system (Burgess, para9). At the second stage, the resistance is where the body now wants to counteract the particular physiological changes experienced during the first stage, alarm.

The parasympathetic, an autonomic nervous system part helps to govern the resistance. This returns the body to normal by lowering cortisol, blood pressure and heart rate (Burgess, para12). At the final stage of exhaustion, with the depleted energy resources, the body fails to recover from the alarm stage, though it keeps on trying. This may lead to tiredness and anxiety.
Work cited
Burgess, L. What to know about general adaptation syndrome. Medical News Today, 28 November 2017. Retrieved from: https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/320172.php