We at Dr. Grandma's have written a number of blog posts on the negative effects of too much stress on health and weight control. WebMD identifies the positives of stress stating that it is necessary to keep us alert, ready to avoid danger and challenged; it points out that distress or negative stress occurs when stress continues without relief.

The body responds to stress by activating the nervous system and releasing more adrenaline and cortisol into the bloodstream. These hormones speed up heart rate, breathing rate, blood pressure, and increase blood sugar. These changes prepare the body for fight or flight. In modern society, there is typically no fight or flight, to dissipate the stress hormones and use the additional blood sugar. This physical reaction can wreak havoc on health. In my blog post Stress I identify research that shows distress is:

• A risk factor for low-grade inflammation which is closely associated with development of type 2 diabetes.
• A key factor in the development of atherosclerotic heart disease, primarily through reduced blood flow to the coronary arteries and damage to the lining of the arteries caused by stress hormones.
• Associated with increased risk of suffering a second fatal or nonfatal coronary heart disease event after suffering a coronary heart disease event.
• A risk factor for stroke.
• Associated with increased healing time for wounds.

Research has also shown that stress affects how the brain functions. In a study conducted at the University of California, Irvine, researchers found that even short-term stress affects cell communication in the brain's learning and memory center. Communication is disrupted when acute stress activates corticotropin releasing hormones, which limits the ability of synapses to collect and store memories.

A study released this week in the Journal of Neuroscience researched the effect of increased levels of adrenaline and cortisol on goal-directed behavior. The study found that under stress the participants shifted from goal-directed action to habitual stimulus–response behavior when under stress. The study found that the interaction of the two stress hormones were responsible for the shift to habitual behavior. Simply put, under stress your brain is chemically wired to return to old habits of overeating instead of implementing new healthier eating plans. This makes stress reduction even more important.

In my blog post, Stressed? Read this, I talk about the relaxation response - a simple way that you can reduce your stress level - converting distress into stress. If you haven't tried it yet, or you tried it for a short while - then your goal-oriented behavior got hijacked by cortisol and nonepinephrine pumping through your veins and brain - you might want to give it another try. Knowing that stress can side-track your goal-oriented behavior may make it easier for you to nip stress in the bud instead of throwing your hands up and asking yourself "What is the point of even trying." That act will add more to your stress level by the way!