Stress and the Immune System

Some people would wonder on the relationship between stress and the immune system. Is it really true that the immune system can be damaged by stress? To understand things better, it is good to know the difference between acute and chronic stress. Acute stress is the type of stress which is only short termed while chronic is the type that is long termed. They say that acute stress is the favorable type of stress while the chronic type is something that is detrimental to your being as a whole.

Acute stress can be favorable for the immune system while chronic stress only impairs it. Acute stress can boost the immune system temporarily. The explanation to this is as the person is confronted by a real or immediate threat, the body automatically prepares itself on how to react. By doing this, the hear rate increases, which then triggers the discharge of more blood to increase the supply of oxygen. Immediately after the threat is removed, the body also returns to its normal state.

This means that acute stress effect on the immune system is favorable. It does not in any way damage the immune system. What is does is it stimulates the natural defense systems of the body which can bring a temporary boost to the immune system.

A different scenario takes place in when we talk about chronic stress and the immune system. Chronic stress can be totally damaging to the immune system. Unlike in acute stress when the body is able to return to its normal state, in chronic stress the body is not given the chance to return to its normal state. So instead of giving a boost to the immune system, it makes the body vulnerable to infections by impairing the immune response.

It is noticeable in a person affected with chronic stress that stress affects the lifestyle. A person under chronic stress noticeably has lower white blood cell count, making them susceptible to viruses and other illnesses. The white blood cells are the soldiers of the body that is responsible for fighting infection. It could also be that a person is already sick and recovery may pre prolonged as a person is stressed.

There is both a positive and negative relation between stress and the immune system. Positively as the immune system is boosted during acute stress and negatively as the immune system is weakened during chronic stress. A person must learn how to adopt well with stressors so that acute stress will not turn into chronic stress.