The fight-or-flight response (also called the stress response) is a physiological reaction that occurs in response to a perceived threat or danger. This enables the body to take action quickly, and is intended to keep us out of (physical) harm’s way. Unfortunately for our health, this response also occurs when we are not in any immediate physical danger, but are still experiencing stress. For example, this can happen when someone is running late for an appointment or class, and is feeling stressed about trying to get there.
The physical changes that occur during this response can cause wear and tear within the body if the perception of stress persists. Here are a few examples of such bodily changes:
- Heart rate increases
- Blood pressure increases
- Blood sugar (i.e. glucose) levels rise
- Respiration rate increases
- Muscles tense up
- Perspiration increases
- Pupils dilate
For additional information about how these physiological changes occur, click here to read more.
The fight-or-flight response is also recognized as the first stage of the General Adaptation Syndrome.
General Adaptation Syndrome
Stages of the General Adaptation Syndrome
Homeostasis is a state of physiological calmness or balance, and occurs when our bodily functions are running smoothly in conjunction with low stress levels. When exposed to stressors, this causes an imbalance to occur as the body responds to the perceived threat, and then tries to return to normal functioning.
The general adaptation syndrome (GAS), developed by Hans Selye, describes the pattern of responses that the body goes through after being prompted by a stressor. There are three stages: alarm, resistance, and exhaustion.
- Alarm – This occurs when we first perceive something as stressful, and then the body initiates the fight-or-flight response (as discussed earlier).
- Resistance – If the perceived stress continues, the body stays activated at a higher metabolic level in an effort to offset the persistent stress. The body cannot maintain this level indefinitely, and its resources will eventually deplete.
- Exhaustion – Prolonged exposure to the stressor will result in the depletion of the body’s resources, and the resulting wear and tear will suppress the immune system and cause bodily functions to deteriorate. This can lead to a variety of health issues and illnesses, including heart disease, digestive problems, depression, and diabetes.
These changes will occur in the body regardless of whether the perceived stressor is considered eustress (positive or pleasant) or distress (negative or unpleasant). Ultimately, this means that we need to take active steps in managing all of our stressors, as it can build up and potentially cause harm to our health otherwise.
Kirti Bhati February 11th, 2022 · 6min read
General adaptation syndrome, you all must have experienced this many-a-times by now. I will give you an example of General adaptation syndrome, you have a very important meeting scheduled for today and you suddenly start having a sharp headache or stomach ache or you start to feel nauseous, etc.
Happened to you before? Well, this is because of general adaptation syndrome. Whenever you experience stress your body responds to it through automatically generated physical symptoms like some kind of aches or vomiting or regular unstoppable yawning, etc.
It is very, very common and most of us have experienced it a lot many times but just didn’t know the name of this weird reaction of our body. General adaptation syndrome, if not addressed on time can have long lasting negative effects.
Let’s understand General adaptation syndrome better…
What Is General Adaptation Syndrome?
General adaptation syndrome (GAS) was first described by Hans Selye, a psychologist and a scientist, in the year 1936. General adaptation syndrome is considered one of the pioneering researches in modern biological formulation of stress.
General adaptation syndrome can be described as the physiological symptoms which are generated by your body automatically when the body is in stress. Basically whenever you experience stress your body automatically reacts through physical symptoms.
So, the shivering you experience when you are about to step on the podium and share an idea for a new project to your investors is because of General adaptation syndrome.
Let’s look at the stages of General adaptation syndrome before we jump onto the symptoms and signs….
Stages Of General Adaptation Syndrome With Examples…
Stage 1- Alarm Reaction Stage
The alarm reaction stage is the first stage of General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS). In this stage your body generates the first reaction to stress. Once you have encountered stress and your brain has received the signal, it will alarm your body.
To do so, your brain generates adrenaline and glucocorticoids, which are the flight and flight hormones. These prepare your body to identify the threat and create an action plan to protect yourself.
Let’s understand this with the help of an example of General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS)…
Example: You have an important presentation in 10 minutes and your heart rate starts to increase, there is shivering, sweating and your body temperature rises. These are the physiological reactions to stress that you are experiencing at that point.
Stage 2- Resistance Stage
The resistance stage comes after the alarm reaction stage of General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS). You enter this stage only when the stressor or the trigger has left. In this stage your body tries to come back to a normal state.
Your blood pressure begins to come down, your palpitations have decreased and your adrenaline has also gone down. Although you do not reach a completely resting phase because your body is still very alert and can go back to the first stage of General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS) if the stress is triggered again.
Let’s understand the resistance stage of General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS) with the help of an example :
Example: You have finished your presentation now and you are sitting in the meeting room listening to other presentations. You still feel the pump in your blood but it’s all slowly reducing. Your breathing has become normal but you still remember the the shock you body was in during the first stage of General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS)
Stage 3- Exhaustion Stage
Exhaustion stage of General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS) is known as the riskiest stage of General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS). It occurs only when you experience prolonged stress. If you are in stress for a really long time you are most likely to enter the exhaustion stage after experiencing both 1 & 2 stages of General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS).
In this stage your body is completely exhausted and tired and can no longer fight and combat the stress anymore. Even if the stressor is still present your body enters the exhaustion stage because you do not have any remaining strength to fly back.
This stage is dangerous because the exhaustion stage is the one in which you can develop some health issues or long lasting negative consequences.
Example: Your bosses are never happy with your presentations. They always ask you to make some changes and are always rude and judgmental towards you. The entire office starts mocking you. By each passing presentation you start getting tired and finally you can’t take the stress anymore so you decide to present whatever you have ready with you.
Signs Of General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS)
General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS) can easily be identified by physical symptoms of stress. Let’s have a look at them according to each stage of General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS)
Here you go…
Stage 1- Alarm Reaction Stage
- Increased blood pressure
- Increased palpitation
- Your pupils dilate
- You face flushes
- You are in high alert
Stage 2- Resistance Stage
- You feel frustrated
- Irritated
- Can’t seem to concentrate on anything
Stage 3- Exhaustion Stage
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Insomnia
- Extreme tiredness all the time
- Disturbed cognitive abilities
Now that you are aware of the stages and symptoms of General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS), let’s quickly look at how to cope with General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS) before we end the blog…
Ways To Cope With General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS)
Here are a few ways you can manage your General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS)
- Take good care of your eating habits. Eat a balanced diet on time every day. What you eat reflects on your mood so keep it balanced.
- Exercising regularly can improve your mood and help in reducing stress.
- Learn some breathing techniques and practice themregularly, this is very helpful during stage 1 of General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS)
- Identify your triggers and try to stay away from them or get rid of them completely (if you can)
- Journalingcan also help with General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS) because you can express your feelings and emotions rather than bottling them up.
That’ll be all for General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS)!
I hope you found this blog interesting. Do let us know about your experiences with General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS), What stage of General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS) affects you the most and how you deal with General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS)?
Thanks for reading!
Take care and stay safe.