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The Biochemistry of StReSs!
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 Virtually any stressful event, from quarreling with a boss to winning a lottery, triggers an array of neural and biochemical reactions that prepares you to cope.
First, activity in the brain sparks the hypothalamus into action. The hypothalamus secretes a hormone called CRF, which sends messages down two pathways. On one track, nerve cells in the brain stem and spinal cord relay impulses to the core of the adrenal glands (located on the top of kidneys). These glands secrete epinephrine and nor epinephrine, neurochemicals that prime the body for action, by increasing heart rate, breathing, alertness and muscle response. This chain of neurological is often called the fight-or-flight reaction.
Simultaneously, the CRF secreted by the hypothalamus causes the pituitary gland, to produce ACTH, a hormone that tells the surface of the adrenal glands to release cortisol into the bloodstream. Cortisol sets off reactions that speed up the body’s metabolism.
These two tracks feed back to the pituitary gland to regulate the stress response further. Although triggering this response may help you deal with stress, repeated exposure can damage you mentally and physically
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