Dr Adamu Onu, a medical practitioner with Garki Hospital, Abuja, said that if stress became persistent, it could predispose one to high blood pressure.
Onu said in an interview that stress could be managed if it was limited to a short period, but becomes detrimental to the body when it persisted.
``When it occurs in small doses it does not have any effect, it helps us to perform under pressure and also motivates one to do better.
``But when it is consistent, it becomes detrimental to our health,” he said.
An online medical journal, Medical News Today, describes stress as the body's way of responding to any kind of demand.
It can be caused by both good and bad experiences.
When people feel stressed by something going on around them, their bodies react by releasing chemicals into the blood.
According to Onu, stress is physical response that we go through, and this is usually in response to things that we feel threatened about and things that upset our emotions.
`` It is a normal response by human beings and is something that tends to come about when one is not in control of events,” Onu said.
The doctor also said that it was the body’s way of protecting itself ``because if the stress works properly, it helps one to stay focused, energetic and on the alert’’.
He said that when stressed up, the body produces certain hormones called adrenaline and cortisol, and these hormones basically prepare the body for necessary action.
Onu described cortisol as a hormone that disorganises the body system, if the body produces it for too long.
Wikipedia, the online dictionary describes adrenaline as a hormone that increases heart rate, pulse, and blood pressure and raises the blood levels of glucose and lipids.
Onu said that under this condition, the heart might begin to breathe faster, blood pressure goes up, and then the sense becomes sharper.
``This physical change basically increases the stamina and or strength,’’ he said.
According to him, there are certain signs and symptoms which accompany stress.
He said that most times the person may complain of a headache, diarrhea, dizziness, and chest pain, among others.
``You might find out that you are eating less or more, frequent sickness, frequent cold and sleeping too much or too little among others.
``Sometimes one can feel over whelmed, depressed and unhappy, moody, lack concentration or be forgetful; all these are indications of stress,’’ he explained.
He said that the key to managing stress was for one to recognise that he or she was stressed up first and then find a way of coping with it.
He added that some people did not recognise that they were stressed up, adding that management was not necessarily medication.
``This is because it usually occurs in a situation that one feels out of control, so one basically needs to find a way to handle the stress,” he said.
He, however, advised anyone going through any form of stress to find methods of coping like engaging in physical exercises and or listening to classical music.
