During stage two, if the stress continues, the body adapts to the stressors that it is exposed to. There are changes at different levels take place in order to reduce the effect of the stressor, which indicates they are starving. At this point, thee person might experienced a reduced desire for physical activity to conserve energy, and the absorption of nutrients from food might be maximized (General adaptation syndrome).

The second stage is the body's response to long-term protection. It secretes further hormones that increase blood sugar levels to sustain energy and raise blood pressure. The adrenal cortex produces hormones called corticosteroids for this resistance reaction. Overuse by the body's defense mechanism in this phase eventually leads to disease. If this adaptation phase continues for a prolonged period of time without periods of relaxation and rest to counterbalance the stress response, sufferers become prone to fatigue, concentration lapses, irritability and lethargy as the effort to sustain arousal slides into negative stress" (GENERAL ADAPTATION SYNDROME (GAS) 2006).

However, during the final stage, the stress has continued for some time. The body's resistance to the stress may gradually be reduced, which indicates that the immune system, and the body's ability to resist disease may be almost totally eliminated. Patients who experience long-term stress may succumb to heart attacks due to their reduced immunity. A person with a stressful job may experience long-term stress that might lead to high blood pressure (General adaptation syndrome).

Causes

The general adaptation syndrome is also influenced by such universal human variables as overall health and nutritional status, sex, age, ethnic or racial background, level of education, socioeconomic status...

Some of these variables are biologically based and difficult or impossible to change. For example, recent research indicates that men and women respond somewhat differently to stress, with women being more likely to use what is called the "tend and befriend" response rather than the classical "fight or flight" pattern. These researchers note that most of the early studies of the effects of stress on the body were conducted with only male subjects" (General adaptation syndrome).
Conclusion

The experiences of stress cause the brain to respond to1400 different responses due to General Adaptation Syndrome. This includes the dumping of a variety of chemicals to the blood stream and that gives a momentary boost to do whatever needs to be done to survive. If it is not dealt with, the person can have a heart attack or stroke. "Continually high cortisol levels lead to suppression of the immune system through increased production of interleukin-6, an immune-system messenger. This coincides with research findings indicating that stress and depression have a negative effect on the immune system. Reduced immunity makes the body more susceptible to everything from cold and flu to cancer. For example, the incidence of serious illness, including cancer, is significantly higher among people who have suffered the death of a spouse in the previous year. Fortunately, this immune-suppression process can be corrected with psychotherapy, medication, or any number of other positive influences that restore hope and a feeling of self-esteem. The ability of human beings to recover from adversity is remarkable "(Our Body's Reaction to Stress (General Adaptation Syndrome). Therefore, General Adaptation Syndrome can lead to depression or death and be treated immediately.

General Adaptation