General adaptation syndrome (GAS), also known as Selye’s syndrome, describes the changes your body goes through when you experience stress. It involves three stages of stress-induced changes: your alarm reaction, resistance, and exhaustion.
GAS was discovered in 1936 by the Austrian-born Hungarian researcher Hans Selye, a professor and medical doctor. Since then, research on GAS and stress has found a link between chronic (long-lasting) stress and many diseases, such as arthritis, asthma, cancer, chronic kidney disease, and hypertension (high blood pressure).
Being in a chronic state of stress can harm your health, but there are ways to minimize and treat it.
There are three stages of GAS. Each stage is characterized by different processes and symptoms in your body.
The alarm reaction stage can be triggered by an overwhelmingly stressful or traumatic event. It causes your body to experience acute (short-term) stress symptoms that trigger your “fight-or-flight” response. Your body will try to recover by regulating your blood pressure and heart rate and lowering levels of cortisol, a hormone that regulates your body’s response to stress.
During this recovery stage, your body remains on high alert until the stressful event is resolved. However, if stress continues for a longer period, your body releases stress hormones, which keep your stress levels high. This leads to the resistance stage.
In the resistance stage, your body tries to cope with ongoing stress. This can lead to issues like trouble concentrating, frustration, and becoming easily irritated. If the stress doesn’t stop, your body eventually moves into the exhaustion stage.
In the exhaustion stage, stress can lead to burnout, depression, anxiety, extreme tiredness, and a lower ability to handle stress. Ongoing stress weakens your immune system by keeping stress hormones active, making it harder for your body to fight off illness. Over time, this can increase the risk of developing health problems.
GAS is your body’s built-in response to stress, regardless of the source. Stressors can be physical (like illness or injury), emotional (like grief or anxiety), or environmental (like work pressure or financial struggles). Selye’s research on GAS showed that all living things have the same reaction pattern to stress, no matter the cause.
The hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis is your body’s main system for handling stress. It connects your brain to your hormonal response. When you face a stressful situation, the hypothalamus (a part of your brain) signals the pituitary gland.
Your pituitary gland then tells your adrenal glands to release cortisol, a stress hormone. Cortisol helps your body respond by providing extra energy, keeping your blood pressure steady, and pausing nonessential activities like digestion so you can focus on the challenge.
The HPA axis typically helps you deal with stress quickly and effectively. However, it can wear down your body if it stays active for too long—like during chronic stress. This can lead to problems like feeling exhausted or getting sick more easily.
GAS is not a condition you are diagnosed with; it is a bodily process that occurs when exposed to stressors or a stressful event. There are different types of stress, such as acute stress or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), that do have diagnostic criteria.
If you are experiencing signs or symptoms of stress that interfere with your daily routine, schedule an appointment with your healthcare provider. Symptoms of acute stress may include repeated distressing memories of the stressful event, flashbacks of the traumatic event, and an ongoing inability to feel positive emotions such as happiness.
Other symptoms of stress include trouble concentrating, an increase in the use of alcohol or illegal drugs, and physical reactions in the body, such as headaches, skin rashes, or stomach problems.
It is important to reduce your symptoms of GAS so it does not become chronic or recurrent. Two major treatment options for stress include psychotherapy and medications.
Psychotherapy is a form of talk therapy that can help improve symptoms of stress and explain the science behind the stress response. Cognitive behavioral therapy is a type of psychotherapy that helps you process traumatic memories and reframe negative thoughts.
Some medications may help conditions related to stress, such as anxiety or insomnia. However, medications do not help reduce symptoms of acute stress or prevent acute stress from developing into PTSD. If you are interested in trying a new medication, speak to a healthcare provider first to see if it may be right for your symptoms.
While GAS is not a medical condition, there are ways to prevent and manage symptoms of stress. Try out the below lifestyle tips to help keep stress at bay:
- Try deep breathing, meditation, or stretching: To help reduce symptoms of stress, take time every day to relax, whether through a session of breathwork, meditation, or light stretching.
- Get daily physical activity: Moving your body daily is a great way to reduce stress. Start with small sessions of daily movement and gradually build up to two and a half hours each week (30 minutes a day for five days).
- Limit or abstain from alcohol and smoking: Limiting or avoiding alcohol and tobacco can help reduce stress.
- Prioritize sleep: Getting enough sleep and sticking to a regular sleep schedule is important for stress regulation and reduction. Adults need at least seven hours of sleep per night.
- Connect with others: Try to stay social and connected with friends, family, or community organizations. Talking about your feelings with others you know and trust is a great way to manage stress.
GAS can be difficult and uncomfortable, but it does not have to interrupt your daily life. There are science-backed ways to reduce or treat symptoms of stress and GAS. Seek medical help if you think you may have acute stress, chronic stress, or another stress-related disorder such as PTSD.
When left untreated or unmanaged, chronic stress and GAS have been linked to the development of many chronic diseases and conditions. These include:
- Arthritis: Early research shows a relationship between chronic stress and the development of arthritis among adults. Further research is needed to understand this connection.
- Cancer: Chronic stress can weaken the immune system and increase inflammation, both of which are linked to tumor growth.
- Chronic kidney disease: Studies have found a link between stress and the development of renal disease, also known as chronic kidney disease.
- Hypertension: Psychosocial stress (which includes stress caused by cultural and socioeconomic changes) has been associated with an increased risk of hypertension (high blood pressure).
- Peptic ulcers: Selye’s early research involved animal studies and found that stress could lead to the formation of peptic ulcers in the stomach. The same finding has since occurred in human studies. More research is needed to fully understand the connection.
General adaptation syndrome (GAS) identifies three stages of bodily processes: alarm reaction, resistance, and exhaustion. These stages occur after your body is exposed to sources of stress.
Because GAS is not a medical condition, there is no official diagnosis. However, symptoms of stress and GAS can be managed and treated with lifestyle changes, such as adequate sleep and daily movement, medications, and psychotherapy.
If you are experiencing symptoms of stress or GAS, such as burnout, fatigue, depression, anxiety, or loss of concentration, visit your healthcare provider for diagnosis and treatment.
