A Houston Caregiver Addresses How Stress Affects Older Adults Whenever your body senses it is in danger, signals are sent by your brain to your muscle to tighten them and to your adrenal glands so that stress hormones will be released. Stress hormones, like cortisol and adrenaline, for your senses to sharpen, your blood pressure to go up and your breath to start to quicken. Those physiological changes cause your reaction time to speed up, enhances your focus, improves your stamina, and increases your strength. This reaction is called the stress response. It is necessary for survival and is completely normal. After your brain has accepted that you are actually not in danger, it results in your body returning to its normal state. On the other hand, chronic stress harms your health and can be especially hazardous for elderly adults. The following is the important thing that you need to be aware of about stress in elderly adults. How Stress Affects Older Adults Although it is hard to determine the exact effect that chronic stress has on the health of the elderly, there is definitely a correlation. The following are several of the ways that stress affects seniors. Lowered Immune System Most likely there has been a time in life when you were very stressed out and you ended up becoming sick. This situation most likely became even more stressful for you when you were forced to put everything that you were stressing about on hold so that you can recover. Learn more.