General Adaptation Syndrome - Causes, Symptoms & Treatment

General adaptation syndrome(GAS) is a term used to describe the body's short-term and long-term reactions to stress. General adaptation syndrome is the set of changes in various organ systems of the body, especially the pituitary-endocrine system, in response to a wide range of strong external stimuli, both physiological and psychological. 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 (SES), genetic makeup, etc. Some of these variables are biologically based and difficult or impossible to change. The first stage of GAS called alarm reaction , the body releases adrenaline and a variety of other psychological mechanisms to combat the stress and to stay in control. GAS second stage called resistance or adaptation . This 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 (outer covering) produces hormones called corticosteroids for this resistance reaction. The third stage of GAS is called exhaustion.