Why Zebras Don't Get Ulcers

  “Why Zebras Don’t Get Ulcers” is the title of a highly acclaimed book by Stanford Neurologist Dr. Robert Sapolsky.  In it, he distinguishes between the “real” stresses of life encountered by wild animals and the psychological stresses experienced by humans. He goes on to demonstrate the devastating effect of chronic stress on the human body. The concept, when fully understood, explains in a very logical manner, how stress is slowly killing us and what we can do about it.
Fight or Flight
   Humans and animals alike are born with a biological stress response called “fight or flight.”  When we perceive that we are in a life-or-death situation, the chemistry of our body changes in such a way as to help us to save ourselves from the threat.  
   During this hyper state of arousal, a flood of hormones are released by the adrenal glands including adrenaline and cortisol.  Adrenaline boosts energy and increases heart rate and blood pressure.  The burst of cortisol impacts blood pressure, raises blood sugar levels, and increases lung capacity. During fight or flight, cortisol also reduces non-essential life-saving functions including: altering the immune system, suppressing the digestive and reproductive systems, and turning off some of the processes that enable your body to grow.  
   You can imagine that this would come in handy for a zebra who is ...