Adult prematures experience stress in a different way than most people. This is because the development of the autonomic nervous system is disturbed when someone is born premature (so too early). The autonomic nervous system causes you to experience stress in a threatening situation, but also that you can relax when it is safe. This part of the nervous system develops during pregnancy and in the case of an early birth this part is not yet ripe.
A premature ends up with an unripe nervous system which is less active on a stressful irritating NICU. This is for a premature very stressful. In addition, it results in a delayed development that develops around the age of two years of "pseudonormalis." So it seems normal, but many prematures show problems at childhood with stress, anxiety, panic and depression.* The stories of several adult prematures show that many still experience problems with this at a later age.
Normal stress
Someone experiencing normal stress will notice that this is going in a wavy motion. Sometimes you experience more and sometimes less stress, or it can be on and off. Normal stress also has a clear cause, for example a problem at work, a family quarrel or an approaching deadline. The stress system will be effective for example at an approaching deadline. This can lead to experiencing unrest, a tense body, peaking, high breathing and yet a whole range of diverse . Once this deadline has passed, the stress system will expand again, because the hampered danger . This calms the body and the above symptoms will also disappear.
Stress in Adult prematures
In an adult premature, this works differently. This group continues to experience stress, even though the danger has passed. They may experience the same complaints on the same deadline, but once the deadline has passed the adult premature cannot manage to lose the stress. They continue to experience physical unrest and can hardly relax. This stress can last a long time and in many cases there is no obvious cause why someone is experiencing or continuing to experience this stress.
Many prematures also indicate that they were already stressed and that, for example, a deadline came up. To meet the order, they bite through. They do not notice that they cross a border. A lot of these stories go around under adult prematures. Some suffer burn-out complaints because their early birth makes it difficult to cope with stress. That is why it is important that they learn to guard their borders and get handles to deal with stress.
*Mulkey, S. & du Plessis, A. (2018). Autonomous nervous system development and its impact on neuropsychiatric outcome
