Stress is any change in the environment that requires
your body to adjust with a physical, mental, or emotional response. Many
events that happen to you and around you (and many things that you do yourself)
put stress on your body. Stress
can be highly personal, with one person's unpleasant experience being another's
exhilarating adventure. And a little bit of stress is thought to be good for
memory and motivation.
Stress can be positive
("eustress") keeping us alert and ready to avoid danger. Stress
becomes negative ("distress") when a person faces continuous
challenges without relief or relaxation between challenges. As a result, the
person becomes overworked and stress-related tension builds. Consider the
following:
·
43% of all
adults suffer adverse health effects from stress.
·
75% to 90% of
all doctor's office visits are for stress-related ailments and complaints.
·
The Occupational
Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) declared stress a hazard of the
workplace. Stress costs American industry more than $300 billion annually.
·
The lifetime
prevalence of an emotional disorder is more than 50% often due to chronic,
untreated stress reactions.
Here are some of the ways that stress
can affect the body. The good news is that there is much you can do to reduce the impact of stress in your life.
o
Asthma: Stress seems to exacerbate asthma in people
who have the lung condition. In one
study, children who experienced severe stress such as the death of a loved one
had a nearly two-fold increase in the risk of an asthma attack over the
following two weeks compared to those not under stress. Researchers aren't sure
why, but stress may amplify the immune response to asthma triggers such as
pollen, animal dander, or dust.
o
Back
pain : Stress can set off an acute attack of back pain as well as contribute to ongoing chronic pain
probably for the simple reason that the "fight or flight" response
involves tensing your muscles so that you're ready to spring into action. One
recent study in Europe found that people who are prone to anxiety and negative
thinking are more likely to develop back pain, while a U.S. study tied anger
and mental distress to ongoing back pain.
o
Blood pressure: A
stressful situation can raise your blood pressure temporarily by constricting
your blood vessels and speeding up your heart rate, but these effects disappear
when the stress has passed. It's not yet clear whether chronic stress can cause
more permanent changes in your blood pressure, but techniques like mindfulness
and meditation may help. In addition, there are many natural
ways to reduce blood pressure including diet and exercise.
o
Blood sugar: Stress is known to
raise blood sugar, and if you already have type 2 diabetes you may find that
your blood
sugar is higher
when you are under stress. Changing what you eat, exercising more, or adjusting
medication can help to keep it under control.
o
Digestion: Heartburn, stomach
cramping, and diarrhea can all be caused by or worsened by stress. In particular, irritable
bowel syndrome (IBS)
is characterized by pain and bouts of constipation and diarrhea is thought to
be fueled in part by stress.
o
Brain tissue: Brain-imaging research shows that major
stresses can reduce the amount of tissue in regions of the brain that regulate
emotions and self-control. This damage may make dealing with future stresses
even harder, but it can likely be reversed with effective stress-management
techniques.
o
Colds: People exposed to
common cold viruses are less likely to fight off the germs successfully if they
have ongoing psychological stress in their lives. Researchers believe stressed
people's immune cells may be less sensitive to a hormone that turns off inflammation,
which could offer a clue to why stress can be correlated with more serious
diseases as well.
o
Cravings: The key is to know
your triggers,
and be ready when deadlines loom (or whenever stress is likely). That means,
stock up on healthy
snacks
if you tend to hit the vending machine at work, or make sure you don't
unhealthy treats on hand for those times when an attack of emotional
eating
is likely.
o Fat storage: You can clearly correlate stress to weight gain. Part of that link is due
to poor eating during stress, but the stress hormone cortisol may also increase
the amount of fat tissue your body hangs onto and enlarge the size of fat
cells. Higher levels of cortisol have been linked to more deep-abdominal fat. Exercise can help control stress and
help keep belly fat under control.
o
Fight or flight: It gets the body
ready for action. So if you're in danger, the brain's hypothalamus sends
triggers (both chemical and along the nerves) to the adrenals, which are glands
that sit on top of each kidney. The adrenals then roil out hormones, such as
cortisol, which raise blood pressure and blood sugar (among other things).
o
Hair: While the research
is mixed, stress is thought to play a role in triggering hair loss in the
autoimmune condition called alopecia areata. Stress and anxiety can also
contribute to a disorder medically known as trichotillomania, in which people
have a hard-to-resist urge to pull out their hair from their own scalp.
o Headaches: "Fight or flight" chemicals like adrenaline (epinephrine) and
cortisol can cause vascular changes that leave you with a tension headache or migraine, either during the stress or in
the "let-down" period afterwards. Stress also makes your muscles
tense, which can make the pain of a migraine worse. Beyond treating the headache itself, focus on headache-proofing your home, diet, and lifestyle in general.
o
Heart: The exact
relationship between stress and heart attack is still unclear, but evidence is
mounting that there is one. A recent study of 200,000 employees in Europe found
that people who have stressful jobs and little decision-making power at work
are 23% more likely to have a first heart attack than people with less
job-related stress. The best thing to do is lead a heart-healthy lifestyle and
focus on reducing stress in your life.
o
Insomnia: Stress can cause
hyperarousal, a biological state in which people just don't
feel sleepy.
While major stressful events can cause insomnia that passes once the stress is
over, long-term exposure to chronic stress can also disrupt sleep and
contribute to sleep disorders. What to do? Focus on sleep
hygiene
(making your surroundings conducive to a good night's rest) and try yoga or
another stress-busting
activity
during the day.
o
Job
performance: Studies of employees ranging from
military personnel to bankers show that stress reduces productivity and
satisfaction at work, and is linked to depression too. One solution is to ask
your employer to offer stress-management training, which can address
company-wide stressors like weak communication channels as well as focusing on
stress busters for individuals. Stress
clearly has an effect on productivity, and the costs of that for employers can
be very high.
o
Memory: Too much of the stress hormone cortisol can
interfere with the brain's ability to form
new memories.
During acute stress, the hormone also interferes with neurotransmitters, the
chemicals that brain cells use to communicate with each other. That can make it
hard to think straight or retrieve memories. While it's tough to limit stress
in our hectic lives, some experts recommend
trying meditation.
o Pregnancy: The normal stresses of everyday life are unlikely to affect a pregnancy, but severe stress, like losing a job or going through a divorce, can increase the chances of premature labor. There’s even some research suggesting that very high levels of stress can affect the developing fetal brain.
Prenatal yoga and other stress-reduction
techniques can help so talk to your doctor if you're severely stressed and
pregnant. Stress may even affect the
ability to get pregnant in the first place. One study found that women with the
highest levels of a stress-related substance called alpha-amylase were about
12% less likely to get pregnant each cycle than those with the lowest
concentrations.
o
Premature aging: Traumatic events and chronic stress can both
shorten telomeres, the protective caps on the ends of cell chromosomes, causing
your cells to age faster. The good news? Exercising vigorously three times a
week may be enough to counteract the effect.
o
Seizures: Although it's not
all that common, some people who are especially sensitive to stress can
experience seizure-like symptoms, such as far-off staring and convulsions. Up to one-third of people treated for
seizures at the hospital didn't respond to standard anti-seizure medication and
doctors concluded that they had stress-induced symptoms. Known as conversion disorder, some
people can subconsciously express emotional trauma as physical symptoms.
o
Sex
appeal: One study found that women were
less attracted to men with high levels of the stress hormone cortisol compared
to men with lower levels. Researchers believe this may be because low levels of
stress hormones suggest strength and health, which are desirable traits to be
passed on to offspring.
o
Sex drive: Research suggests what couples
probably already know: People who are stressed out have less sex and enjoy it
less when they do have it on compared to people who aren't under stress. Sexual dysfunction can have medical causes so
it's important to talk to a doctor, but reducing and managing stress can often
turn things around in the bedroom.
o
Skin: Most
acne sufferers already suspect this is true, and they seem to be right: Stress
can give you pimples. Research suggests that students with acne are more prone
to outbreaks during exams compared to less stressful time periods. An increase
of male hormones known as androgens could be a culprit particularly in women.
Stress can also trigger psoriasis to appear for the
first time or make an existing case more severe. Many doctors are starting to
incorporate stress-management techniques such as biofeedback and meditation
into their treatment programs for the skin disease.
o Stroke: A study of 20,000 people who had
never had a stroke or heart disease found that stress was linked to an
increased risk
of stroke.
In another recent study, healthy adults
who had experienced a stressful life event within the past year were four times
as likely to suffer a stroke as their less-stressed counterparts. One theory is
that the increased risk is due to stress-related high blood pressure and/or
narrowing of the arteries (known as atherosclerosis).
[i] Sources used:
·
“25 Surprising
Ways Stress Affects Your Health” by Kate Fodder
·
“The Effects of Stress on Your Body” Reviewed by Jennifer
Robinson
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