Medical research shows that stress causes actual chemical changes in the brain, and these changes can influence the state of well-being. The body and mind reacts to an imbalance in life with a ‘fight or flight’ reaction. During times of stress the adrenal glands release adrenaline, a hormone that activates our body’s defense mechanisms causing the hearts rate to increase, blood pressure to rise, muscles to tense, and the pupils of our eyes to dilate.
Stress can also have more subtle symptoms that persist over time; constant worrying, anger, hurt or depression can lead to chromic aches and pain, heart palpitations, chest pains, insomnia, chronic fatigue, body infections and a loss of appetite or an increased need to eat.
Not all stress causes extreme reactions and stress during difficult situations and times can be controlled and dealt with in more healthy ways.
Stress Causes Backaches, Heart Disease, Asthma and Skin Problems
Both short term and long term stress can have effects on your body. These effects can make us more likely to get ill, and worsen existing problems. Some researchers think that stress may be a contributing factor in illnesses from insomnia to backaches and depression to chronic fatigue syndrome. Stress can also age you before your time as it damages the immune system.
The risk for heart disease, the number one killer of women, and certain types of cancers are also increased by stress. In many people unmanaged and untreated stress may lead to high blood pressure, heart attacks and strokes and other cardiovascular conditions. People commonly feel the effects of stress as various aches and pains, muscle tension and soreness, headaches and gastrointestinal disorders such as ulcers, lower abdominal cramps and irritable bowel syndrome. Though doctors don’t believe that stress causes effects such as ulcers, it definitely worsens them and make the body more susceptible to damage and illness.
Increased Stress Decreases Fertility
For women, stress is often a key factor when experiencing abnormal bleeding or an absence of menstruation. Hormonal imbalances caused by stress may proliferate the symptoms of fibroid tumors and make it difficult to get pregnant. Other disorders linked to stress include diabetes, asthma, arthritis flare-ups, and back and neck pain.
Your skin may also give away your stress levels. A study published in The British Journal of Dermatology (Volume 155:504-514, September 2006) found that stress increased symptoms in patients with atopic dermatitis such as eczema. Stress is also a trigger for acne because it causes hormonal fluctuations in the body and more oil production in the skin.
How Stress Affects Health
- Increases cardiovascular diseases such as heart attacks and stroke
- Migraines, headaches and muscle pain
- Irritable bowel syndrome, ulcers, constipation, stomach cramping and bloating.
- Higher incidence of diabetes
- Asthma and arthritis flare-ups
- Skin condition such as hives, acne and eczema
- Weight loss or gain
- Inflammation and infection in the body
- Depression, anxiety and anger.
- Difficulty getting pregnant