This content is for informational and educational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider.
Everyone needs to know how stress affects our physical health. And it’s not in a good way.
It’s not something we should overlook or think is another “one of those times”.
Stress can damage our mental health, skin, even our immune system.
Yeah, it’s part of life, but it shouldn’t become A Part Of Your Life.
The moment that happens, things are going to get really bad.
- Or possibly everything go south.
When you know how stress affects your physical health, you’ll be able to manage it better.
📋 Table of Contents
Our heart
Stress affects your heart by increasing your heart rate, and blood pressure.
It can mess up your heart.
There are hormones your body releases when you’re stressed:
- Adrenaline
- And cortisol
It’s normal for your body to release them in response to a short- stress moment, brief stressful situations.
The problem is when it happens too often, when these hormones shouldn’t be elevated all the time.
Then your blood pressure will keep rising, then you’d be at risk of heart disease.
- Or stroke
And other diseases that affect the heart.
Being stressed all the time can also contribute to inflammation in your body…
Which is another risk factor for heart disease 🤧.
Immune system
Our immune system may become weak due to stress, and put us at risk of:
- Infections: Because stress can reduce white blood cells..
Our very own power rangers.
White blood cells help our bodies fight off infectious, but when they’re not there, we lose.
It can also cause or trigger autoimmune diseases like:
- Rheumatoid arthritis
- Or lupus
Stress affects your digestive health too.
It can cause problems in your digestive system, because our gut, and brain are closely connected.
You surprised?
When you’re feel stressed, it disrupts how well your digestive system works.
It’ll then cause stomach problems like:
- Stomach pain
- Nausea
- And change your bowel movements
Stress can also make your body produce too much stomach acid that can lead to, heart burn, and indigestion.
It’s so bad that it can slow down or speed up the way food moves in your body which can cause problems like:
- Diarrhea
- Constipation
And other digestive issues out there.
Oh, and if you have any existing digestive conditions like:
- irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), manage stress well.
- Or inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)
Because it’ll just make them worse.
Stress can also cause bone and muscle damage
It can cause muscle tension, which can lead to things like:
- Neck pain
- Headaches
- Back pain
- Knee pain
You might feel the tension more in your shoulders, neck and jaw.
And if it becomes too bad, where it turns to chronic pain, it can contribute to issues like fibromyalgia.
Sleep
Stress can make it hard for you to fall asleep or even stay asleep, because of how it can disrupt your sleep patterns.
Then with time you’ll start to feel
- Fatigued
- Cranky
- Unhappy
- And more stressed 😔
Reproductive system
For the ladies, stress can make you miss your period, which can lead to irregular periods, and worsen your cramps.
It can also affect a man’s fertility, because stress can reduce testosterone levels and affect the quality of his sperm .
Even your skin
Stress can make you develop different skin conditions or worsen anyone you might have.
It will make your body release hormones that’ll increase inflammation, which can worsen skin conditions like:
- Eczema
- Acne
- Psoriasis
If you have wounds, like
- Cuts
- Or other injuries
Stress will make it take longer to heal.
Chronic stress can affect metabolism
High-levels of stress can affect your
- Metabolism
- And endocrine system
Which can cause you to:
- gain weight that you do not need
- and lose weight that you didnt plan
It can also affect your blood sugar levels and increase your risk of type 2 diabetes because of cortisol.
- A stress hormone that can contribute to insulin resistance
Stress affects a person’s breathing as well
It can affect your respiratory system and make you:
- Breather faster than normal
- Or breathe more shallowly
You may also feel:
- Lightheadedness
- Dizziness
- And shortness of breath
It’s even far worse for people who are asthmatic, because it can trigger of worsen asthma attacks.
Stress affects our physical health, so you need to manage it.
Stress can cause unpleasant things to happen in our body. It’s kind of inevitable, but it is still up to us, to do what we can to manage and reduce it.
Things like:
- Exercising
- Meditation
- Mindfulness
- Good sleep
- A healthy diet (less to no sugar)
- Good time management
Can help you manage stress better.
