Ibrahim Keru
Stressful situations for instance worrying about the future, heavy workload, and tight deadlines can trigger our body’s flight-or fight response releasing stress hormones which create physiological changes in the body like when you feel your heart pumping faster, rapid breathing and muscles tense in stressful situations. These physiological responses can be beneficial, however when stressful events occur on a persistent basis it can have critical effects on your body’s health.
How does stress affect your body?
Stress impacts the health of your cardiovascular and respiratory system. Normal stress makes your heart pump blood faster, increases blood pressure and delivers more oxygen to muscles by constricting blood vessels and making you breathe faster. These physiological responses are all beneficial in the short term to deal with stressful events for example these physiological changes can be beneficial in winning a race. However, as the stressful events become more long-term these physiological events can lead to stroke, high blood pressure, and heart attacks because of the workload on the heart. Prolonged stress can also exacerbate existing breathing conditions like asthma.
In order to elevate the body energy level under stress your liver produces more glucose which is a great short-term stress response but when stress is prolonged your body finds it hard to deal with the excessive amount of glucose which can result in the development of type 2 diabetes. The body’s digestive system can be impacted by prolonged stress affecting the passage of food through your body causing vomiting, diarrhoea or constipation.
When you are stressed for a long period of time the normal response of muscle tensing and relaxing becomes consistent which stops the muscles from being able to relax resulting in tight muscles that cause muscle pains and body aches. Short-term stress can increase testosterone levels, but long-term stress causes this reproductive hormone to drop. Long-term stress can negatively impact menstrual cycles and exacerbate menopause in women.
Stress boosts the immune system which can aid in preventing infections and healing wounds in the short-term but prolonged stress and chronic stress will decrease the body’s immune system ability to fight against infections leaving us susceptible to infections and viruses like the common cold and flu. Prolonged stress also hinders the body’s ability to heal from injuries, making the body need longer time for recovery.
Conclusion
Stress can be helpful in the short term by helping increase your testosterone levels, boosting your immune system and helping you deal with immediate stressful situations by boosting your cardiovascular and respiratory systems however stress in the long term can be extremely detrimental to your health causing a variety of disorders and exacerbating existing conditions. Managing and reducing stress is key to keeping your body healthy. Simple practices like meditation, good sleep and exercise can help in reducing stress. However, if these practices don’t reduce stress, it is recommended that you seek help from a professional. It is key to take action today if you feel that you are over-stressed.
Find Out More!
https://www.vcuhealth.org/news/the-ways-chronic-stress-can-impact-your-body
https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/stress-ibs-reading-b2721034.html
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This article is really informative