The Effects of Stress on Your Body
- Category: Behavioral Health, General Health
- Posted On:
How Stress Affects Various Systems of the Body
Whether you’ve felt the pressures of work, fallen ill or experienced a major life event, everyone experiences elevated levels of stress from time to time. However, long-term stress can be detrimental to your health. It's no surprise that a large amount of stress can take a toll on you emotionally, but you may find yourself wondering how it affects your body as a whole.
In light of Stress Awareness Month, here’s a look at how prolonged exposure to stress affects the major systems of the body.
Mental Health
When the body's stress response becomes chronic, it’s harder for the system controlling the stress response to return to normal. This means that the hormones your body releases to deal with the stress, such as cortisol, continue to act on the brain.
According to MQ Mental Health Research, some emotional and behavioral health symptoms that can be brought on by prolonged exposure to stress hormones include:
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Problems concentrating
- Poor decision-making skills
- Irritability
- Anger
- Memory issues
- Inability to regulate emotions
Cardiovascular Health
The American Psychology Association (APA) states that when your body is under stress, exposure to the body’s stress hormones causes an increase in your heart rate and blood pressure. Constant exposure to hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol increase your risk for cardiovascular health issues, including:
- Hypertension (high blood pressure)
- Heart attack
- Stroke
- High cholesterol
- Heart disease
Gastrointestinal Health
According to the American Psychology Association (APA), the gastrointestinal system has millions of neurons that are in constant contact with the brain, meaning that your gut health can influence the brain and vice versa. When your mental health is suffering, and you’re facing high levels of stress, it can trigger the following gastrointestinal health issues:
- Bloating
- Discomfort
- Acid reflux
- Burping
- Heartburn
- Spasms in the esophagus
- Stomach pain
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Constipation
- Bacterial infection
- Decreased appetite
- Diarrhea
- Constipation
- Muscle spasms in the bowel
Reproductive Health
The American Psychology Association (APA) states that chronic stress affects your reproductive system in the following ways:
- Decline in sex drive
- Erectile dysfunction
- Fertility issues in both men and women
- More vulnerable to infection
- Irregular menstrual cycle
- Pregnancy complications
Higher risk for postpartum depression
