What Is The Impact of Stress On Your Health?

What Is The Impact of Stress On Your Health ? What is stress? Well, we all know about it from our own experience. Science defines it as the reaction of the human body to certain events or actions that we must take. These events and actions may be personal, they may be related to our work, etc. But does stress affect our bodies? 

You need to learn to control emotions in order to prevent the negative effects of stress on the body. It is important to be able to relax and solve minor problems in a timely manner so that they do not turn into a disaster. 

Let’s talk more about it in today’s article.

Impact of Stress on Your Body

Here is how stress impacts different organs, impairing their function.

Stress and Mental Health

Due to stress, some changes occur in the brain. These changes are similar to the ones caused by the abuse of alcohol or drugs. If a person does not deal with stress, it may lead to poor memory, anxiety, depression, poor mood, and even addiction.

Several researchers confirmed that people who experience stress are more vulnerable to alcohol or drug addiction. They tend to rely on such harmful substances to cope with the symptoms of stress. However, such a habit can worsen the experienced stress as well as a person’s health. 

The only way to cope with such co-occurring disorders is to get proper addiction treatment. The length of treatment varies, depending on the person’s condition. Due to the shorter length of stay, 30-day rehab programs are more popular as compared to 90-day programs. No matter what the length of the treatment plan is, it will surely help you restore your mental as well as physical health.

Stress And Physical Health

Stress is a form of our body’s reaction to some kind of challenge or difficult situation. The body increases the production of certain hormones, such as adrenaline and cortisol. They enter the circulatory system. With an increase in the content of these hormones in the blood, an increase in heart rate and respiration, an acceleration of metabolism, and an increase in blood pressure also occur.

The blood vessels dilate so that blood can flow faster to the muscles. The pupils also dilate so that we can see better. The liver releases the glucose stored in it, and it enters the bloodstream.  Thus, the body receives additional energy. Sweat is released to keep the body from overheating due to this energy.

Good And Bad Effects Of Stress

When we are stressed about a situation or activity that we are about to do, a little stress can help us mobilize and pull ourselves together to deal with the challenge. For example, in a situation of an exam, interview, preparation for some event, etc. stress can actually be helpful. But stress is not always a reaction to events that are about to happen. 

It can also be associated with events quite distant in time. In this case, stress is less intense but prolonged. Such long-term stress is worse than short-term stress. Our nervous system is under constant stress as stress hormones are constantly being produced.   As a result, the reserves of the body get depleted. The immune system weakens and other health problems arise. Constant stress can cause very great harm to the body.

Often, at the same time, anxiety arises in a person, and small everyday problems turn into something catastrophic in his eyes. Anxiety is often the result of constant tension and preoccupation. It can grow, and then the person needs professional psychological help.

Symptoms Or Signs Of Stress

People who experience prolonged stress often experience the following symptoms:

• Constant tension and confusion in thoughts
• Feelings of anxiety and panic attacks
• Irritability and increased resentment
• Melancholic mood and sadness
• Some physical symptoms, such as stomach problems, headache, and chest pain
• Allergic reactions
• Breathing Problems
• Sleep problems
• Excessive eating and drinking, excessive smoking, and drug use.

People experience stress differently. Some tend to blame others for all their troubles, others try to hide their problems and lean on food and alcohol. Many people with chronic illnesses find that stress causes their illness to flare up.

Tips To Reduce Harms of Stress

You can and should learn to control emotions associated with any situation, with any challenge. This skill needs to be refined regularly and you should not wait for stress to attack you. Then, when a stressful situation comes, you will be able to cope with it. Here are some tips to help reduce the effects of stress on the body

• Don’t overload yourself with different activities. Concentrate on one or two things, the most important ones at one time
• You need to be realistic and aware of your possibilities. Do not shy away from help and ask for it whenever you need it.
• Good sleep is very important. If you sleep as much as your body requires, your body and mind will be in good condition. Then you will be able to cope with any negative situation that may cause stress
• You should know how to relax when stressed. Simple breathing exercises help a lot too
• Maintain your fitness. Regular exercise helps reduce the effects of stress on the body
• Try to think and look at life positively
• Solve small problems as they arise

If you avoid it, you will get the feeling that you are not in control of the situation and this would only add to the stress. It is very important to learn how to calmly analyze the situation, think about different possible solutions to the problem, and, choosing the best one, act to cope with it.

Take Away

In this article, we explained in detail how stress impacts your mental as well as physical health. We also mentioned some symptoms of stress that will help you identify them in time. So you must deal with stress in a healthy way by following our tips.