Stress is a natural, physical, and mental reaction to life’s feelings. Everyone shows stress from time to time. Anything from everyday responsibilities such as work and family to sensitive life events like a new diagnosis, war, or the death of a loved one can trip stress. For immediate, temporary conditions, stress can be advantageous to your health. However, it can support you cope with potentially serious conditions. Your body answers to stress by releasing hormones that raise your heart and breathing rates and ready your muscles to answer.
Yet if your stress reaction does not stop firing, and these stress levels stay raised far longer than is compulsory for survival, it can hold a toll on your health. Chronic stress can cause a diversity of symptoms and affect your whole well-being. Some symptoms of chronic stress may include:-
- Irritability
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Headaches
- Insomnia
Central nervous and endocrine systems
Your central nervous system (CNS) is in impose of your “fight or flight” response. In your brain, the hypothalamus obtains the ball rolling, telling your adrenal glands to free the stress hormones adrenaline and cortisol. However, these hormones rev up your heartbeat and supply blood rushing to the areas. That requires it most in an emergency, like your muscles, heart, and other principal organs.
When the recognized fear is gone, the hypothalamus should inform all systems to go back to normal. However, if the CNS fails to go back to normal or if the stressor does not go away, the reaction will continue. Chronic stress is a part of behaviors, such as overeating or not eating enough, alcohol or drug abuse, and social removal.
Respiratory and cardiovascular system
Stress hormones influence your respiratory and cardiovascular systems. During the stress reaction, you breathe faster to quickly supply oxygen-rich blood to your body. However, if you already have a breathing issue like asthma or emphysema, stress can build it even harder to breathe.
Under stress, your heart also sends faster. Stress hormones cause your blood vessels to compress and divert severe oxygen to your muscles, so you’ll have severe power to take action. But this also increases your blood pressure.
As a result, frequent or chronic stress will build your heart work too hard for too long time. When your blood pressure increases, so do your risk of possessing a stroke or heart attack.
Digestive system
Under stress, your liver builds extra blood sugar (glucose) to supply you with a boost of energy. However, if you are under stress, your body may not be intelligent to keep up this extra glucose surge. Chronic stress may raise your risk of building type 2 diabetes.
The rush of hormones, fast breathing, and raised heart rate can also trouble your digestive system. You are more likely to have heartburn or acid reflux thanks to a rise in stomach acid. However, stress does not cause ulcers (a bacterium called H. pylori often does). But it can raise your risk for them and cause subsisting ulcers to act up.
Stress can also affect the way food proceeds through your body, leading to diarrhea or constipation issues. You might also feel nausea, vomiting, or a stomachache.
Muscular system
However, your muscles tense up to defend themselves from injury when you’re stressed. However, they tend to free again once you relax. But if you are continually under stress, back and shoulder pain, and body aches. Over time, this can depart off an unhealthy cycle as you remove exercising and turn to pain medication for calmness.
Sexuality and reproductive system
Stress is draining for both the body and mind. However, it is not unusual to drop your desire when you are under constant stress. While temporary stress may cause men to produce the severe male hormone testosterone, this effect does not last long.
However, if the stress continues for a permanent period, a man’s testosterone levels can start to drop. This can interfere with sperm development and cause erectile dysfunction or impotence. However, chronic stress may also raise the risk of infection for male reproductive organs such as the prostate and testes.
For women, stress may influence the menstrual cycle. However, it can lead to irregular heavier or severe painful periods. Chronic stress can also boost the physical symptoms of menopause.
