Stress and Your Health

What is stress?

Generally speaking, stress means pressure or strain. Life constantly subjects us to pressures. In people, stress can be physical (e.g., disease), emotional (e.g., grief), or psychological (e.g., fear).

Individuals vary in their ability to cope with stress. How you see a situation and your general physical health are the two major factors that determine how you will respond to a stressful event or to repeated stress.

Genes and things that happen to you early in life (e.g., child abuse or neglect), even in the womb, can affect how you handle stressful situations, possibly making you more likely to over-react. Overeating, smoking, drinking, and not exercising, which can often result from being under stress, can also add to the negative effects of stress.

What is the stress response?

Allostasis is the process of how the body responds to stress, whether it is acute (short-term) or chronic (long-term).

The best-known acute stress response is the “fight or flight” reaction that happens when you feel threatened. In this case, the stress response causes the body to release several stress hormones (e.g., cortisol and adrenaline) into the bloodstream. These hormones intensify your concentration, ability to react, and strength. Also, your heart rate and blood pressure increase, and your immune system and memory are shaper. After you have dealt with the short-term stress, your body returns to normal.

Chronic or long-term stress, however, poses a problem. If you repeatedly face challenges and your body is constantly producing higher levels of hormones, it doesn’t have time to recover. Stress hormones build up in the blood and, over time, can cause serious health problems.

How does chronic stress affect your health?

The bodily changes that happen during moments of stress can be very helpful when they happen for a short time. But when the response is drawn out for a long period of time, producing too many stress hormones can affect your health. The long-term effect of chronic stress (called allostatic load) causes wear and tear on the body. Health problems can include:

• Digestive system. Stomach ache is common due to a slow down in the emptying of the stomach; also diarrhea due to more activity in the colon.

• Obesity. Increase in appetite, which can lead to weigh gain. (Being overweight or obese puts you at risk for diabetes and cardiovascular disease.)

• Immune system. Weakening of the immune system so that you are more likely to have colds and other infections.

• Nervous system. Anxiety, depression, loss of sleep and lack of interest in physical activity. Memory and decision-making can also be affected.

• Cardiovascular system. Increase in blood pressure, heart rate, and blood fats (cholesterol and triglycerides). Also, increase in blood sugar (glucose) levels (especially in evening hours) and appetite (which contributes to weight gain). A(ll of these effects are risk factors for heart disease, atherosclerosis and stroke, as well as obesity and diabetes.)

How do you know you’re stressed out?

Feelings commonly related with short-term stress are anxiousness, nervousness, distraction, worry, and pressure. If your stress level increases or lasts for a longer time, you might experience other physical or emotional effects:

• Fatigue, depression

• Chest pain or pressure, rapid heartbeat

• Dizziness, shakiness, difficulty breathing

• Menstrual cycle irregularities, erectile dysfunction (impotence), loss of libido (sex drive)

These symptoms may also lead to loss of appetite, overeating and poor sleep, all of which can have serious consequences for your health.

Usually these symptoms are minor and may be relieved through coping skills such as learning to relax, removing yourself for a time from the things that stress you out, and exercising. If the symptoms are severe, however, you may need to seek medical help to be able to identify the source of your stress and the best way to manage it.

What should you do with this information?

There are practical steps you can take to cut back on stress. Regular, moderate exercise improves thought process and mood. So are relaxing, getting a good night’s sleep, and seeking emotional support from family and friends. You can also reduce the long-term effects of chronic stress by eating a healthy, low-fat diet and avoiding smoking and excessive drinking. However, if your symptoms continue or worsen, you should see your doctor.

Resources

• Find-an-Endocrinologist (physician referral): www.hormone.org or call 1-800-HORMONE

• Introduction to the Endocrine System, Hormones and Glands: www.hormone.org

• Medline Plus (NIH): http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/stress.html

• U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services: http://www.4woman.gov/faq/stress.htm