Stress is something we all need to avoid but isn’t always avoidable. Compared to the rest of the world, Americans are the most stressed group of people.
Financial and health problems lead the way. It is hard to not to stress when you don’t have enough money to pay your monthly bills and are facing foreclosure. Health issues with no insurance only contribute to the problem.
These reasons are at the top of the list when it comes to the severity of stress-related issues. There are no fun facts about stress and what it can do to the body.
The effects of stress on the body can produce some weird symptoms and illnesses. Keep reading for seven things stress can do to your body.
Fun Facts About Stress Do Not Exist
The truth regarding stress is it can lead to health issues or exacerbate existing issues. People that find themselves constantly stressing over problems that are out of their control, should seek the help of a counselor.
If you start to experience health-related symptoms, see your primary care physician.
Sometimes people are unaware they are stressed out so they do not recognize the effects of stress on the body. Chances are if you are having trouble sleeping and constantly feel anxious, you’re experiencing stress.
As some college students acknowledge in this post, stress does not discriminate. Here are other ways stress shows up in the body.
1. Create Weird Aches and Pains
Aches and pains are symptoms of what stress does to the body. These are new symptoms you have not felt in the past. Stress has a weird way of showing up in our joints.
The pain can be sharp sensations or dull aches. Your muscles may show signs of fatigue and soreness. If left untreated, stress can lead to inflammatory ailments. Or it could lead to more diseases like Fibromyalgia which impacts the central nervous system.
2. Fight Your Immune System
Stress can create a barrier within the immune system leading to autoimmune disease. When you are under a lot of stress, your hormones get out of whack and fail to produce antibodies that fight common colds and the flu.
The body can react in various ways. Feelings of weakness, drowsiness, and inflammation can occur. Your body feels tired, and it becomes harder to fight off illness.
Over time, stress can also lead to serious depression.
3. Cause Hair Loss
There are many causes of hair loss. You can suffer damage from medications that treat high blood pressure or by taking chemo-therapy. Hair loss can also be a sign of a poor diet and even hairstyles and products that damage the hair follicles.
Hair loss can occur when you’re experiencing a stressful event in your life. However, hair loss is usually temporary and once the stressful event passes, the hair will begin to fill-out.
Signs that stress is making you lose your hair are an increase in the amount of hair you normally see on your comb or brush. In severe cases, you’ll begin to notice the thinning of the hair.
If the problem lasts for more than a few weeks, make an appointment with a dermatologist.
4. Trigger Upper Body Pain
Stress can often show up in the facial area. Headaches in your tension points behind the eyes and in the temple areas are a sign of stress. Pain along the jawline and toothaches can be signs too.
There are also stress points in the neck area and down through the shoulders. When pain penetrates these areas, you will feel stiffness. When you are really stressed out the muscles can become contracted. You will feel and possibly see knots appear underneath the skin.
Instead of taking aspirin and other pain relievers, make an appointment to get a good massage.
5. Lead to Digestive Issues
Some people call it the bubble guts. The medical term is irritable bowel syndrome. It’s unexplained diarrhea and abdominal pain. Sudden moments of stress can lead to digestive issues like IBS.
Sometimes it is triggered when subconsciously you want to avoid a situation that you know will be stressful. People that hate their jobs or don’t like visiting their in-laws can make themselves physically ill in response to the anticipation of stress.
Because IBS is a serious illness, you’ll need to get checked out to determine the root cause.
6. Impact Your Heart Function
Of all the issues you can face when dealing with the effects of stress on the body is its impact on the heart’s function. Individuals already dealing with heart and lung problems need to be very careful. Stress elevates the amount of cortisol released in the body.
This can negatively impact pre-existing conditions. Also, if you are not careful, stress can elevate your blood pressure. High Blood Pressure is a disease that when left uncontrolled leads to heart disease and strokes.
If you do not have existing issues with these serious diseases, understand that these are the long term effects of stress.
7. Make You Think You’re Losing Your Mind
Stress is caused by our response to situations in our lives. This is how the mind process an event, whether temporary or long-term. Not addressing what is causing the stress does not make it go away.
This can, of course, be dangerous and needs addressing since accidents and injury from stress is common, and before you need a personal injury attorney you should follow the important advice to reduce the effects of stress on your mental health and dexterity. There is a lot to be said for staying calm and staying safe at the same time.
In fact, failing to address your triggers for stressful reactions could be doing a lot of harm to you psychologically. Stress can lead to a mental breakdown. It can also be a warning sign for other mental health issues.
Get That Stress Out of Your Life
Now that you have these not so fun facts about stress and what they can do to the body, you need to focus more on the positive. Learn to recognize your triggers and avoid them. Create daily affirmations to reinforce positivity.
As the saying goes, stay calm and don’t stress over the small things.
Are you looking for ways to live a stress-free life? Our Mind & Body section is full of useful articles to help you live a healthy lifestyle.
