Chronic stress is linked to chronic illness because stress literally affects various body systems, not just mental health. April is stress awareness month.
The impact of stress on well-being can be mild to profound, influencing both emotions and your body’s physical functions – sometimes severely enough to be lethal.
Stress Harms the Cardiovascular System
One of the most immediate impacts of stress is the cardiovascular system.
When stressed, the body’s “fight or flight” response activates, causing the heart rate to increase and blood vessels to constrict.
This response will come in handy if you’re suddenly faced by a wild boar, as primitive peoples were. You need to either fight it or escape from it.
An increased heart rate circulates more oxygen throughout your body, which you’ll need in this circumstance.
The constriction of blood vessels will help prevent a bleed-out should the huge animal take a good swipe at you or should you gash your leg on something while fleeing from the beast.
Today we don’t encounter wild boars in the city, but the body will respond the same way should some thug reach into your car and put a knife to your throat.
Freepik/oneinchpunch
However, if this stress response is activated too often or for too long or in an ongoing fashion, it can lead to high blood pressure, a risk factor for heart disease and stroke.
For example, a 2007 study in the Journal of the American Medical Association revealed the averse effects of chronic job stress on heart health.
While thickened blood can save your life in a fight or flee situation by slowing down the bleeding, this two-edged sword can kill you if it occurs chronically – chronically thickened blood.
Ongoing stress in your life can lead to increased blood viscosity, further elevating stroke risk.
A study in Open Neurology (May 2023) reported that hyperviscosity (a more gooeyness or stickiness) can impair blood flow, leading to hypoxia and increased oxidative stress, heightening the risk of ischemic stroke — which is when a blood clot in the brain, which can come from either the brain, carotid artery or heart, cuts off oxygen to the part of the brain that the vessel feeds.
Summary: Stress can cripple your body, if not kill it.
Stress Dismantles the Immune System
When the body is under stress, it releases inflammatory cytokines, which are chemicals that can cause inflammation in the body.
Over time, high levels of inflammation can weaken the immune system, making it harder for the body to fight infections.
A landmark study titled “Psychological Stress and Susceptibility to the Common Cold” was published in the New England Journal of Medicine in August 1991.
Stress Impairs Gut Function
The body’s stress response can slow digestion or cause it to speed up, leading to stomach cramps, nausea or diarrhea.
Conditions like irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) are often aggravated by stress.
Research in American Journal of Gastroenterology (January 2024) indicates that stress can disrupt the gut-brain connection, contributing to inflammation and discomfort in the digestive system.
Chronic stress can even exacerbate other gastrointestinal disorders, such as ulcers or acid reflux.
One time I became tremendously anxious after experiencing sudden, new-onset diarrhea and weird looking, loosely formed stools.
Very soon after, I developed a frequent cough due to a new-onset tickling in the back of my throat.
This persisted until right after my colonoscopy was completed; I was sitting up on the exam table immediately following the procedure when the doctor told me that everything looked normal. Literally right after that, the coughing was gone.
Stress and anxiety can cause a frequent cough.
Mental Health and Stress
One of the most common mental health effects of stress is anxiety.
Anxiety can be defined as frequently worrying about events that will probably never happen.
Many people will have varying definitions of anxiety. Sometimes it’s there for no reason, while other times it can easily be traced to specific situations in one’s life that they have no control over.
Chronic stress can trigger or exacerbate anxiety disorders, where individuals experience persistent worry, nervousness and restlessness.
Research indicates that the body’s stress response increases the release of cortisol, a hormone that, when elevated for prolonged periods, disrupts the balance of chemicals in the brain.
A study published in Neuropsychopharmacology (August 2023) found that long-term exposure to high cortisol levels can interfere with neurotransmitters like serotonin and dopamine, which are crucial for mood regulation.
This imbalance can lead to feelings of depression and irritability.
Stress is also a significant contributor to burnout, a state of mental, emotional and physical exhaustion caused by prolonged strain in one’s life.
According to the American Psychological Association, burnout occurs when people feel overwhelmed by their work or life demands, leading to feelings of inadequacy, emotional fatigue and detachment.
It’s common in high-pressure environments such as the workplace, where employees are constantly under pressure.
Without proper coping mechanisms or support, burnout can lead to severe mental health problems, including depression and anxiety.
Cognitive Decline
Research in Psychological Science (December 2009) suggests that chronic stress can impair memory and cognitive function in older people.
Prolonged stress reduces the size of the hippocampus, a brain area essential for memory formation, which can lead to difficulties in concentration and memory retrieval.
Final Thoughts
Stress awareness should be every month; every week; every day.
One great way to combat the physical and mental effects of chronic stress is that of intense exercise.
Lorra Garrick is a former personal trainer certified by the American Council on Exercise. At Bally Total Fitness, where she was also a group fitness instructor, she trained clients of all ages and abilities for fat loss and maintaining it, muscle and strength building, fitness, and improved cardiovascular and overall health.
.
