Health problems related to stress

 

Stress in some forms can’t be said to be bad for the system as experts have identified that there are good and bad stress, there is an important need to manage stress levels as studies have found that many health problems are related to stress and stress seems to worsen or increase the risk of some health conditions.

There are some significant health problems related to stress and it affects many people.

Heart disease: People that are stressed-out have a higher risk of high blood pressure and heart problems; stress can directly increase heart rate and blood flow, cause the release of cholesterol and triglycerides into the blood stream and indirectly increase the heart risks. It has been proved that sudden emotional stress can be a trigger for serious cardiac problems including heart attacks.

Obesity: Excessive fat in the belly seems to pose greater health risks than fat on the legs or hips; unfortunately, that’s just where people with high stress seem to store it. Stress causes higher levels of the hormone cortisol and this seems to increase the amount of fat that’s deposited in the abdomen.

Headaches: Stress is considered one of the most common triggers for headaches and not just tension headaches but migraines as well.

Depression and anxiety: Chronic stress is connected with higher rates of depression and anxiety. One survey found that people who had stress related to their jobs especially demanding work with few rewards have an 80 percent higher risk of developing depression within a few years than people with lower stress.

Gastrointestinal problems: One major thing that stress doesn’t do is that it doesn’t cause ulcers. However, it can make them worse. Stress is also a common factor in many other GI conditions, such as chronic heartburn, gastroesophageal reflux disease, GERD and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).

Alzheimer’s disease: Stress might worsen Alzheimer’s disease, causing its brain lesions to form more quickly. Some researchers speculate that reducing stress has the potential to slow down the progression of the disease.

Accelerated aging: According to research findings, there is evidence that stress can affect how you age. Researchers found that a particular region of the chromosomes showed the effects of accelerated aging. Stress seemed to accelerate aging about 9 to 17 additional years.

Premature death: People who are naturally under a great deal of stress have a higher rate of death than other people.

Asthma: Stress can worsen asthma. Some research findings suggest that a parent’s chronic stress might even increase the risk of developing asthma in their children; kids with stressed out parents had a substantially higher risk of developing asthma.

Diabetes: Stress can worsen diabetes in two ways; it increases the likelihood of bad behaviors, such as unhealthy eating and excessive drinking and raise the glucose levels of people with type 2 diabetes directly.

Stress isn’t only a feeling; it isn’t just in your head but a built-in physiologic response to a threat. When you’re stressed, your body responds. Your blood vessels constrict while blood pressure and pulse rise.

Also, you breathe faster; your bloodstream is flooded with hormones such as cortisol and adrenaline. When you’re chronically stressed, those physiologic changes, over time, can lead to health problems.