Understanding the Negative Effects of Stress on Health

In most cases, stress is what happens when we work our mind and body to the limits. While most people associate it with things that are negative, often you deal with stress because you have certain goals that you want to achieve, mostly in a short period of time. However, that is when the negative effects of stress start to appear which can truly adversely affect your life. For this reason you should learn about the important natural stress relief methods today.

Hectic schedules, meeting deadlines, personal problems and conflicts in the family are a few of the major things which cause the negative effects of stress. With these, serious physical and psychological problems may arise.

Disturbance of the normal bodily functions is the primary consequence of stress. It impacts the body’s ability to perform and quickens the aging process. The general negative effects of stress on the body are:

Heart Problems and Stroke - The circulatory system which includes the heart is affected whenever you under a lot of stress. What happens is that the heart rate goes up and some of the arteries are restricted which may result to a heart attack or at least to higher blood pressure.

Gastrointestinal Problems - Inflammatory bowel diseases, ulcers, irritable bowel syndrome are just a few of these gastrointestinal disorders you may experience. But these are at the extreme level. Oftentimes you may just feel upset stomach or mild diarrhea.

Digestive System Problems - Stress can also affect the digestive system leading to upset stomachs, indigestion, and higher acidity levels.

Immune System Infections - Stress impairs the immune system, making the body susceptible to colds and flu.

Weight gain and Weight Loss - Stress disrupts eating habits too. Every person has a different way of coping with stress. Some eat more than they could chew when stressed out, thus weight gain. Although, increased appetite is said to be emotionally motivated, experts say the stress hormone “cortisol” is in action of increasing abdominal fat during stressful times. Some people turn to eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia which initiates weight loss.

Periodontal Conditions - There are some teeth and gum problems that are indirectly caused by too much stress. How? It is because when some people are stressed they drink a lot of alcohol or smoke cigarettes which in turn can affect the condition of the mouth.

The other negative effects of stress on the body include migraines and headaches, mood swings, irritability, fatigue, muscle pains and tensions, sexual dysfunctions, baldness and concentration and memory lose. Moreover, stress can also lead to psychological problems like anxiety and distress.

Consequently, these problems contribute to a person’s anti-social behavior which may involve domestic and workplace hostilities.

These are just some of the bad side effects of having too much stress in our lives. It is therefore important that we find ways on how to fight it off and there are some stress management activities that can help you with that.