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How Does Stress Affect Health?

How does stress affect health? This is a question that we often hear. After all, there are so many pieces of information circulating about the bad effects of stress. People are wondering if stress is really as harmful as it sounds.

The answer is yes. You should know though that studies are still being conducted to prove the exact ill effects of stress. Although there are some inconclusive findings, it is a fact that the OSHA says that stress is a work hazard. It is also a fact that more than 75% of walk-in patients have complaints that are caused by stress. At least 43% of these patients suffer from serious health conditions. These figures should be enough to show that stress does have an impact on health.

Stressed out individuals may be more susceptible to certain health problems. Given below are a number of health problems that are currently linked in some way to the incidence of stress:

- Heart disease is one of the top killers in America. Aside from diet and lifestyle habits, stress seems to have a hand in the development of heart problems. Heart rate and blood pressure shoot up in moments of extreme stress. Prolonged episodes like this can harm the arteries. Heart disease could follow.

- How does stress affect health on a daily basis? Stress can actually weaken your immune system. This happens when stress hormones suppress the function of the immune system. With the system not functioning at 100%, a person under stress becomes more susceptible to colds, flu, and other kinds of bacterial and viral infections.

- You could experience weight problems because of stress. Stressful situations could result in more energy getting consumed. This means you probably need to eat more than you usually do. This could result in putting on more pounds. Your weight could also take a down turn. This could happen if you become too focused on stressful situations to eat. In this case, you are putting yourself in even more danger by depleting your energy and nutrient resources.

- Stomach distress is a common bedfellow of stress. You may feel like wanting to discharge when you are tense. This is caused by the speed up of the digestive process that is brought about by the effects of the stress hormone. You could also develop hyperacidity if you make it a habit to prioritize your responsibilities over your meal schedule.

- Your mind may also suffer from too much stress. It is not uncommon for people under a lot of stress to experience deeper psychological problems. You could suffer from anxiety attacks, develop depression or become overly obsessive compulsive.

- Stress can rob you of your sleep. Night sleep is the body's way of recharging itself so you can face the next day with renewed energy. If you lose sleep, your body would not have been rested well enough. This naturally takes its toll on your daily performance. Your vital organs suffer too since they have been on working mode from dusk till dawn.

- The effects of stress may also manifest themselves through a host of different body complaints. You could experience muscle pain, gum conditions, headaches and hair loss.

So how does stress affect health? As these conditions would show, it can affect it in various ways. Make it a point to learn to manage stress to ensure your health.