Understanding the harmful impact that chronic stress has on our physical and mental health necessitates a look at the chain reaction that causes it. When your brain detects a challenge or hazard, it sends an alert to your body’s endocrine system.
What Effect Does Stress Have On The Body?
An intensely stressful encounter activates the sympathetic nervous system’s defensive reaction, or the “fight-or-flight” response, according to Shannon Bennett, Ph.D., site clinical director for NewYork-Presbyterian’s Youth Anxiety Center.
Stress hormones continue to rise until the body and brain determine that the situation is safe and that the stressor is no longer present. When that is determined, the body’s opposite system, known as the parasympathetic nerve system, or “rest and digest,” kicks in. This returns your body to a neutral condition, reducing breathing, replenishing energy stores, normalizing heart rate, and making you feel safe.
When you don’t receive a break from stress and maintain a fight-or-flight response, you can develop cardiovascular illness, heart disease, hypertension, brain aging, muscle discomfort, digestive problems, sleep disorders, and other inflammatory diseases.
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Stress Effects On Common Body Parts
Heart
If you are subjected to episodic or continuous stress for an extended length of time, the persistent increase in heart rate and blood pressure can result in chest pain, heart disease, and an increased risk of stroke, heart attack, or hypertension.
Lungs
Shortness of breath, fast and uncontrolled breathing, and even asthma attacks can be caused by stress.
Stomach and intestine
because stress, whether acute or chronic, can have a variety of effects on your digestive system, resulting in a variety of potential symptoms:
- stomach ache
- Indigestion
- Nausea
- Diarrhea
- Constipation
- Bloating
- Vomiting
- Cramping
Back, Neck, Shoulders, and Head
Chronic stress frequently causes muscle tension, particularly in the neck, back, and shoulders.
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