How Stress Affects The Body And Mind | A Comprehensive Guide

how-stress-affects-the-body-and-mind

In today’s world, almost all of us experience stress at some point in our life. On one hand it motivates us to face challenging situations or emergencies, but on the other hand if it becomes chronic or severe, it can have devastating effects on our physical as well as mental well-being.

In this blog we are going to discover how stress affects the body and mind. Understanding these effects is the first step towards their effective management.

Stress causes activation of our body’s fight and flight response, which causes release of hormones, adrenal and cortisol. They prepare our body to either fight or flee away from the danger. Although this response is important for our survival, prolonged activation of this response can have negative effects on both our body and mind.

How Stress Affects The Body:

how-stress-affects-the-body

1. Cardiovascular System:

Stress hormones, adrenaline and cortisol cause increased blood pressure so that blood can reach easily to the muscles and other vital organs that are involved in “fight or flight” response. They also make your heart pound by increasing your heart rate. 

Chronic stress causes inflammation of blood vessels and puts undue pressure on them and the heart. This increases the risk of developing cardiovascular diseases like hypertension, heart attack and strokes.

2. Respiratory System:

As the body prepares for “fight or flight” response, breathing becomes shallow and rapid to quickly supply oxygen to your muscles. Your respiratory muscles also become tense which causes shortness of breath. This respiratory activity can cause worsening of symptoms in people who are already suffering from any respiratory disease like asthma and COPD (Emphysema and chronic bronchitis).

3. Digestive System:

Stress also affects your digestive system and causes problems like nausea, stomach ache, acid reflux, diarrhoea, constipation, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and increased risk for developing stomach ulcers.

It also causes your liver to release more glucose in blood to boost your energy, but if it becomes chronic, your body cannot handle too much glucose in blood, and this can lead to development of type 2 diabetes.

4. Immune System:

Chronic stress causes suppression of the immune system and makes you susceptible to infections. It causes weakening of your body’s ability to fight bacteria, viruses and other pathogens and makes you prone to get sick more often. High cortisol levels slow down the wound healing process and make your recovery from illnesses and injuries much slower than usual. Prolonged stress can also trigger autoimmune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis.

5. Musculoskeletal System:

Stress causes your muscles to tense up in order to prepare your body for “fight or flight” response. Once the threat is gone your muscles go back to a relaxing state. However, incase of chronic stress there is persistent muscle tension in your body which can lead to development of chronic pain including headaches, back pains, shoulder pains etc.

6. Reproductive System: 

Chronic stress significantly affects the reproductive system in both men and women.

In males, it causes low testosterone levels which results in decreased sex drive and erectile dysfunction. It is also known to affect male fertility by decreasing sperm count and motility. 

In females, it can interfere with their normal menstrual cycle, leading to irregular cycles, missed periods or even amenorrhea. It can also worsen the symptoms of premenstrual syndrome (PMS) and menopause, and exacerbate conditions like polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS). It can also decrease their fertility by disrupting ovulation and altering uterine conditions.

In pregnancy, it can negatively affect both mother and fetus and can lead to complications like preterm birth, low birth weight or developmental problems with the baby.

How Stress Affects The Mind:

how-stress-affects-the-mind

1. Cognitive Functions:

Chronic stress impairs your cognitive functions like memory, focus and decision making. It can also affect your learning and problem solving abilities making your daily life tasks feel overwhelming.

2. Mental Health:

Prolonged stress can severely affect your mental health. It is linked to many mental health conditions like anxiety and depression. It can cause changes in brain chemistry and structure which leads to mood swings, irritability and emotional instability. It can also lead to a burnout, which is a state of mental, physical and emotional exhaustion.

3. Sleep Disturbances:

It causes sleep disturbances like making it difficult to fall asleep or stay asleep. These disturbances result in insufficient and poor sleep which in turn causes stress, creating a vicious cycle.

Stressful thoughts can also cause nightmares which further disturbs your sleep quality.

4. Social Interactions:

It can affect your social interactions by making you irritable, angry and impatient. All this can strain your personal relationships with friends, family and other people. It makes people withdraw from social interactions and become isolated. It can also blunt emotional sensitivity and makes it harder to empathetically connect with others.

5. Behavioural Changes:

It can cause behavioural changes in a person like overeating or undereating and neglecting their diet.

It can make people dependent on alcohol, tobacco, caffeine and drugs to cope with their situation. 

People might also develop avoidance behaviour like procrastinating, withdrawal from responsibilities or social interactions.

How To Manage It:

After understanding how stress affects the body and mind, we can take proactive steps to manage it effectively. Here are a few stress relieving tips for you so you can lead a happier, healthier and more peaceful life:

  1. Practice mindfulness and relaxation techniques.
  2. Get physically active.
  3. Take a healthy diet.
  4. Have adequate sleep.
  5. Seek social support.
  6. Practice self care.
  7. Seek professional health when needed.

You can also contact organisations like mind to get support and help regarding your stress or other mental health concerns.

If you are going through stress or having a burnout and need some time off your work or school, to focus on your health, you might need a sick note to take an official leave.

You can get a sick note online, within minutes by an EU licensed doctor, from the comfort of your home.