Mental health is not the only thing that’s affected by stress. Learn about the various physical effects of stress on your body.
Stress hormones are meant to protect your body in an emergency, but chronic stress can negatively impact your health. In short-term situations, it can help you cope with serious situations like avoiding a car accident. However, if stress doesn’t go away, it can lead to irritability, anxiety, depression, headaches, and insomnia.
The following are six different areas of your body that chronic stress impacts.
1. Central Nervous and Endocrine Systems
The central nervous system (CNS) controls your “fight or flight” response, releasing stress hormones that increase your heartbeat during emergencies. While your system should return to normal when the threat is gone, the response will continue in certain cases. If the CNS doesn’t normalize or the stressor remains, you will experience chronic stress which can cause unhealthy behavior patterns.
2. Respiratory and Cardiovascular Systems
Stress hormones make you breathe faster to quickly circulate blood, which can cause problems in people with breathing issues. These hormones can also increase blood pressure as they make your heart pump faster to divert oxygen to the muscles. Because chronic stress overworks your heart, it can increase your blood pressure and risk of a heart attack.
3. Digestive System
During stressful situations, your body produces extra glucose (blood sugar) to increase energy levels. However, chronic stress can result in a constant surge of extra glucose, increasing the risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Moreover, it can affect your digestive system by causing heartburn, acid reflux, diarrhea, constipation, and increasing the risk of ulcers.
4. Muscular System
Stressful events cause your muscles to tense up as a way to protect you from injury. Once you relax, your muscles will too, but constant stress can keep your muscles tensed up. As a result, you can experience stress headaches and pain in your back, shoulder, and overall body.
5. Sexuality and Reproductive System
Short-term stress may increase the production of testosterone in men, but the effect doesn’t last. In fact, chronic stress can decrease testosterone production, interfering with sperm production and resulting in impotence or erectile dysfunction. Furthermore, women can experience irregular, heavier, or more painful periods and magnified menopause symptoms.
6. Immune System
During emergencies, stress can stimulate the immune system and promoting its healing abilities. However, constant stress can weaken your immune system, making you more susceptible to the common cold, flu, and other infections. Moreover, chronic stress can also increase the amount of time it takes your body to recover from an illness.
The Outlook
While stress can help you during emergencies, it can take a toll on your body if it doesn’t go away. It can indirectly increase the risk of cardiovascular disease by increasing the risk of diabetes, hypertension, and more.
If you want to protect your heart health and mental health, you need to make healthy lifestyle choices. By working out regularly, eating a well-balanced diet, and practicing stress management, you can make a positive difference.
In addition, you can take heart supplements like HeartBeet Complete to boost your overall health. Its ingredients support circulation, energy levels, healthy blood pressure, and more.
Add HeartBeet Complete to your daily health regimen and begin promoting your health today.
