We all get stressed from time to time. It’s a natural response to situations where we are overwhelmed or lack control. But stress is not simply an emotion – it has a major effect on our health. Physiological changes that occur when we are stressed may raise the risk of certain health conditions or make symptoms worse.

The body’s reaction to stress is to release hormones like cortisol and adrenaline in preparation for a “fight or flight” response. When this occurs, your heart beats faster. Your blood vessels constrict. Your blood pressure rises. These reactions are designed to help protect you if you are in danger. But if you experience chronic stress, these reactions continually occur and may contribute to many health issues.

Here are some of the health conditions that may be affected by chronic stress:

• Heart disease – Stress increases heart rate, raises blood pressure and prompts the release of cholesterol and triglycerides into the bloodstream. It may also result in habits that contribute to heart disease, such as unhealthy eating, smoking or excessive drinking. Sudden emotional stress may even trigger serious cardiac events, like heart attacks, in people who have heart issues.
• Diabetes – Stress has been shown to increase blood glucose levels in people with type 2 diabetes. It may also lead to behaviors that make diabetes worse, such as unhealthy eating and excessive drinking.
• Obesity – Stress may cause people to overeat, which can lead to weight gain. The stress hormone cortisol also appears to cause higher rates of fat in the abdomen. Excess fat stored in this area is more likely to negatively affect health than fat stored in other areas of the body.
• Gastrointestinal problems – Feel like your stomach problems are worse when you’re stressed? That’s no surprise! Stress may exacerbate symptoms of heartburn, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and other conditions affecting your digestive system. It may also make ulcers worse.
• Asthma – Research has shown that stress can make asthma symptoms worse. It has even been suggested that stressed parents are more likely to have kids who have asthma, although the connection between the two is not fully understood.
• Headaches – It may come as no surprise that stress contributes to headaches, especially stress or tension headaches. But those may not be the only types of headaches exacerbated by stress – it may also increase the risk of migraines.
• Alzheimer’s disease – Although the exact cause and effect of stress and Alzheimer’s disease is not yet understood, one study found that stress may cause brain lesions to form more quickly and may contribute to the progression of the disease.
• Depression – Chronic stress can negatively impact mental health and may make it more likely that you’ll experience anxiety or depression.

Let’s face it – life is stressful and it’s unrealistic to think that we can remove all of the stressors we face regularly. However, we can change how we react to those stressors. The better equipped we are to deal with stress and manage it effectively, the less likely it will negatively affect our overall health.

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