The Surprising Ways Stress Can Affect Your Body

Everyone deals with some form of stress, whether it’s your job, paying the bills, or managing relationship issues. Just over 40% of the world’s adults complain of dealing with a lot of stress, but because of how differently we cope with it, what one person sees as stressful may not affect other people the same way.

Stress is a natural part of how your body functions, but when it becomes excessive or long-lasting, it can lead to health problems that affect nearly every system in your body. Our team of providers at Michigan Avenue Primary Care assists people in the Chicago, Illinois, area with stress and other health concerns that can have long-term effects.

So, how does stress work, why do you have it, and what kind of damage can it do to your body? Let’s examine these questions so we can help you manage the effects of stress when it occurs.

Understanding stress

In broad terms, stress is the mental, physical, and emotional tension or strain caused by situations and experiences that challenge or exceed our ability to cope. We often focus on stress as a negative, as seen in the examples mentioned above. 

Eustress is a type of stress response in which you excel due to the pressure put on you in different situations. This happens when you get a position you want and push yourself to succeed, for example. 

Overall, negative stress affects biological, social, and psychological systems, and the responses to these various types of stimuli can lead to alarm reactions, resistance in attempts to cope, and feelings of exhaustion from being overwhelmed. 

Common causes and symptoms of stress

Your body responds to stress by producing cortisol, which, in small doses, is helpful, but excessive amounts over time can be harmful. The negative types of stress can be broken down into acute, episodic acute, and chronic forms. Acute cases come and go quickly; episodic acute cases are short-term but happen routinely; and chronic cases last for weeks or months. 

Various situations cause different forms of stress, such as the ending of a relationship, illness, losing a job, or cramming for a test. The autonomic fight or flight response your body often goes through during stress can lead to muscle tension, sleeping problems, headaches, anxiety, and depression.

The effects of stress on your body

The extent of the issues you face due to stressful situations or an illness depends on several factors, including your overall health, whether the problem is acute or chronic, and the event in question. Still, stress can lead to problems throughout your body, including:

Cardiovascular issues

In stressful situations, your breathing rate increases, your body pumps more blood, and your blood vessels constrict to divert more oxygen. This can be helpful in specific situations, but if it becomes a chronic issue or you already have underlying health issues, it can exacerbate the problem.

Digestive problems

You create more glucose from your liver during these incidents, and this increases your risk of problems like type 2 diabetes. It also increases your chances of heartburn, acid reflux, diarrhea, constipation, and can make existing ulcers worse.

Sexual inability

Stress can lead to both mental and physical issues, causing problems that affect sexual hormones, resulting in dysfunction. Chronic stress can lead to irregular periods, impotence, and an increased risk of infection.

Muscular issues

While your muscles naturally tense and relax, ongoing stress can cause persistent tension, leading to aches, pain, and chronic muscle issues.

Immune system problems

In some cases, your body actually receives a boost to the immune system, but chronic issues can have the opposite effect, making you more susceptible to infection and disease.

In controlled doses, stress can be beneficial, but excessive stress can be detrimental to your health. Call Michigan Avenue Primary Care today or book an appointment online to get help coping with the problems stress can cause.