How does Stress Impact on Your Physical and Mental Wellness?

• Written by Mudit Handa

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“Sometimes the most productive thing you can do is relax”- Mark Black. 

Stress is body’s natural reaction to deal with a critical or challenging situation. which may be imaginative or real. When you are scared or feel threatened, your body induces a stress response to prevent any harm or injury. Due to this heart rate increases, blood pressure goes up, breathing quickens, and muscles stiffen as a reaction known as “fight or flight”. However,  stress symptoms may vary person to person depending on the age, surroundings, nature, and attitude. Although it is considered as a positive reaction as it helps in tackle a difficult situation, the continued long-term effects of stress can have severe ill consequences on your physical and mental health. This article explains of how severe stress symptoms can adversely affect your physical and mental health. 

What are the Stress Symptoms?

It is important to understand and realise that you are under duress. To know the effects of stress on health, the symptoms need to be clarified as they can be vague and sometimes may mimic other medical conditions. When it comes to stress, the relation between physical and mental health cannot be overemphasised. It is deeply interdependent and is impacted significantly by stress.    

Emotional  symptoms include: 

• You become agitated, annoyed and frustrated very easily.
• You feel you are losing control of your life and everything around you.
• You are unable to relax physically and mentally even the stressful phase is over.
• You tend to have low self-esteem and depression and isolate yourself socially.

Physical Symptoms Include: 

• You constantly feel lethargic with very low energy levels.
• Suffering from stomach upset, diarrhoea, constipation, and nausea is also an indicator of stress.
• Experiencing sleepless nights and sleepy days.
• You often have chest pains with rapid heartbeat and high blood pressure.
• Cold feet and sweaty palms, ringing in the ears and shaking can also be due to stress.

Cognitive Symptoms are: 

• The most common tension symptoms are constant worrying, mostly common in parents. 
• You tend to forget and become disorganised.
• You have problems focusing on work or home.
• You turn out to be pessimistic in every situation and only seem to focus on the negative side.

Behavioural manifestations include:

• Appetite changes drastically. You either lose your appetite completely or keep binging on junk food and give in to cravings.
• Since you feel lethargic, you procrastinate and avoid taking up any responsibility.
• Due to the effects of stress on the body, in the long term, you may resort to alcohol, drugs and cigarettes to feel better.
• Other small behavioural aspects like nail biting, pacing, and shaking are also noticed in a stressed person.

How does Stress affect the Body?

Have you ever had butterflies in your stomach before an office presentation or facing an interview? As a kid, did you complain of headaches or stomach aches before going to school on an exam day? These are all signs of stress. But this can be called good stress as it helps in bringing a positive outcome. What we feel during a major natural calamity, terrorist attack or even during a family feud is acute stress, which has a major impact on health if continued for a long time. Stress's impact on health can be seen when it is chronic or life-altering-

1. The Central Nervous system (CNS) controls the stress response mechanism. Once under duress, the hypothalamus in the brain triggers adrenal glands to release stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline. These, in turn, increase your heartbeat, raise blood pressure, and harden your muscles. If they are unable to relax and are under chronic stress, it then leads to overeating, loss of appetite, drug abuse and social withdrawal. 
2. One of the rampant and fatal examples of stress affecting physical health is stroke or heart attack. Stress hormones trigger your respiratory and cardiovascular system to work faster and pump fresh oxygen to muscles faster as a response. If you have asthma or a weak heart, frequent stressful situations can worsen your health by constricting your blood vessels and raising your blood pressure.
3. The liver produces extra blood sugar or glucose for energy during stress response. However, if such a situation continues, stress's impact on health becomes serious. As the body cannot deal with the excess blood sugar, you may develop the risk of diabetes. Due to rapid breathing and increased heart rate, you may also disrupt your normal digestive function. You are more likely to have acid reflux, heartburn, gastritis, and even stomach ulcers.
4. Since your muscles tense up due to the response, continued stress makes them stiff, and you are likely to have body aches, joint aches and muscle fatigue. It may be so severe that you may stop exercising and turn to medicine.
5. Long periods of stress in men can cause erectile dysfunction as male reproductive hormone levels drop. In women, the menstrual cycle can be erratic and more painful.

It is seen that stress's impact on health can be far-fetched. It affects all the organ systems and may cause serious health hazards in future if not controlled at an earlier stage. Severe conditions may require immediate medical attention or hospitalisation. In such a situation monetary stress would be least expected. By investing in a health insurance plan you can remain stress-free in an emergency situation. Care Health Insurance not only provides financial back-up by covering hospitalisation and treatment expenses in case of any emergencies arising due to tertiary effects of chronic stress, like stroke, heart attack, ulcers, etc. but also ensures quality healthcare through its 24800+ network healthcare providers. 

How does Stress affect Health and Wellness?

Nowadays, physical and mental health go hand in hand. You are not ok if you are not mentally strong. As stress can quite easily control your mental health, chronic stress can trigger many psychiatric disorders like depression, bipolar disorders and post-traumatic stress disorder.

• Stress can even change the brain's function and structure. Myelin sheath, which covers the white matter of the brain, is overproduced under distressed situations and, in the long term, can change the overall structure of the brain. Hence, brain abnormalities are common, including imbalances in grey and white matter,
• In addition to changing brain structure, the hormones released can destroy new neuron cells in the brain. The hippocampus a gland which produces new brain cells, is associated with memory, emotion and knowledge. Stress suppresses hippocampus activities affecting all.
• Long duration of high levels of stress can higher the risk of neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson's, Alzheimer’s and Huntington’s. 
• High levels of cortisol released under stress, impact parts of the brain which help in memory and thinking. The brain volume is reduced and behavioural performances and emotional reactions worsen.

As these internal changes are uncontrollable, it may be prudent to go for a healthcare plan involving wellness and preventive measures with free health check-ups and physician consultations. It will help you to detect or consult your healthcare provider if you are constantly under stressful situations.

Stress Management 

Now that you know how stress affects health and overall well-being, it is a practical approach to admit that it cannot be eliminated. It can only be controlled and reduced to a point where your health is not impacted. You can follow some tips or strategies for managing stress : 

• Follow a healthy diet, exercise regularly, stay hydrated and get plenty of sleep. All these will release the right amount of happy hormones to deal with stressful surroundings.
• If you feel under duress for a long time, invest in yoga, meditation and deep breathing exercises to release stress physically and mentally. 
• Maintain a diary of positive thoughts and write about your achievements and gratefulness in life.
• Take time out for travelling, hobbies, listening to music or watching meaningful movies.
• Socialise and talk to your friends and family. A good conversation can release a lot of stress and boost your mood.
• Pamper yourself with a spa, a warm bath and a good night's sleep to reduce stress.
• Get yourself organised, finish work on time and focus on the work-life balance for stress relief.
• If you cannot manage or deal with it alone, seek professional help from a counsellor or psychiatrist. They can help you learn stress management and control.

Also Read: Can Stress Cause Cancer?

To Sum Up

The effects of stress in a short time may seem harmless, but in the long run, it affects your entire body and mind. The symptoms are very ordinary which we feel every day, some time or the other. You need to hence, understand the situation, your health conditions and your surroundings to decide on the stress management measures you can take, to prevent complicated and life-altering illnesses. In addition, you can also go for a comprehensive health insurance plan to cover any health-related issues and remain stress-free financially.

Disclaimer: The above information is for reference purposes only. Kindly consult your general physician for verified medical advice. The health insurance benefits are subject to policy terms and conditions. Refer to your policy documents for more information.