What is stress and how bad is it for your physical & mental health? | Zyla Health
Stress is a natural occurrence in human beings. It can happen at any point in life and can affect you for a short period of time or remain for long. It can have an impact on your overall well-being in many ways, so, it is important to understand the effects of stress.
In this blog, you will learn everything you need to know about stress. So first, let’s start with the obvious question — what is stress?
What is stress?
Stress is a normal response to situations that you find extremely exciting, uncomfortable, threatening or scary. It gives rise to a feeling of mental and/or physical tension in your body.
Stress is mainly of two types depending upon its duration:
1. Acute stress
As the name suggests, this type of stress happens for a short time in situations that are dangerous or exciting like while doing adventure sports, meeting your partner after a long time, buying a new car etc.
2. Chronic stress
The type of stress that lasts for weeks, months or longer is called chronic stress and at times you may not even realise that you’re stressed. It is due to prolonged issues like money problems, unhappy marriages or stress related to chronic diseases. It can lead to various health issues if left untreated.
Both these types of stress may have different life spans but they give rise to certain stress symptoms that indicate the presence of stress. Read on to know about those symptoms…
Stress symptoms
Stress can show different signs in different people. It does not manifest in the same way in everyone. You can have a mix mental, emotional, behavioural and physical symptoms in response to stress. These include:
1. Mental symptoms:
- Lack of retention & memory loss
- Lack of concentration
- Pessimism or negative thoughts
- Excessive worrying
2. Emotional symptoms:
- Nervousness, moodiness or anger
- High sensitivity
- Low energy and sadness
3. Behavioural symptoms:
- Eating too much called “stress eating” or eating very less
- Sleeping disturbances
- Keeping a distance from your loved ones
- Ignoring responsibilities
- Addiction to alcohol, smoking or drugs
4. Physical symptoms:
- Body pains especially headache
- Digestive problems like diarrhoea or constipation
- Nausea and dizziness
- Chest pain or palpitations (increased heartbeat)
- Frequent uneasiness
- Weak immune system
- Increased blood pressure and blood sugar levels
If you or your loved one is suffering from any of these stress symptoms, get professional guidance from certified experts of Zyla. Visit the website zyla.in or download the Zyla app.
Now you know what is stress! Stress is an unavoidable part of life but when it is not addressed and managed properly, it can cause a lot of problems for your physical as well as your mental health.
Let’s have a look at the effects of stress on our bodies.
Stress and physical health
If your stress response continues to go on for a long time, the stress symptoms are also prolonged and it can cause serious health issues that can hamper your life greatly. These are the effects of stress on your body systems:
1. Central nervous system and hormones
Adrenaline and cortisol are the two stress hormones that trigger the “fight or flight” response in response to stress. When they are released, the body responds by increasing your heartbeat and sending blood to the required areas like muscles, heart and other organs.
Naturally once the stress is gone, the release should be stopped and your body functions should return to normal.
In the case of chronic stress, this does not stop and your body is constantly in ‘alert’ mode which can be tiring and draining. It also triggers behaviours like overeating or undereating, substance abuse and social isolation.
Staying under chronic stress can also increase your chances of developing Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus. This is because stress hormones hampers insulin hormone’s functioning causing insulin resistance.
2. Respiratory and cardiovascular systems
When you are under stress, your heart begins to beat faster and your breathing also gets quicker. The stress hormones constrict your blood vessels so that the muscles receive more oxygen in case you need them to run or perform any other action quickly.
In turn, this also results in high blood pressure. That is why in case of chronic stress that lasts for long, your heart is constantly beating fast and you have high BP which increases your chances of having a heart attack or stroke.
To know more about what is stress and how stress is related to high blood pressure, read our blog- Can stress cause high blood pressure?
3. Digestive system
If you’re under stress, you can have feelings of nausea, vomiting or a stomach ache. It can also lead you to develop diarrhoea or constipation.
People with stress also experience acidity/acid reflux and heartburn as well. This is because the acid quantity in your stomach increases when you are under stress. And although stress does not directly cause ulcers but it can increase your risk for them.
4. Muscular system
Since stressful triggers are usually due to an emergency situation, your muscles become stiff and tense to protect you. Once the stress is over, they relax again but in case of constant stress, your muscles might remain tight and tense for long.
Due to this constant stress on your muscles, you might suffer from headaches, back pain, neck pain and/or shoulder pain.
In case you’re facing muscular pains or any other effects of stress on your body, Zyla has a team of expert professionals like physiotherapists, psychologists, senior doctors etc to look after your overall health and well-being. Visit the website zyla.in or download Zyla app.
5. Sexuality and reproductive system
Acute stress might increase the male sexual drive due to more production of testosterone but don’t let this mislead you because it doesn’t last. When stressful triggers continue for a long time, these levels start dropping and can also cause erectile dysfunction or impotence.
Women can see the impact of stress on their menstrual cycle as it can cause irregular and painful periods and heavy bleeding. For postmenopausal women, it can increase the intensity of postmenopausal symptoms.
Stress can tire you out physically and mentally both so you may end up losing your sexual drive if you have chronic stress.
6. Immune system
As we discussed earlier, stress can weaken the immune system if it goes on for long. In acute stress, the immunity is actually good as it helps you fight infection and treat wounds more quickly but that only happens for a short time.
If you’re under chronic stress, you may be more susceptible to illnesses and diseases and can lead to delayed recovery from injuries and other conditions. It is even more harmful for people with chronic conditions like diabetes, high blood pressure, etc because stress can worsen them.
But stress doesn’t only affect your physical health, it has a major impact on you mentally as well. So let’s have a look at the effects of stress on your mental well-being.
Stress and mental health
Stress and mental health are related very closely. Even though acute, short-term stress can improve your thinking ability and help you think on your feet like problem-solve quickly but it can be bad for you in the long-term.
Chronic stress causes mental health issues like anxiety, restlessness, depression, panic attacks. It can make you feel overwhelmed and hopeless. You may find your confidence dipping and your ability to make decisions is also reduced.
You may see some personality changes like your attitude towards friends and family might become uncaring and rude and you may prefer being alone, you have constant mood swings, you feel unmotivated and unfocused.
Your sleep is also hampered by stress as you have trouble sleeping. You may be easily susceptible to substances like smoking and drinking and can get addicted to them easily to have some short-term relief from stress.
These changes result from stress and your mental health takes a dip. It is necessary to manage your stress timely and properly. What is stress management? Read on to know how to manage your stress.
How to manage stress
The first and foremost way to manage your stress is to know what is causing it. Once you know the trigger, you need to work on treating that trigger so that the stress can also be managed.
These are some ways to keep your stress in check:
1. Lifestyle management
Healthy eating and regular physical activity are some of the highly recommended treatments for many conditions including stress.
Daily exercise releases feel-good hormones in your body which instantly lifts your mood.
Healthy foods have a similar effect and they reduce the stress triggers and improve your mood while also keeping your weight in check because overeating/undereating is a common stress symptom.
2. Recreational activities
Doing things you enjoy is a great way to keep your stress in check. Try to revive hobbies and invest time in those things which help you relax to manage your stress and mental health.
3. Relaxation techniques
Practice relaxation techniques like meditation, yoga, deep breathing, and massage to treat stress well. These help you relax your mind and body and prevent the stress symptoms from getting worse.
4. Social support
Take support of friends and family when under stress. It is important to keep in touch with your support group because it helps you manage your stress. You can also reach out to a healthcare professional to avail stress management programs.
Now that you have a complete guide to what is stress, what the stress symptoms and effects are as well as how to manage it, you must identify if you’re under stress and get to work immediately.
In case you’re looking for stress management programs with certified counsellors and psychologists, visit our website zyla.in or download the Zyla app and say goodbye to stress from the comfort of your home!
Stay stress-free, stay strong!
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