The Negative Effects Of Stress

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We welcome guest writer Sarah Jones to The Purple Jacket. 

Have you ever been faced with a life situation whereby your body system requires you to fight or take flight? That’s what scientists call stress. It can be brief like being stuck in a traffic jam to getting to that interview room or arguing with someone. It can also be long term like losing a loved one, a job, getting a divorce, or psychological trauma. All this make the nervous system respond both as a means of protecting you and enabling you to remain focused and alert. But most importantly, your body bursts with energy.

Stress can be beneficial when it spurs you to act in the face of challenges. On the other hand, when stress continues over an extended period of time and becomes persistent it results in acute stress which has chronic harmful health effects to the body. Below is a detailed look at these negative effects of stress.

Diseases and Infections

Your body, through the immune system, releases chemicals known as cytokines. Chemicals that send messages to cells that counteract infections and enable cells to multiply when the need arises. During acute stressful periods, your body releases hormones which hinder the production of these chemicals.

Consequently, the body’s immune system is restrained from efficiently coordinating the combat of infections and diseases. Therefore the capacity of your body to effectively fight infections and diseases is impeded. As a result, you end up being prone to infections and other autoimmune diseases.

Anxiety and Depression

Sometimes stress can overcome you without you even noticing. It, therefore, becomes a part of your daily life until it gets normal and almost feels familiar. This is the situation when you cease realizing how it’s affecting your normal being yet has an adverse impact on your mental and psychological well being.

Anxiety creates trepidation and chronic stress results to depression. In this situation, you become moody and irritable, easily angered by petty things, and therefore you become unhappy. This may lead to you isolating yourself and feelings of loneliness creeping in.

To reduce stress and stay calm thus remain healthy you can employ the use of therapeutic essential oils. Invest in a good oil diffuser to be able to relax at home after a long day at work.

Low Libido

If you are experiencing a low sex drive, it might be as a result of stress. Erectile dysfunction accompanied with premature ejaculation when having sex is common, especially among men. Hence it will affect bonding and relationships, especially among married couples. The decreased sexual desire may lead to frustrations in either or both of the partners leading to separation and in worst cases even divorce. Bedroom romance is a key pillar of marriage. Therefore before you escalate to negative stress you would want to reconsider your sexual desires status.

Heart Diseases

When you are stressed the body releases stress hormones which increase your heartbeat and create a “racing heart” feeling. This is accompanied by chest pains and an increase in your blood pressure and fat levels.

All these symptoms can lead to a heart attack or failure. The fats accumulated in the body lines on the walls of the blood vessel hindering blood from flowing to the heart. Physical exercises with reduced stress levels can reduce this risk of heart attack and other cardiovascular diseases.

The Bottom Line

Do you sometimes try to develop the relationship between your health and stress-related behaviors? Of course, the two relate to a great length. Some stress-relieving mechanisms such as smoking, alcoholism, use of drugs, eating more or less pose a general health risk to your body. So next time you press the stress button, think of the healthier side of life you are touching!

Bio: Sarah Jones is the editor of relaxeveryday. Finding aromatherapy in a stressful point in her life made all the difference to her health. She promotes a healthy and relaxed life, and want to help others in their strive for a calmer life. Sarah can be reached at sarah@thrivingnichemedia.com

 

 

 

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