Physical Effects of Stress
We have all heard of getting gray hair from stress, but what about the other ways stress can physically affect you? There are more ways than you might think.
Some stress is actually good for us, the problem arises when we have excess or chronic stress. People often dismiss stress, but have you ever stopped to think about what it is doing to your body?
Why Do We Physically Feel Stress
While stressed, your body produces an abundance of glucose in order to fuel you. This is a good thing for a short amount of time, the problem is when your body undergoes stress for a long period of time, excess glucose can make you at a higher risk for Type 2 Diabetes. Also, chances are the entire time you are stressed, your heart rate is higher than your normal resting rate. The faster your heart pumps, the more your blood vessels are constricted, in turn raising your blood pressure. High blood pressure puts you at risk for Coronary Artery Disease and heart failure. Stress also stimulates your immune system, which again, is good in the short term but long term can end up hurting you.
Other Physical Effects of Stress
Worsened ulcers caused by H. pylori bacteria
Tight muscles
Headaches
Nausea
Stress & Gray Hair
Regarding stress and gray hair, the process may not be exactly what you think. Stress does not cause gray hair, because everyone gets it at some point. Gray hair is not a question of if but a question of when. Your body eventually will naturally switch off melanocytes, which give your hair color. Some researchers say that when stress is a factor, your body simply speeds up the natural process, making gray hair appear earlier than it would normally. Although stress and gray hair are not necessarily a cause and effect system, why speed up the process?
Gray hair overall seems like a small price to pay for stress when there are so many other serious health consequences of stress. Recall that some stress is okay, but when your stress gets out of hand, it is time to seek professional help. If you have excessive anxiety or worry, irritability, are overall emotionally unstable, depressed, or have a lower sex drive than usual, you know that your stress is starting to affect you physically and mentally. Don’t put off seeking out help for these issues. Talk to the intake team at Avenues Of Counseling and Mediation to get connected to a counselor to help you. We have multiple options available, in both our Medina and Akron, Ohio offices.