7 Ways Stress Can Make You Sick and What You Can Do About It
Everyone feels some degree of stress in their daily lives. Sometimes stress can be a positive thing because it can motivate you to work harder and perform better at your current activities. However, healthy stress is temporary and should go away after you do what needs to get done at the moment.
Unfortunately, some people suffer from chronic stress. This is a condition where a person feels stress for prolonged periods, even when they’re in a stable and relaxing environment.
Chronic stress can cause physical, emotional, and spiritual damage to a person in so many different ways. Overall, the inability to manage stress can result in severe long-term health problems.
Stress management is not something everyone knows how to do on their own. It requires some education and understanding of how stress affects your health and the best ways to overcome and prevent stress in the future.
Below are the top seven ways that stress can make you sick and what you can do to stop it.
1) Weaker Immune System
The immune system plays a vital role in the human body because it stops diseases and viruses from making you sick. But if you feel chronic stress in your daily life, it will weaken the immune system’s defense mechanism. If that happens, it will be easier for viruses and diseases to make you sick.
2) Sleep Issues
Stress can cause sleep deprivation and insomnia. If you have worries and frustrations that consume your mind at night, it will be impossible to fall asleep. A lack of sleep will increase the risk of heart failure, depression, and anxiety.
The National Sleep Foundation (NSF) has conducted studies that show at least 40 million Americans suffer from more than 70 different types of sleep disorders. The same studies report that approximately 60% of adults have trouble sleeping three or more nights per week.
Luckily, there are several non-addictive and natural remedies that have been effective in helping people get a good night’s sleep. For example, QSprays by QSciences is a unique spray mist formulated with high-quality natural ingredients such as Valerian root, Ginkgo biloba, and melatonin. The delivery by spray method enables its quick absorption into the bloodstream.
3) Muscle Tension
Muscle tension is a reflexive reaction from the body when it gets put under stress. Stress triggers a natural release of cortisol hormones in the body. Cortisol will raise your blood pressure and cause your muscles to get tense.
If you suffer from chronic stress and muscle tension, performing regular physical activities will be more difficult. You can’t really maneuver around well if you don’t have flexible muscles. This could lead to physical injuries and pain.
4) Heart Disease
When the cortisol stress hormone is released in large quantities, it increases your heart rate and blood pressure. Then you will have a higher chance of developing a stroke, heart disease or some other heart abnormality.
5) Skin Inflammation
Stress hormones trigger an inflammatory response that affects your skin and hair. The most common skin-related symptoms include acne, rosacea, psoriasis, and eczema. Some people even lose hair from the top of their heads.
6) Weight Problems
Do you ever wonder why stress and tension make you want to eat sugary and carb-filled foods? Numerous studies have shown that cortisol has the potential to trigger these cravings. Not only that, but it could cause the body to store more belly fat too. Therefore, you have to watch what you eat during stressful times.
7) Digestive Issues
Severe stress can negatively impact your digestive system and cause you to feel sick to your stomach. Some of the common symptoms include constipation, diarrhea, bloating, cramping, and heartburn. It could even lead to irritable bowel syndrome.
What To Do About It
There is no absolute cure, but if you can learn to manage your stress by preventing prolonged stressors, then you can live a happier and healthier life. This is something we should all strive to achieve. Here are four tips to help you.
1) Exercise
Exercise is the most natural way to eliminate stress temporarily. The endorphin buzz you get from cardiovascular exercise will cause you to feel so much more relaxed and sedated. All those feelings of tension and anxiety will disappear. It will also reduce your blood pressure and heart rate too.
2) Spend More Time Outside
Modern humans spend too much time indoors staring at their televisions, smartphones, and computer screens. These things can be bad for your health if you don’t turn away from them periodically. Try spending more time outside for a change. You could take a nature walk and surround yourself with beautiful greenery.
The National Academy of Sciences conducted studies that revealed that people who walk outside for 90 minutes tend to stop excessively worrying and overthinking things. Instead, it will calm them down and make them appreciate their surroundings.
3) Get More Sleep
Sleep deprivation and insomnia can increase stress. It is almost a catch-22 because stress can also cause sleep deprivation and insomnia.
But if the initial cause of your stress is related to sleep, you must find time to get between six and eight hours of sleep per night. Eliminate all the distractions around you to ensure that you get a peaceful night sleep.
4) Socialize with Friends and Family In-Person
Again, put down your smartphone and laptop. Interacting with family and friends on social media websites doesn’t count as real socializing.
In fact, studies have shown that people who spend all day on social media websites will experience more stress and depression.
That is why you need to start spending more time with the people you care about in person. It is natural and will make you feel happier rather than sadder.
Make You Sick
