Sabotaged by Stress

We all have stress in our lives.  The source of it may differ, but we all have it.  Even small babies show their stress when they are hungry, dirty or tired.  We may not cry out and scream like they do, but admit it, you've thought about it!  It isn't the stress that is the problem, it is how we deal with it.  If it weren't for stress we wouldn't get much accomplished.  Stress motivates us to work hard and be better.  The key is to manage it so that it works in our favor, not to our detriment.  When simple stress and worry turn to anxiety and panic, it will start to have adverse effects on our health.  It can and does effect nearly every organ system in the body.  Let me show you how.

Brain/Head: 

Stress commonly causes mental fatigue.  Our brain may feel overloaded and burdened.  As such it is harder to hold onto facts that were recently learned such as names, numbers, tasks, appointments, etc.  It also makes learning more difficult.  Headaches are an extremely common result of stress.  Migraines are common.  Tension headaches also occur. Stress can lower the effectiveness of our immune system resulting in frequent sinus infections.  Many people exhibit poor eating habits while under stress.  Quick foods including candy and sweets are over consumed.  This could result in poor dental hygiene and result in cavities and other mouth disease.  

Lungs/Heart:

Shortness of breath is very common in panic disorder.  To the extremes, hyperventilation can cause dizziness as well as numbness and tingling in the hands and feet.  Chest pain is commonly a result of stress.  It may be due to excessive adrenaline (a stress hormone) or just tightness in the muscles of the chest wall.  The pain itself becomes a source of worry, which tends to trigger a cycle or worsened pain and more anxiety.  Emergency Rooms are full of patients with chest pain due to this cause.  Palpitations or skipped beats are a natural result of these stress hormones racing through the body.  Blood pressure may be elevated transiently at times which can trigger actual heart problems.  There are even extreme cases where the coronary arteries (blood vessels of the heart) will spasm and close off as a result of a sudden, extreme stressful event.  

Digestive Tract:

The functional disorders of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract are all related to stress.  These include irritable bowel syndrome, functional dyspepsia and cyclical vomiting syndrome.  There are as many nerves in the GI tract as there are in the brain.  It takes a tremendous amount of coordination to take what we eat and move it through the whole system.  When our brains are under stress, those nerve connections often don't fire correctly.  This can result in problems with swallowing, bloating, gas, cramping, constipation, diarrhea and or pain.

Endocrine (hormone) System:

Most diabetics can attest that during stressful times, control of their blood sugar becomes more difficult.  This is due to the adverse effects of adrenaline, causing more cortisone to be released into the system,resulting in insulin resistance.  It is commonly understood that stress affects female hormones.  This can cause alterations in menstrual cycles and even increases problems of infertility.  

Skin:

Those who are predisposed to eczema or have psoriasis can attest that stress can make either condition worse.  I have seen patients with severe anxiety who constantly pick at themselves.  They can develop small sores all across their body.  

Muscles: 

Of course, one of the first responses to stress is to tighten our muscles.  In addition to the headaches and chest pains listed above, it can result in tightness in the jaw muscles (TMJ disorder) and especially tightness in the neck, back and shoulders.  This is especially true for those who spend too little time moving and too much time in front of key boards and monitors.  I guess that may apply to both you and me!

Have you experienced any of the conditions listed above?  In some form or another I suppose we all have.  In the next post I will discuss ways in which we can manage this stress which likes to sabotage our health.