5 Surprising Ways That Stress Affects Your Body

Stress: We've all experienced it at one time or another and if you think that you've gotten by without feeling the effects of stress, think again. Stress is a part of our everyday life. It is stress that makes us walk faster crossing the street when we notice that the light is beginning to change. It is stress that makes us get up for work every day so that we can pay the bills. All in all stress is a good guy. He keeps us motivated, on track and saves us from a never ending supply of dangers.

Continued stress, though, like that associated with a loved-one's illness or loss of employment can be detrimental to your health if not confronted. There are several ways that stress affects your body and you might be surprised by more than a few of them.

The 5 Ways That Stress Affects You

Mental Effects - Perhaps the most overlooked of all stress-related symptoms are those associated with memory and intellectual function. Stress causes a slew of mental symptoms including problems with memory; inability to concentrate; repetitive thoughts; misunderstanding of instructions; thoughts of escaping; loss of objectivity; inability to slow down thoughts; poor judgment; confusion; and difficulty making decisions. At first thought, many of these stress symptoms may be attributed to physical exhaustion but they are more often attributed to stress than a lack of sleep.

Physical Effects - Feeling sick and tired and don't know why? The answer is probably related to stress. Stress can make you feel sick in more ways than you can imagine. Here is just a sampling: headaches; digestive disorders; muscle tension; unexplainable pain; problems sleeping; fatigue; chest pain; high blood pressure; irregularities in heart beat; increase or loss in weight; hair loss (sometimes in huge patches); shortness of breath; sweatiness; poor immunity to disease; missed periods; skin problems; jaw pain; and periodontal disease.

Emotional Effects - Emotional symptoms of stress can often be misdiagnosed at a depressive disorder. The difference between symptoms caused by stress and those caused by depression are apparent; the symptoms disappear when the stressor does. Here are some emotional symptoms associated with stress: mood swings; anger; frustration; anxiety; depression; apathy; crying spells; overreactions to events; jealousy; uneasiness; less interest in fun activities; fear of failure; reduction in confidence; and irritability.

Behavioral Effects - These are the symptoms that will be most evident to those that are close to you and they include change in appetite; change in sleep patterns; violent reactions; taking risks; temper; teeth grinding; increase use of tobacco or other substances; refusing to leave the house or work for long hours at a time; isolation; and overdoing activities such as exercising or spending money.

Long-term Health Effects - If left unchecked, stress can do a lot of harm to your body that will not automatically go away when the stress is relieved. In fact, recent studies show that most illnesses affecting people today are stress related and it has been proven that long-term stress symptoms can have a hazardous effect on your body and brain that could be lethal. Here are some major health concerns attributed to stress: injury; heart disease; cancer; diabetes; depression; obesity; anorexia nervosa; substance abuse; ulcers; irritable bowel syndrome; and memory loss. In addition to these, it has also been proven that stress can trigger abusive situations of both the physical and sexual kind.

As you can see from some of the symptoms touched upon in this article, stress is not to be taken lightly. If you have any of these symptoms or believe that you might be suffering from chronic stress, you owe it to yourself and your future health to do all that you can to alleviate stress.