Know How Stress Affects Your Body
You would have already heard your near and dear ones asking you to avoid stressing yourself out, live stress-free, and various other similar pieces of advice every time you are stressed. We know that it is easier said than done. Some levels of stress are acceptable and natural in our day-to-day life, but have you ever wondered what all stress could do to you? Stress does not only mess up your mental health but can also take a toll on your physical health. Check them out below so that if you are stressed at the moment, this will motivate you to take your first step towards de-stressing.
1. Weakened Immunity
Most of us would have undergone some amount of stress every now and then. But continuously being stressed out does not do good to the body. High levels of stress weaken our body’s defense mechanism and decrease our body’s ability to fight diseases. It reduces the power of our immune system and makes us prone to even simple infections like flu. Eventually, it worsens existing autoimmune diseases, if any.
2. Heart Problems
Did you know that even short-term stress can affect your heart health? Whenever you near a deadline or get stuck on a jam-packed road, your stress levels would make your heart beat faster, leading to increased blood pressure. Long-term stress and repeated short-term stress can weaken your heart and result in heart failure, heart attack, and stroke.
3. Hair Loss
How much ever you take care of your hair health, if the root cause of hair loss remains to be your high-stress levels, it will not respond to your hair care regimen. Telogen effluvium and alopecia areata are two hair loss conditions associated with stress. If you notice clumps of hair while bathing or combing, your stress levels remain the culprit. It can lead to patches of bald areas on your head sooner.
4. Mental Disorders
Stress directly impacts your mental health. It can gradually sow the seed of depression without your knowledge. It will affect your sleeping pattern and make you lose interest and enthusiasm in the activities and things you previously enjoyed. Some eat more, or some people skip their meals, boosting the distress. All of us feel stressed and low at some point in our lives. So please do not feel bad about it. Instead, reach out to a psychologist or psychiatrist to pull you out of the situation.
5. Gut Health
Severe stress levels can make you vomit, pass loose stools, or make it hard for you to poop. It can also induce stomach ache from nowhere. Serious conditions like acid reflux and irritable bowel syndrome also occur. All these are due to your unhealthy eating habits with added lack of physical activity during periods of stress.
The first step towards living a stress-free life begins with you. It is not wrong to be stressed, and it is totally fine until it does not conquer your mental and physical health. Try keeping your stress levels under your control by practicing de-stressing methods like listening to your favorite music, meditation, yoga, etc., regularly. Spend some quality time with your family, friends, and pets.
