Exploring the Possible Physical 
Effects of Stress

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When you are under an intense amount of stress, you know that you do not feel like yourself. There are cognitive effects, such as problems with your memory and focus, but stress can also affect your physical health. If you have ever experienced a time when stress was at the forefront of your life, you can probably remember experiencing things like headaches. This is because stress negatively affects all areas of your health and can present itself with a variety of uncomfortable physical symptoms.

Exploring the Nervous System and Stress

Stress has a profound effect on your nervous system and symptoms affecting this system are often the first ones that people experience. Since stress induces the fight or flight response, this body system is in direct relation to it. Many people experience headaches during stressful times due to the body experiencing changes due to the stress. Things like muscle tension are also very common, especially when stress is chronic. Relieving the stress often helps to immediately relieve the symptoms so that you can restore your good nervous system health.

Looking at Your Heart Under Stress

Your cardiovascular system often responds to your external environment and this means that stress can cause changes to how this system is functioning. Things like increased blood pressure can cause further problems and increase your risk of developing cardiovascular disease. When stress is the underlying cause, medications to control your blood pressure are often not very effective, so it is critical that you are able to get your numbers under control.

High blood pressure can lead to a number of serious health ailments that you want to keep under control. These conditions are more likely when stress has your blood pressure elevated over the long-term. The following are possible complications that can occur if you are unable to control your stress and blood pressure:

·         Heart failure

·         Heart attack

·         Stroke

·         Kidney failure

If you suspect that stress is causing you to experience high blood pressure, make an appointment with your doctor. He or she can help you to get both issues under control.

Increased Risk of Developing an Infection

Getting sick is never a good thing, but getting sick when you are already under stress is even worse. However, if you allow your stress levels to get out of control, you are making yourself more vulnerable to developing an infection. Once you are already sick, it can also take longer to recover. This is all because stress can weaken your immune system so that it is not as effective at fighting against foreign invaders that can get into your body and cause an illness to occur. If you feel an illness coming on, getting your stress in check can reduce how long it lasts.

Problems with Your Skin

People who are under a lot of stress may notice that there are strange things happening with their skin. Things like stress are known to trigger skin issues like psoriasis, acne and eczema. In some cases, people can develop a rash that really cannot be explained. In this instance, your doctor can help you find treatments to calm the symptoms, but ultimately, checking your stress is the only way to full solve the issue.

Trouble Having a Baby

If you want to have a baby, it is important that you get your stress levels under control first. People who experience a lot of stress for a long period of time can find it hard to conceive. Of course, stress can also lead to problems with your pregnancy, so solving the stress first is the best option.

Increased Pain Levels

People under stress are at a much higher risk for increased pain and unexplained pain. This is often associated with the muscles getting tense as a result of stress. In some cases, stress can affect your posture, further aggravating any muscle pain.

Now you have a better idea as to how stress can affect your physical health so that when strange symptoms occur, you can determine if your stress levels may be the cause. Remember that stress is a reaction to your feeling scared or threatened and this can takes its toll. Think back to a time when you were scared by something and the physical effects that occurred. Stress works in the same way, but the physical effects may come on slower and gradually get worse as your stress continues to be at a high level.

References:

http://www.helpguide.org/articles/stress/stress-symptoms-causes-and-effects.htm