5 Health Issues that Might Actually be Caused by Stress

It is no secret that physical and mental health revolves around each other when it comes to the well-being of your mind and body. One won’t succeed without the other.?

With that in mind, dealing with a high level of stress can cause you physical health problems that can bring worse issues down the road. While stress can come in two forms, short-term and chronic, both can bring their own physical ailments to your body. If you are starting to feel stress from your job, relationship, or a traumatic event, you should not let it go unseen.?

Let’s look at five possible health issues that can happen from stress in your life.?

1. Colds and Viruses

People with long-term or chronic stressors (lasting longer than a month) may become more susceptible to common colds and viruses. Stress works against your immune system and can lower the effectiveness of your immune system fighting off bacteria and viruses.?

The more vulnerable your immune system is, the more likely inflammation may occur, allowing your body to contract viruses easier.?

2. Diabetes

Stress may cause your body to produce more glucose as it wants to make sure you have enough energy to handle the troubles of stress. However, for people with diabetes, this may cause their blood sugar levels to skyrocket. This can lead to blurred vision, dizziness, flushed skin, and restlessness. If you are going through a stressful time and have diabetes, it can be good to check your blood pressure more often to ensure you are healthy.?

People without diabetes can also be at risk for it as stress may cause bad behaviors like comfort eating and excessive drinking. All of these can lead to diabetes if it is not treated appropriately.?

3. Insomnia

Insomnia is the trouble falling asleep and staying asleep throughout the night. It might seem obvious, but stress can have a huge impact on your sleeping patterns. Suppose you are spending your time thinking about the stressors of work, relationships, family health, or whatever else may be on your mind. In that case, your body will have difficulty falling asleep and staying asleep.?

Not sleeping properly can also leave you feeling anxious in the morning. This can create a terrible cycle of poor sleep from stress and waking up with anxiety, leaving your whole day open to a spike in stress.?

4. Obesity

It is common for us to reach for the ice cream or pasta during stressful times as it is easy and comforting. However, this type of eating may become excessive and lead to weight gain for some people. No matter if the stress is caused by something simple or long-term, eating is something that many may go to as a resolution.?

5. Heart Disease

Stress can raise our heart rate and blood pressure at very fast levels. As a result, it increases our risk of heart disease in the future. These physical effects can also raise the level of cholesterol pumped through our bodies and lead to a higher risk of heart attacks. Inflammation within the arteries can also happen from stress and cause heart disease.?

People who already have heart problems of any kind should try to stay away from any type of stressors in their lives in the case of making it worse.?

Stress can cause many physical and mental issues within our bodies. It is important to keep up with our stressors and take the proper steps to reduce them and keep yourself healthy. This can be done with self-reflection, life changes, exercise, eating better, and self-care. If you are looking for a way to lower your stress through self-care, message me or reach out to the team at Relief Muscle Manipulation.