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Stress And Illness
By peace | November 27, 2006
Too much stress increases your risk of suffering from an illness or accidental injury.
It is simply not possible to avoid all stressful situations and events. In fact to do so would not be healthy, for stress is an essential part of life. If it is kept under control, stress is a positive force that can improve your performance and efficiency and help to keep you alert and out of danger.
A prolonged period of severe stress, or several sources of minor stress, however, are not good for your health. Excessive stress puts your body into a state of emotional turmoil. This agitation may affect a variety of organs and systems within the body and eventually produce many different types of disease.
Effect of stress on the body:
- Hair : Some forms of baldness have been linked to high levels of stress
- Brain : Many mental and emotional problems may be brought on by stress. In extreme cases, long-term stress can cause a so-called nervous breakdown in which the person is no longer able to cope with day-to-day problems
- Mouth : Mouth ulcers frequently develop in an individual who has become run down by being under too much stress
- Muscles : Minor muscle twitches and nervous tics become more noticeable when an individual is overstressed
- Skin : Attacks of eczema or psoriasis may suddenly flare up during periods of abnormal stress
- Heart : Stress can increase blood pressure which in turn increases the risk of a heart attack. However, tension is not the only, or even the most important, cause of high blood pressure. Other factors, such as your genes, diet, and level of exercise, play a vital role
- Lungs : Some asthmatics find their condition is aggravated by emotional upsets
- Immune System : Prolonged stress can weaken the immune system. Sufferers are therefore more susceptible to minor infections, such as colds and boils
- Digestive tract : Stress is known to cause or aggravate many diseases of the digestive tract, including gastritis, peptic ulcers, irritable bowel syndrome, and colitis
- Reproductive organs : Stress may result in many types of menstrual disorder. For instance, periods may cease (amenorrhoea). In men, stress is the most common cause of impotence and premature ejaculation
- Bladder : Many women and some men, develop an irritable bladder as a direct response to stressful events
Interesting Facts
- It is thought that as many as 60% of visits to the doctor are directly related to stress. There are many different factors that can cause stress-related symptoms but worries about work or money are the most common. Because the numbers of working women have increased, just as many women as men now suffer from symptoms that have been brought on by stress due to pressures at work.
- Stress affects blood pressure, but it is not known whether your ability to cope with stress alters your risk of having a heart attack. It has been argued that aggressive people (Type A personality) are more likely to develop heart disease than those who are relaxed (Type B personality). Smoking and diet, however, are now thought to influence your health more.
- A psychosomatic illness is a medical condition that is caused or worsened by psychological factors, such as stress. However, because almost every illness is linked with your mental state, a condition is only regarded as being psychosomatic if emotional problems dominate your life. Psychosomatic illnesses are not just imaginary; they are genuine medical disorders.
Topics: All Posts, Children, Diseases, Man's health, Mental Health, Woman's Health | No Comments »
