Experiencing occasional stress is a normal part of life. Stress is any change that affects your physical, emotional, or psychological well-being. Stressors range from everyday activities such as work demands to more unexpected and sad events like the loss of a loved one. It is normal for everybody to feel stressed out at some point. While research has proven that some amount stress might do your body some good, a recent study also showed that long-term stress could cause much damage to your body and eventually result in various health issues.

You should know that nobody is born with the innate ability to deal with stress, even though our bodies respond to stress to a certain degree. Therefore, it is advisable that you understand how to cope with stress.

How Can You Tell If You Are Stressed

The first step to managing stress is knowing that you are stressed. This can mean different things to different people. Often, many people mistake the symptoms of being stressed for symptoms associated with an illness. For example, you might feel like that persistent headache you’ve had for the past 24 hours is a result of a disease, which may not be so. Stress is either short-term or long-term and depending on the type of stress you are experiencing, your symptoms may vary.

Some of the common symptoms you can experience due to stress may include:

• Inability to sleep (insomnia)
• Increased heartbeat
• A massive drain in energy
• Headache and body pain
• Anxiety
• Digestive issues
• Mood swing
• Reduced sex drive
• Frequent dizziness
• Depression

Effects Of Stress On Quality on Life

The impact of chronic stress on your life is significant. Chronic stress is associated with various health problems, which could be either physiological or psychological. These health problems affect your general well-being and quality of life.

Below are some of the effects of stress on your health.

Respiratory and Cardiovascular systems

Prolonged-release of the stress hormones cortisol and norepinephrine can have long-term effects on your respiratory and cardiovascular systems. When your body responds to stress, the activity of your stress hormones constricts your blood vessels and causes your heart to pump blood faster. This ensures that enough oxygenated blood gets to every part of your body to keep up with the activities required to combat the stress. This is a normal reaction, and your body should go back to normal once the stressor is removed. However, chronic stress leaves your body in this condition for longer, and you may develop high blood pressure, which is a risk factor for other conditions like a heart attack or stroke.

If you have respiratory disorders such as asthma, chronic stress can also worsen your symptoms.

Sexual and Reproductive system

Stress affects both the body and mind. It’s not strange to lose interest in things when you’re stressed out. While short-term stress may help men to produce more testosterone, chronic stress causes testosterone levels to drop. This can affect the production of spermatozoa, cause erectile dysfunction or impotence. Chronic stress also results in a fluctuation in women’s menstrual cycles as it may result in more irregular periods, heavy bleeding, and even more painful periods

Immune system

Chronic stress affects your immunity in the long run. While short-term stress can temporarily boost your immune system to fight off infections in emergencies, your body is not designed to stay in that condition for a long time. As time proceeds, your stress hormones make your immune system frail and lead to a slower body-response to invaders. People battling chronic stress are more likely to contract infections such as flu than people who manage stress better. Stress can also extend the time your body needs to recuperate from infections.

Digestive Problems

Chronic stress can affect your gastrointestinal system and how you digest food. For instance, when you’re stressed, you’re more likely to have acid refluxes that can trigger ulcer pain episodes. Also, stress has been linked with diarrhea, nausea or constipation. When your body is stressed, your liver releases extra glucose. This excess blood glucose may increase your chances of developing type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Mental Health Problems

Chronic stress has also been linked to some mental health conditions like anxiety and depression.

How To Deal With Stress

Get Enough Sleep

We can’t overestimate the effect of quality sleep on our health. Bad sleeping habits have also been associated with certain health conditions, such as heart disease, diabetes, and stress. Good sleep helps your body relax and recuperate. The National Sleep Foundation has proposed a range of seven to nine hours of sleep every night.

Eat Healthy

Many people are guilty of stress-eating, which usually involves junk and other unhealthy eating habits. Instead of succumbing to unhealthy food cravings, you can have proper meal plans that help you stay healthy. Fruits do your body much good, same with vegetables.

Listen To Some Relaxing Music

This method has proved useful over and over again. Take some time out to listen to some relaxing music as it affects your brain positively. Relaxing music may also help to reduce your blood pressure. You should try different genres of music and choose the one that works best for you. Your body and mind would thank you.

Exercise

To get enough daily exercise, you don’t necessarily have to go to the gym or run a marathon. A simple walk down your street might just be what you need. Exercise results in a constant movement of blood throughout your body and stimulates the release of endorphins which help relieve stress symptoms. Exercise is therapeutic and an effective way to deal with stress.

Talk To A Friend About It

Sometimes, a great way to relieve stress is to let it all out to a friend. A healthy lifestyle is hinged on good relationships, and you should take advantage of your relationships. Listening to words of reassurance from your friend could help you manage internal stressors.

Would you like to speak to a professional about your stress symptoms? Book a virtual consultation here by connecting with a Canadian licensed physician at www.mdconnected.ca