In today’s age, everybody has a hectic schedule to follow. Hence, stress is bound to creep into one’s lifestyle.
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However, unfortunately enough, stress gets deemed as merely a feeling of being under the extreme pressure of duties or something alike. We remain ignorant of the harmful side effects of anxiety. The informal definition of stress is anything that is or could be a potential threat to our general well-being.
For instance, the way one reacts to a certain challenging situation may also be considered as stress. The hormone released by the body in order to tackle the circumstance above is known as adrenaline. One of the adverse effects of adrenaline on the body is that it increases the body’s blood pressure which is fatal for someone suffering from hypertension. Therefore, physical side effects of stress can range from feeble important things like sweating to critical heart conditions. The following part of this article will focus on highlighting a few of these issues.
1. Skin Problems
The hormone cortisol gets released in a significant amount when the body is in stress. This hormone’s action is to trigger more amount of oil secretion from the sebaceous glands of the body present under the skin. This causes acne and worsens skin conditions like eczema (which is a red, itchy, dry patch of skin caused by inflammation).
2. Skin Cancer
The most malignant form of skin cancer, called melanoma, is considered to affect people who live a stressful life more than those who lead a simple life. The symptom of being infected by this type of cancer is changes in an existing mole or a new growth appearing on the skin. Melanoma is considered as the most dangerous as recovering from this disease is highly unlikely.
3. Premature Aging of Skin
The DNA present in our cells consists of proteins called telomeres, which are responsible for prevention of the DNA from fraying. Fraying is a process by which a cell ceases to function properly. In case of skin cells, the cell appears aged. According to studies, stress is found to be the chief cause for the damage of telomeres.
4. Adrenal Fatigue
This leads to the release of hormones in lower amounts by the adrenal glands due to stress, which in turn causes the functioning of every single part of the body to get hampered. The common symptoms of adrenal fatigue are
- Feeling tired even after a long night’s sleep.
- Inability to handle stress
- Craving for salty foods
- Sudden feeling of heightened activity during evening
- Weak immunity
5. Bad Memory and Emotional Imbalance
According to recent studies, the hormones released during stress affect the brain differently in its different sections. The electrical signals involved with memory centers of the brain tend to get weakened since the ones associated with emotions get empowered. This causes one to forget daily appointments and start weeping about it immediately!
6. Lessened Production Of New Brain Cells
Brain-derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF) is responsible for keeping brain cells healthy and formation of new brain cells. BDNF is a protein which can also counter the side effects of anxiety on the brain. But cortisol, which gets released during stress, reduces BDNF and thereby reduces the new brain cells in measure. Low levels of BDNF can cause the following diseases:
- Alzheimer’s disease
- Schizophrenia
- Depression
- Dementia
- Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
7. Stupidity
Though it sounds funny and absurd, acute anxiety can cause chronic stupidity which is a real condition. Stress impacts cognitive function and increases the inability to make decision, not to mention, forgetfulness as well. So next time someone calls you stupid, blame it on your stressful life!
8. Shrinking Of Brain
Stress can cause the brain to shrink in size considerably. As cortisol inhibits forming of new brain cells, called neurons, in the hippocampus region, memory, learning and emotional regulation gets affected adversely by anxiety. It shrinks the prefrontal cortex as well. This leads to bad decision-making skills and inability to control impulsive behavior.
9. Diabetes
Physical and emotional stress might be the cause of higher levels of glucose in blood which leads to diabetes. It is one of the most dangerous long-term threats of anxiety.
- In type-2 diabetes, mental stress increases the blood glucose levels.
- In type-1 and type-2 diabetes, physical stress such as injury leads to higher blood glucose levels.
10. Heart Diseases
Stress leads to the increase in the chances of having a heart attack among other heart diseases. Chronic stress causes the body to get exposed to certain hormones which are unhealthy like adrenaline and cortisol. It also causes the blood to clot in a different way which leads to an increase in the risk of having a heart attack.
These are a few of the many deadly long-term effects that stress can have on your body. So, it’s best to steer clear of all the things in life which can increase the tension in your life.
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