Stressing out harms your health a lot more than you think. The average American is so used to moderate to high levels of stress on a consistent basis that 75% report feeling this way in the past month alone.
Stress is defined as, “the way the brain responds to any kind of demand,” according to the National Institutes of Health. But despite negative connotations, not all stress is bad! Stress could range from positive events like getting married or winning the lottery to the ‘bad’ including looming work deadlines. Chronic stress where fight or flight responses linger over long periods of time mean important biological systems like lowered immunity and affected digestive and reproductive systems eventually stop working as they should. While under a normal brief stress state, these functions would spring back to normal, chronic stress leads to far more serious problems. On the heels of the annual American Psychological Association’s ‘Stress in America’ survey released each year, the survey results revealed that while Americans are less stressed than in previous years, they still are ranking a 4.9 stress level that exceeds the 3.7 stress level APA considers ‘healthy’.
It’s no secret that stress harms your sleep habits and can even lead to depression, but scientists are finding more sinister ways that stress is sabotaging your health. Make sure stress isn’t causing one of these four health problems for you!
1. Heart health
Stress could be hurting your heart! Stress-related coping behaviors including increased alcohol use, increased smoking and consumption of comfort foods that are high in sodium and fat could increase the risk of a heart attack by 23% according to one study. Another study found that intense periods of emotions like anger or anxiety could increase the risk of heart attack nine times over!
2. Fertility
For couples struggling with fertility, it’s a stressful situation. And the horrible irony is that researchers are now finding that –you guessed it– stress may be a contributing factor! For men, stress can lead to reduced sperm production and lower testosterone levels.
3. Diabetes
A few studies have been popping up looking at the connection between the ‘stress hormone’ cortisol which can increase glucose in the blood, and diabetes development. A recent study from JAMA Psychiatry found females with symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) were more likely to develop diabetes than those without PTSD. And for the millions who already are living with diabetes, stress can also make self care and diabetes management more difficult than needed leading to poorer outcomes.
4. Alzheimer’s Disease
Scientists are still unsure about the exact causes of Alzheimer’s disease but a few studies indicate that
stress may be a contributing factor. Two studies have found anxiety could speed up progression for those with mild cognitive impairment.
So how do you tackle long term stress to avoid these four major health crises? First, identify the symptoms of stress like fatigue, anger, depression or health habit changes like excess drinking. Next, seek support from your network and if needed, work with a professional.
Carlene Thomas RD,LD is a registered dietitian nutritionist who specializes in weight loss and wellness. She provides nutrition guidance to the public in a variety of ways including corporate wellness, private clients and contributes an expert nutrition voice to a variety of media.