How Chronic Stress Undermines Your Health and Well-Being — and What You Can Do About It

Stress is something we all deal with at some point. You can feel it when you have a huge to-do list at work or are running late for an appointment.  

Though it may not feel like it, stress can actually be helpful in small, short-lived amounts. Feeling stressed can often motivate you to do your best on a significant work project, a test at school, or a monumental performance, such as a concert or a speech presentation. 

However, if you deal with high stress levels regularly, your health, both physical and mental, can start to be significantly impacted.

Our team, led by Charles Stone, MD, at HealthStone Primary Care Partners in Hollywood, Florida, is dedicated to providing exceptional wellness and preventive care services. 

Part of caring for your health and preventing chronic illnesses is understanding if and how stress may be taking a toll on your body without you even realizing it.

So, in this month’s blog, we take a look at specific ways chronic stress affects your health and what to do about it. 

Chronic stress and your health 

When left unchecked, stress can affect the physical, emotional, and mental aspects of your health. Let’s look at how chronic stress can influence your health if you aren’t able to manage it effectively:

Heart health

When your stress levels climb, so does your heart rate and blood pressure. Large amounts of the hormone cortisol are also released. 

Typically, after the stressful event has passed, your heart rate, blood pressure, and cortisol levels return to resting states. However, chronic stress can keep the levels elevated when they shouldn’t be. 

Because of this, chronic stress puts you at an increased risk for heart attack, stroke, or coronary artery disease. 

Digestive health

Heightened stress levels trigger rapid breathing, raised heart rate, and a rush of hormones. If your body does all of these things regularly, it can wreak havoc on your digestive system. 

Stress is often associated with the feeling of butterflies in your stomach, but chronic stress can lead to acid reflux, nausea, and diarrhea. 

Immune system health

Stress in short bursts can stimulate your immune system, which is excellent for your health. However, chronic stress does the exact opposite, weakening your immune system and allowing foreign substances to invade your body. 

This puts you at risk for all sorts of illnesses and even autoimmune disorders. 

Cognitive function

Chronically high stress levels can actually begin to make structural changes to your brain. This can often leave you feeling fatigued, and you may also start to experience issues with memory and concentration. As a result, you may struggle to feel motivated or learn new things.

Behavior changes

Feeling stressed can cause you to experience anxiety, depression, restlessness, or irritability, and you may seek ways to alleviate the emotional discomfort. It’s common for people with chronic stress to misuse drugs and alcohol, take their anger out on others, withdraw socially, or struggle with overeating. 

Managing stress in healthy ways

The key to addressing your chronic stress is to find a management strategy that works best for you. You may not be able to change outside stressors, but you can change how you respond to and deal with those stressors. 

Healthy stress management includes:

• Exercise and moving your body regularly 
• Relaxation techniques, such as meditation and deep breathing
• Prioritizing socializing with loved ones
• Making time to practice your hobbies and any other activities you love to do
• Keeping a healthy sleep schedule 

While it may feel relaxing in the moment, avoid staring at screens or scrolling through your phone for extended periods since these idle activities can increase stress levels. 

For expert-level wellness and preventive care, including stress management services, look no further than our team at HealthStone Primary Care Partners. 

Schedule an appointment with us by calling our office or using our online booking feature today.