Health Dangers of Stress

Natural Bio Health works closely with individuals to reduce stress and improve health. The following information will help you identify signs of stress and how to find solutions at Natural Bio Health to decrease health risks.

What is Stress?

Stress can have a significant impact on you mentally, physically, and emotionally. If you’re experiencing severe headaches, for example, stress may be the culprit. Stress that goes untreated can lead to severe health issues, such as hypertension (high blood pressure), heart disease, diabetes, and obesity.

Below are seven ways that stress can have a negative impact on your health and well-being.

1. Stress is bad for your heart. If you are often stressed, and you do not have healthy ways of managing it, you are more prone to having heart disease, high blood pressure, irregular heartbeat, and chest pain. Research has shown a correlation between stress and changes to the way blood clots, which increases the likelihood of a heart attack.

1. Stress can harm your teeth. Stress may cause you to clench your teeth while you sleep, which can result in sleeping disorders, jaw pain, broken teeth, and headaches. Stress can also lead to burning mouth syndrome, a painful disease that damages your teeth and gums.

1. Stress can lead to disability. Even relatively low levels of stress can lead to long-term disability and an inability to work, according to a study published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health. While it is a known fact that mental health problems are associated with long-term disability, the impact of milder forms of stress is likely to have been underestimated, according to the study’s authors.

The study tracked the health of over 17,000 randomly selected working adults up to the age of 64 between 2002 and 2007. The participants filled out a questionnaire at the onset of the study to measure their mental health and stress levels. During the five-year period, 649 of the adults started receiving disability benefits. Higher levels of stress at the beginning of the study were associated with a much higher likelihood of later being awarded long-term disability benefits.

1. Stress can make it difficult to sleep. A major negative effect of stress is that it can cause sleep deprivation. Being in a heightened state of alertness throughout the day can delay the onset of sleep and cause frequent anxious thoughts to occur during nighttime. Not getting enough sleep can exasperate stress. Forty-three percent of people aged 13–64 reported lying awake at night because they were stressed at least once in the last month, according to a survey from the National Sleep Foundation.

1. Stress can make you lose your hair. The three main types of hair loss associated with stress levels are:

• Telogen effluvium. High levels of stress pushes hair follicles into a resting phase. Within a few months, affected hairs may begin to fall out suddenly when combing or washing your hair.
• Trichotillomania. A strong urge to pull out hair from your scalp or other areas of your body. Some people deal with stress, frustration, tension, boredom, among other emotions, by pulling their hair out. 
• Alopecia areata. With alopecia areata, which can be caused by extreme stress, the body’s immune system attacks the hair follicles, leading to hair loss.

The good news is that hair loss associated with stress may not be permanent. If you can properly manage your stress, your hair will likely grow back.

1. Stress can make you look older.

Chronic stress contributes to premature aging. A study conducted at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) found that stress shortens telomeres, which are compound structures at the end of chromosomes, so new cells cannot grow as quickly. This causes classic signs of aging, including wrinkles, poor eyesight, and weak muscles.

1. Stress can hurt your love life. A study published 35 years ago in the Journal of Reproductive Systems found that stress can affect a man’s weight, testosterone level, and libido (sex drive). Numerous studies since then have suggested that stress, particularly performance anxiety during sex, can lead to impotence.

How to Manage Stress

If you’re dealing with stress, taking action to keep it under control can improve your health. Effective stress management strategies include: 

• Getting regular exercise
• Listening to music
• Accepting things happen in life that are beyond your control
• Reading a book
• Deep breathing and meditation
• Practicing yoga
• Spending time with friends and family
• Eating healthy, well-balanced meals
• Not relying on alcohol or drugs to curb stress
• Maintaining a positive attitude

Studies show that people who learn to appropriately manage stress lead happier, healthier lives. At Natural Bio Health, our team focuses on helping people just like you change their lives for the better. We offer a wide variety of effective, long-term health solutions that could help you feel better and manage stress more effectively. Interested in learning more? Contact us at (512) 266-6713, or reach out to us online today.