subject: The Effects of Stress & Anxiety - The World's No.1 Health Problem [print this page] The Effects of Stress & Anxiety - The World's No.1 Health Problem
The problem with stress is that there aren't any sabre-toothed tigers attacking.
What do I mean? Just that the way we have evolved to deal with stressful situations doesn't work in today's world. All the damaging effects of stress come from this one simple evolutionary problem.
When faced with a sabre-toothed tiger, or another life-threatening situation, our bodies go into stress mode, which has been called the 'fight or flight' response. This means that we gear up to either fight for our lives or run away from the danger.
However, these days, those situations are thankfully very rare. But the everyday stresses that we now face looming deadlines, family problems, cash worries etc trigger exactly the same fight or flight response.
When the body goes into fight or flight mode, all the functions that aren't essential for fighting or fleeing are shut down things like your digestion and all your energy instead goes the heart, the muscles and the other systems that might be needed in a frantic attempt to save your life.
Once blood flow is diverted away from your digestion you can start to suffer from symptoms such as indigestion, diarrhoea, constipation and so on. Stress also increases acid production, which can aggravate ulcers.
On the other hand, your muscles tighten and prepare for use. This causes soreness and stiffness, and can aggravate arthritis. It also makes you much more likely to sprain or injure your muscles.
The heart also gears up for strenuous activity, and starts to pump faster leading to palpitations and high blood pressure.
Stress suppresses the hypothalamus which is the part of the brain that controls emotions. This can make you more irritable and aggressive, and can lead to depression. It also makes it hard to concentrate and can effect your memory.
Your immune system also takes a beating when you're stressed, and your white blood cell count goes right down, making you much more susceptible to diseases of all kinds.
When you're under stress you also burn nutrients and vitamins at a much faster rate, which can lead to chronic deficiencies. This can cause all kinds of problems. For instance, if your levels of selenium get low, it can cause dull hair and premature greying.
It has been said that stress is the number 1 health problem of the developed world, responsible for the high rates of heart disease, stroke, depression, anxiety and other serious health problems that can effect us all.
I don't think it's an understatement to say that reducing stress is the single best thing you can do to help your health, and to help you lead a happy, relaxed, and long life...
