The Health Effects of Stress

Stress can have a negative impact on both your mental and physical health. Learn more about the health effects of stress and how to reduce stress in your life.

Stress is how your body and brain respond to a demand in your environment. Stressers can be mental, emotional, or physical. The response developed in humans as an essential survival skill, allowing people to process and react to changes that could be life-threatening.

The positive effects of stress

When your brain responds to a demand, or stress, it releases the hormones cortisol and adrenaline. These cause immediate changes in your body that prepare you to think and react quickly. 

Energy is diverted away from areas like your reproductive system and digestion, which are not immediately necessary. Your pulse quickens, as does your breathing, allowing your heart to pump more blood and send more oxygen to your muscles and brain. Your muscles can then tense and prepare for action, making your brain ready to process information at a rapid pace. That allows you to make fast decisions and take immediate physical action.

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The effects of cortisol

This reaction was essential when humans needed to avoid predators, and it can still be lifesaving if you are faced with a threat such as a natural disaster. Your body reacts the same to non-life-threatening changes, such as a big meeting at work or a phone call from a difficult relative. 

In small bursts, such increased hormone levels are not problematic. Responding to good stress, as one article published in the Annual Review of Medicine reports, can help you grow, adapt, and learn in beneficial ways. Adrenaline helps you perform well in physical situations, such as running a marathon, while cortisol can help you think rapidly under pressure. Good stress can even improve your health. 

When you have constant or chronic stress, however, elevated levels of adrenaline and cortisol are no longer temporary, and the changes they cause become your body’s new normal. This is known as toxic stress, and the effects can cause a variety of health problems. 

The health effects of stress

Cortisol causes your liver to produce extra glucose, which your body can use for energy. Chronic levels of stress can permanently elevate your blood sugar, which some studies have linked to an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Stress can also cause gastrointestinal problems, with multiple studies finding links between stress and conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome, ulcers, and gastroesophageal reflux. 

In some cases, the health effects of stress can be life-threatening. Studies have shown that the increased heart rate and blood flow associated with high cortisol levels can increase your risk for heart disease, high blood pressure, heart attacks, and other cardiovascular problems. One study estimated that acute emotional stress preceded between 20 and 40 percent of sudden cardiac deaths. 

Other researchers have found that stress can weaken your immune system, cause migraines, and contribute to infertility. Some animal studies have even found that chronic stress increases the risk of developing cancer. 

Your mental health can also suffer from too much stress. Research by the Brain Mind Institute found that chronically high levels of cortisol can cause poor memory and antisocial behavior. Other studies have linked stress with depression and anxiety, while other research showed that high levels of childhood stress can lead to poor mental health as an adult. 

How to reduce stress

While some amount of stress is inevitable and can be beneficial, too much stress in your life can have many causes, including:

• Family life
• Marital trouble
• Work
• School
• Personal finances
• Traumatic events
• Physical danger
• Your social environment

Regardless of your source of stress, however, you can use several strategies to decrease your levels of cortisol and adrenaline. 

The National Institute of Mental Health recommends relying on the emotional support of friends and family, avoiding alcohol and drugs, and engaging in regular physical activity to lower stress levels. Studies have also found that regular meditation can reduce stress and improve both mental and physical health. 

If you need help lowering your stress levels and managing your health, consult your doctor or a mental health professional. 

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