Stress is a health problem in itself, but it can also lead to other physical
and emotional complications.
Stress can indirectly cause other health problems by affecting your behavior.
Signs that you're under stress may include:
- unhealthy nutrition - you may skip meals, or overeat, or eat too
much of the wrong foods - for instance, sugary and fatty foods
- dependence on other substances - you may drink too much, smoke, or
use medications or street drugs to deal with the stress
- moody behavior - you may behave in ways that endanger your physical
well-being, from getting into arguments to ignoring traffic lights
- sleep disturbances - you may not get enough sleep, and lack of sleep
reduces the effectiveness of your immune system and further affects your judgment
- physical inactivity - you may not be motivated to get enough exercise
Stress also acts directly on your emotional health. Chronic stress can lead
to anxiety or mood disorders. These can be disabling, can further affect your
health, and can even lead to more serious problems that need hospitalization.
And the awareness of being anxious or "feeling down" can cause further
stress.
And stress directly affects your physical health. The natural stress response
is a "fight or flight" situation - as the adrenaline starts pumping,
your heart beats faster, your blood flow and blood pressure go up, and you breathe
faster. But when you're sitting at your desk or stuck in traffic, all this does
is increase the wear and tear on your system. You may get headaches and other
aches and pains, nausea, and heart palpitations. In the long run, it may lead
to a heart attack or a stroke.
So if you're experiencing stress, it's not just a small problem affecting your
nerves or your behavior. It can have very important effects on your health.
Be aware of what causes stress for you and watch for the physical signs of stress
- and learn how to deal with it. See "Stress-busting tips" and "Helping
your body beat stress" in this feature.