Guest post by Lauren Newfound
The effects of chronic stress on health can affect you and your family.
Chronic stress is behind many poor lifestyle choices, mental health issues, and chronic diseases. The effects of chronic stress on health can show up in your wrinkles in all places. Read further for possible help with stress, especially now that we are all quarantined at home.
The Effects of Chronic Stress on Health
With a bombardment of daily tasks, worry and stress have taken the passenger seat alongside the hectic lifestyles of modern living. Majoring interest rates, teenage troubles, and lack of sleep are hurdles daily. At the same time, we shovel fast food into our mouths between business calls; we cannot escape due to the perfect capability of mobile phones to fit into any sized pocket or handbag.
How Chronic Stress Affects Heart Health
In the article “Stress and coronary heart disease: psychosocial risk factors” in the Medical Journal of Australia, the study found an association between depression, lack of social support, and coronary heart disease. Single parents or those susceptible to depression suffer higher levels of chronic stress as they struggle to cope with a pressurizing lifestyle. While most people are aware of the effects of high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and smoking on heart health, fewer people recognize the significant contribution of stress toward a damaged circulatory system.
Research by the PNAS (Proceedings of Natural Academy of Sciences) has similarly found an association between inflammatory molecules in the blood and various age-related conditions, including arthritis, certain cancers, periodontal disease, and cardiovascular disease. Unfortunately, chronic stress has been shown to increase these inflammatory molecules, placing individuals at a higher risk of suffering severe illness.
The Link Between Chronic Stress And Unhealthy Lifestyles
Psychologically, chronic stress may lead to unhealthy choices, including overeating, difficulty sleeping, and strained relationships. These choices promote heart disease and chronic conditions such as diabetes and high blood pressure.
The new well-being industry is estimated to expand exponentially in forthcoming years as many health professionals promote lifestyle changes to prevent, rather than treat, chronic diseases. Stress management involves changing lifestyle habits and creating a routine that supports healthy eating, exercise, sleep, and relationships.
Corporate Health
While it is difficult to veer around inevitable obstacles in daily life, companies are beginning to recognize the negative impact of stress on the lives of employees and society in general. Corporate health is booming, where group exercise classes, nutrition education, and office massages permeate major city business districts worldwide. Similarly, the popularity of yoga, meditation, and stress-relieving trips to the Bahamas signify the importance of relaxation and rejuvenation in maintaining a healthy lifestyle.
Stress may be as inevitable as death and taxes, yet to reclaim our health, we need to plug the rising levels of chronic stress into our daily lives. Whether it is joining a health club or ensuring adequate sleep, the growing popularity of Botox may be indicative of more than just the odd frown line.
Stress can be so incredibly detrimental to every aspect of our lives. I have had bad experiences with stress and have learned how to recognize it and take a step back.
The impact is so real for so many of us. It’s really important to open up and find a way of dealing BEFORE it takes a physical toll.
Stress is such a hard thing to deal with. It has such a negative effect on every day life.
I don’t have chronic stress, but it’s good to know how to handle it if it comes up.
Yes, this is a great resource to have should you ever experience stress of any kind. Thanks for stopping by.
Wow, this is a great reminder for me to find ways to manage my stress. Though it’s not chronic, it can still take a toll.
Yes, it can. Glad you found your way here.