Stress affects health and causes burnout; chronic stress especially creates many health problems. The effects of stress in people are seen physically, mentally as well as emotionally. Immediate effects of stress include tiredness, lack of concentration, headaches, sadness, fever, and accelerated heart rate. Other effects are short term loss of memory, irritability, fear, and muscular tension. Stress thus incurred even for a short while affects your strength, mortality, dexterity, and personality.
It is believed by doctors and researchers that up to 90% of all health problems may be related to stress. People under stress experience slower responses and malfunctioning of their systems like the digestive systems. Also they experience difficulty in the regular functioning of the body. The negative effects can range from constipation, anorexia, difficulty urinating as well as up to erectile dysfunction and difficulty maintaining sexual arousal. Prolonged stress responses may result in chronic malfunctioning of the immune system and make the body an easy prey for infections.
The link between stress and heart disease is also quite well-known. Stress causes increase in the heart rate as well as high blood pressure. Under continuous stress artery walls scar and thicken reducing the supply of blood and oxygen to the heart. This can cause a heart attack. Indeed the frequency of heart attacks has increased while the age of victim shas become lower as a result of today’s stressful life. Stress sometimes intensifies the sufferings of arthritis and diabetes patients by adversely affecting their immune system. Research is also going on to prove significant links between stress and cancer.
The indirect effects of stress are also equally harmful. In order to relieve stress people are more likely to indulge in heavy drinking and smoking to get immediate psychological relief. They can work so hard that they do not exercise or eat properly. They may cut down on sleep which further affects the health. As a consequence people should take stress seriously instead of ignoring it. Stress management is the only effective way to deal with stress and prevent it from destroying your health.
