Chronic Stress: Learn How It May Be Taking Years off of Your Life
There is a good chance you have experienced stress in your lifetime.
As humans, our bodies are built to handle stressful situations. We are designed to be able to hunt, run away from predators, and fight in battles. The unique mechanisms of the human body have allowed us to survive in primal times. Think of the “fight or flight” response.
But our body is not designed for chronic stress.
Our body is not designed for the daily stressors of today’s society. There are physical changes that occur when your body is under stress for long periods of time. These can include:
Changes in your digestive system
Poor sleep
Headaches
Weight loss or gain
Does this sound familiar?
If this sounds like you, know that you are not alone. Your symptoms are a part of your body’s natural response to external stress. It’s okay to experience short periods of stress. Your body is equipped to manage it. However, chronic stress is something your body is not cut out for.
As a writer, entrepreneur, and professional in the medical field, I know stress all too well. I have learned a lot about how stress affects the body, and my hope is to give you more insight into the long term complications that stress may have.
There are ways to properly manage stress and even decrease the effects of stress on the body. However, if chronic stress is not well managed, the consequences can be life-threatening. Research has found many diseases associated with chronic stress, and this article will review four of those conditions.
In order to understand how chronic stress can be life-threatening, there first needs to be a basic understanding of the body’s response to stress.
Chronic Stress, Cortisol, and the HPA Axis
The human body comes fully equipped with a system to respond effectively to stress. This system is called the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPA axis).
The HPA axis is responsible for the regulation of cortisol, a glucocorticoid hormone.¹ Cortisol is a hormone that is released by the HPA axis to help your body manage external stress. The human body functions well with short bursts of cortisol. In fact, humans need a certain level of cortisol to function properly. But when the body has to release it too frequently, the HPA axis starts to not work correctly.
A relationship between chronic stress and a poorly-functioning HPA axis has been found in many of the conditions mentioned below: cancer, heart attack, stroke, and Alzheimer’s disease.
Chronic Stress and Increased Risk of Cancer
Yes, you read correctly. Research shows that there is a direct link between chronic stress and cancer. And while cancer is often associated with the aging population, surveys show that about one million people aged 20-39 years are diagnosed with cancer every year.² Cancer diagnoses in this population have been partly due to stress.
As mentioned above, when your body is stressed, your HPA axis releases cortisol and other stress hormones. Excess amounts of stress hormones have been linked to increased tumor growth and cancer development.² This is because high amounts of stress hormones cause damage to our healthy cells’ DNA while promoting the growth of tumor cells.
Chronic stress is associated with a weakened immune system. Having a weakened immune system increases the risk of both the formation of cancer and the spread of cancer throughout the body.²
Stress and Sickness
Having a decreased immune system not only increases the risk of cancer formation, but it also increases the frequency of illness.
Chronic stress is linked to lower immune system activity.² When your body is under chronic stress, it suppresses certain cells in the body that fight off disease. It also suppresses cells that monitor for invasive viruses, bacteria, and cancer cells.
Stress and the Risk of Heart Attack and Stroke
It’s well known that diet and exercise play a key role in the risk of having a heart attack and stroke. But did you know that chronic stress is just as significant?
Chronic stress is associated with an increased risk of atherosclerosis.³ Atherosclerosis is the buildup of plaque in arteries, and it’s this buildup of plaque that causes most heart attacks and strokes.
Plaque buildup is a result of inflammation, fat cells (cholesterol/lipids), and damage to blood vessel walls. Research shows that chronic stress causes increased levels of inflammation throughout the body, decreased blood vessel wall repair, and increased levels of cholesterol levels.
The combination of these factors is the ideal environment for plaque formation and buildup in the body. Inflammation in the body affects not only your heart and blood vessels, it affects your brain cells too.
Alzheimer’s Disease and Chronic Stress
Alzheimer’s disease is estimated to affect 6.5 million individuals in the United States.⁴ Because of its prominent impact, it continues to be heavily researched.
New research has found a relationship between chronic stress and the development of Alzheimer’s disease.⁵
As mentioned previously, chronic stress decreases how well our HPA axis works. It also increases inflammation in the body. Those with Alzheimer’s disease have been found to have a poorly-reactive HPA axis.⁵ This suggests that damage to the HPA axis from chronic stress ultimately increases the risk of Alzheimer’s disease.
Additionally, there is a link between neurodegeneration and the development of Alzheimer’s disease.⁵ Neurodegeneration is caused by inflammation within the body, and it is defined as the breakdown of neurons or cells in the brain.
Increased inflammation in the body from chronic stress leads to the damage of healthy brain cells and can increase the risk of Alzheimer’s disease.
How to Manage Stress
Stress is something that has been accepted and even normalized in our society. The human body contains the HPA axis to manage short-term stress by releasing cortisol and other stress hormones. However, chronic stress is something our body was not made to endure.
Chronic stress is linked to an increased risk of:
Cancer
Illness
Heart attack
Stroke
Alzheimer’s disease
Now that you know how serious chronic stress is, you can take steps to manage stress better and decrease the effects of stress on your body.
Whether it’s exercise, supplements, medication, or therapy, there are many ways to manage stress. Stay tuned for my next article to learn about my top 4 recommended methods to reduce stress.
Check out my blog, Medicine Made Simple, to get more up-to-date, fact-based information about health and wellness.
Stay informed, stay healthy.
If you have questions or concerns about stress or anxiety, call your healthcare provider today. If you need urgent help with stress, anxiety, or depression, call the SAMHSA’s National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).
Citations:
2. Chronic Stress Promotes Cancer Development – (nih.gov)
3. Chronic stress: a critical risk factor for atherosclerosis – (nih.gov)
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