Is Stress Literally Making You Sick?
Don’t let stress and fatigue take control and ruin your health.
People who are continually sick with infections are likely to experience long-term stress. Stress affects the whole body and the immune system is particularly affected by chronic low-grade stress. In fact, stress-related problems are the root cause of 75-90 per cent of visits to health practitioners.
Most people today associate stress with worry, but stress has a much broader meaning to your body. People may not realize how much stress their bodies are actually experiencing. Any kind of change, whether it be emotional, physical, environmental, hormonal or illness-related can be stressful to your body. Just generally striving too hard on a daily basis takes a physiological toll. Even positive events, such as getting a promotion at work or taking a vacation, can be stressful and can gradually weaken health without the person realizing what is happening. If you’re recently experiencing a change in sleep patterns, feeling fatigued, anxious, or lacking enjoyment for life, or have multiple aches and pains, it is highly likely that you are overstressed.
Research by Dr. Hans Selye, the first scientist who discovered that stress actually made people sick, found something quite amazing: animals that were simply restrained died quicker from stress than animals that were physically injured. How does this relate to humans? Examples of people who may feel constrained are new mothers, and anyone stuck in an unhappy relationship or unfulfilling job. The same goes for the teacher trying to teach a class of unruly students, or the air traffic controller with too many decisions to make under high pressure. These high pressure, high-stress situations often leave people feeling trapped with no escape.
Research has found that psychological stress in human beings can take a hefty toll on the immune system that regulates the body’s response to disease and infection. Stress creates a response in the immune system that promotes inflammation and has been linked with heart disease, diabetes, osteoporosis, rheumatoid arthritis, severe infections and certain cancers. It appears that stress accelerates a variety of age-related diseases.
Stress increases the chances of an infection
In one study, skin wounds on the arms of women who had higher levels of the stress hormone cortisol had lower levels of key compounds released by the body to mediate healing. This means stress may make it easier for germs to infect skin wounds.
Stress disrupts the body’s equilibrium, which significantly impairs its ability to control and eradicate bacterial infection during wound healing.
Stress changes immune system makeup
Studies have found the effects of psychological stress on the immune system. Scientists have demonstrated alterations in the normal function of immune cells during times of stress. Without a properly functioning immune system, the body is vulnerable to invasion by opportunistic germs such as fungi, viruses and bacteria.
Reduce (and better manage) stress to stay well
Relaxation techniques can be useful when stress becomes overwhelming. Yoga can lead to mental clarity, greater self-understanding, and a feeling of well-being, along with improved physical fitness. Many people experience benefits not only because of the physical stretching and muscle strengthening but also because of the meditative state that is encouraged. Yoga and tai chi are both wonderful ways to reduce stress.
Meditation is another technique that calms the mind and fights stress by focusing thoughts on relaxing images or principles and providing self-reflective insight into what activities are contributing to the stress load.
The bottom line is that stress shuts down the function of the immune cells needed to fight infections and other diseases.
There are various natural medicines and herbs that can significantly help during stress and adrenal fatigue to support healthy immune function. A combination of professional natural medicines can be highly effective, along with the correct dietary and lifestyle changes to specifically benefit you.
