It is safe to say that we have all experienced the well-known signs of stress at some point. The reason? Our bodies were to respond to both real and perceived threats in a very specific way. And we’ve all felt threatened in one way or another at least once in our lives.
For example, have you ever felt the rush of blood to your body and your heart pumping faster when you were about to attend an important meeting or go on a date? Your mind started racing, making you unable to think clearly. Your hands felt cold, but you kept sweating. You stammered and stuttered just when you wanted to be at the top of your game. All of these stress symptoms are perfectly normal. They are our natural response to a tense situation.
However, if we are hard-wired to experience stress, we may ask — why do we hear so much about the adverse impact of stress? Can the effects of long-term stress cause us to get sick? And how much stress is too much?
This article will give you responses to those questions, and more. Read on to learn…
What stress is and how it impacts our body; What the most (and less) common symptoms of stress are; How stress can make you physically and mentally sick; What the long-ter effects of stress on the body are; and How to cope with stress better. And if that’s not enough, we’ll also answer some frequently asked questions about the long-term effects of stress on health and well-being.
What is Stress and How Does It Impact Our Body? These days the word “stress” is thrown around left and right. “I’m so stressed out,” is a commonly heard refrain. Before we go any further, we need to first make sure that we are on the same page in what we are talking about. While “being under stress” can refer to how someone feels when they are overworked and under a lot of pressure, the type of stress we are going to be talking about is much more than that.
The American Psychological Association’s dictionary explains that stress presents psychological and physiological responses to various stressors. In essence, stress is how we react to tension and pressure. The term stressor entails any external or internal event or a condition that requires us to mobilize our forces and deal with it.
In response to stressors, our emotions, thinking, and behavior change. In other words, we are not quite ourselves until stress passes. The evolutionary intention behind this mechanism is to prepare us to fight or flight (alternatively, we freeze). When our ancestors met a carnivorous animal, they would have a choice to either fight them or flee. Their whole bodies prepared for this challenge.
As such, stress makes perfect sense. Still, as we will explain shortly, this age-old mechanism tends to malfunction in modern days. This is where the symptoms of stress can become a problem.
Different Kinds of Stress There are different kinds of stress — and different outcomes. In psychology, a difference is being made between eustress and distress. Eustress is “good stress”. It is the butterflies in your stomach when you suddenly run into the person you are crazy about. It is the type of stress you experience when you are planning a party, a wedding, or your child’s birthday celebration.
Distress is the kind of stress that occurs when bad things happen. It might be constant pressure at work that leads to burnout, a loss of any sort, a conflict, or sickness.
Interestingly, our fundamental response remains the same.
The stress symptoms are identical, whether we are facing positive or adverse challenges and irrespective of what is causing the stress. In the same way, if we are being chased by a lion (usually unlikely to happen) or we have a public speech or a test to undergo (much more likely), our bodies react the same way. A seminal name in stress research, Hungarian-born Canadian endocrinologist Hans Selye, named this phenomenon the general adaptation syndrome.
However, as we said before, in modern times stress signs have become more than a means of survival in brief encounters with danger. Unlike cavepeople, we now rarely face mortal danger. What we do experience on a regular basis is chronic stress. You might be constantly exposed to stressors that do not go away (such as when you are overworked or have a toxic relationship). When this happens, you are at risk of experiencing adverse long-term effects of stress.
We have seen a rise in the long-term effects of chronic stress.
According to a recent literature review , approximately one-third of people are in a state of heightened stress. The reason is likely the COVID-19 pandemic. What we have experienced during the pandemic is the perfect example of long-term stress effects that have led many to depression or anxiety.
What Happens to the Body When Under Stress? Our entire body, not just our mind, responds to stressors. It is a well-orchestrated sequence of actions meant for gearing us up to put out the maximum performance — to either combat the situation of get away from it.
Whether the threat to our well-being is immediate and physical, emotional, or perceived, the nervous system triggers an instant “fight or flight” response so that you can address the threat.
Muscles instantly tense up. This is our bodies’ attempt to save us from pain and injury. Our breathing becomes rapid to supply as much oxygen to cells as possible. Adrenaline, noradrenaline, and cortisol cause the heart to beat quicker and stronger so that enough oxygen and nourishment is brought to our tissues. Blood vessels in our legs and arms dilate, while those at the periphery (fingers, toes, nose, for example) contract. The hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis in the brain leads to an increased production of steroid hormones called glucocorticoids, which ensure that our bodies have enough energy to deal with the stressor. Stress affects brain-gut communication, causing a range of sensations such as the “butterflies” in your stomach. Both male and female reproductive systems are affected by stress symptoms. When this sequence goes into effect, once the threat is gone, it takes the body time to recover. Think about a time you were startled by an unexpected noise, someone shouting “surprise” at a party, or a scary scene in a movie. Once you realized that you were not in danger and the threat was not real, it probably took a while for your heart to stop pounding.
The problem with chronic stressors that keep happening over and over again, is that there is little to no recovery time. It’s like the body is in a constant state of “alert,” which can lead to long-term effects and adverse stress symptoms.
What Are the Symptoms of Stress? The symptoms of stress present a long list. It is a very intricate phenomenon. The complex bodily response to stress we described above is accompanied by even more complex cognitive and emotional reactions.
Even though, for example, you and your coworker are on the same project and face the same stressors, it is quite possible that they seem to respond completely differently than yourself. We will talk about different factors that can impact how you react to stress shortly.
So, how do you know you are stressed?
These are some of the commonly reported signs of stress — both immediate and long-term — that most of us share:
Shallow and rapid breathing Heart palpitations, rapid pulse Trembling lips and hands Cold and/or sweaty hands Frequent headaches Body aches Dry mouth and difficulties swallowing Frequent colds, infections, allergies Digestive problems, such as heartburn, stomach pain, flatulence Fluctuating body weight Rapid speech, stuttering Difficulties sleeping, restless sleep, nightmares, insomnia Weakened sexual drive Difficulties concentrating and forgetfulness Irritability, edginess, overreacting Feelings of anger, frustration, and hostility A sense of hopelessness and low self-worth Withdrawal from activities and socializing Chronic fatigue Vulnerability to the use of alcohol, tobacco, drugs, gambling, impulse buying Diminishing productivity and efficacy The Effects of Long-Term Stress Our bodies are equipped to handle stress in small doses. However, long-term and chronic stress was not in the plan. Our organism becomes seriously affected by symptoms of stress when they last for long.
So, can stress make you sick? In short, yes. Strictly speaking, stress does not cause any specific disease. However, it does lower our body’s and our mind’s capacities to overcome challenges. Physically, long-term stress affects our immune system and exposes us to the risks of numerous illnesses. Psychologically, it weakens our cognitive and emotional endurance and makes us prone to emotional disturbances.VIDEO
How Stress Affects Your Body – TED-Ed Animation: Lesson by Sharon Horesh Bergquist
We will now explore how scientific research explains such detrimental effects of long-term stress in more detail.
You May Also Want to Read: What Can Stress Do to Your Brain? Exploring the Effects of Chronic Stress on the Brain
Can Stress Make You Physically Sick? Yes, stress can make you physically sick. Apart from feeling uncomfortable by itself, the effects of long-term stress can make you more susceptible to an array of diseases.
How does long-term stress make you sick? Is it possible to be overworked, for example, and become ill because of it? Short-term stress can boost your immune system. After all, it is meant to make you stronger, more resistant, and increase your stamina.
However, research revealed that chronic distress affects the immune system in such a way that leads to a manifestation of an illness. The rise in catecholamine and suppression of T cells levels, which are the effects of long-term stress, result in a drop in your immune system’s defense capabilities. In other words, you become more prone to viral infections. Therefore, long-term stress can make you sick more often, from common colds to skin infections to stomach bugs.
Also, stress changes the stomach’s acid concentration, leading to ulcers .
Another long-term effects of stress are the increased risk of diabetes mellitus because distress alters insulin needs. The release of histamine could lead to or worsen asthma. You probably heard about the fact that stress symptoms can eventually result in cardiovascular diseases. Chronic stress causes plaque buildup in the arteries. If your way of coping with stress also involves a high-fat diet and you tend to lose your interest in being physically active, the risk increases further.
Finally, even though there is no evidence of a direct cause-and-effect relationship between stress and cancer, recent scientific developments suggest that there might be one. Particularly, stress likely makes a recovery from cancer more difficult and outcomes bleaker. The mechanism is such that the suppression of natural killer cells can make one’s body more susceptible to metastases.
Can Stress Lead to Depression and Anxiety? The evidence base about potentially detrimental effects of long-term stress on our bodies is robust. However, proof of stress leading to mental health disturbances is even greater. This has become such an issue that there is now an entire section in the current Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders that relates to trauma- and stressor-related disorders. This category includes experiences from an acute stress disorder (common in disaster workers, helping professions, or after a major significant business project, for example) to PTSD. Acute stress disorder is characterized by intrusive thoughts, negative mood, dissociation, avoidance, and arousal.
Prolonged stress was also found to be in close correlation with anxiety. Even though these experiences may feel similar at times, they are not the same. The main difference between stress and anxiety is that stress goes away shortly after the stressor is removed. For example, the moment you close a business deal, you will feel relieved and start relaxing. On the other hand, anxiety presents excessive worry that does not go away like that. Stress symptoms were found to trigger brain mechanisms that can lead to anxiety (or make it worse if you were already affected by it).
Finally, research has revealed that one of the effects of long-term stress could also be depression. Not only do they relate to each other, but chronic stress, through the changes in 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) and the stress hormones, can directly cause depression.
Coping with Long Term Effects of Stress Even though we described the universal way that the human body reacts to stressors, we should also say that we all have a unique response to the signs of stress. This uniqueness comes from the fact that our personalities and past experiences differ. They have shaped our perception of the world in an unquotable way.
For example, resilience and vulnerability to stressors, as well as how strongly we respond to the signs of stress, are closely related to traits such as hardiness, locus of control, self-efficacy, self-esteem, optimism, hostility, research shows. Another study demonstrated that neuroticism, extraversion and openness to experience (which are all personality traits), are closely related to stress symptoms and can affect the long-term effects of stress. Therefore, how you will react to stressors will depend on who you are as a person. In other words, even though the stress symptoms could be similar, one person could crumble under pressure, whereas another will see it as a growth opportunity.
Luckily, an adaptive response to stress can be learned. You may not be naturally geared towards assuming control over stress and looking forward to the challenge. Still, you can develop the skill to control the symptoms of stress and not let them control you.
Here are some simple actions you can take right now to alleviate the signs of stress.
Move. Get physically active, whether it is a simple walk or a full-body workout at the gym. There is an abundance of research testifying about the beneficial effects of physical activity on our ability to deal with the symptoms of stress. That is probably why many companies are incorporating gyms or paid gym memberships for their employees nowadays.Commit to a healthy lifestyle. Apart from exercising, a healthy diet and quality sleep are also vital in tackling the effects of long-term stress. Since stress can jeopardize your sleep, make sure to develop a bedtime routine to help you fall asleep faster and enjoy restorative sleep. Steer away from alcohol, tobacco, and drugs as much as you can.Try meditation, mindfulness, and yoga. These practices have been proven to alleviate the negative impact of stress signs of stress. It may take some time to get into the routine if this is new for you, but it will repay you with a calm mind and emotional control.Socialize. One of the effects of long-term stress may be your need to withdraw from participating in social events. Nonetheless, social support has been proven, over and over again, to be one of the deciding factors in how well someone will handle stress and trauma. Laughter and relief we get from a casual coffee with friends and family are sure ways to empower you and help you cope in a healthy way.Do not expect too much of yourself. Even though perfectionism and hyper-efficacy are promoted in businesses of today, you need to be realistic about your expectations of yourself. Unless you do so, you are risking burnout and other adverse outcomes.Keep a journal and seek professional help. Stress is one phenomenon that testifies to the connection between our bodies and our minds. When you tend to your thoughts and emotional responses to distress, you will prevent not only mental health disturbances but also a range of physical illnesses resulting from prolonged stress symptoms. Do it alone with journaling — or seek professional help.Address the Signs of Stress and Enjoy Life Long-term effects of stress can potentially shift your entire life where you do not want it to go. As you learned in this article, stress symptoms can change your thinking, feeling, and behavior. Sustaining the state of distress until it becomes chronic can make you physically ill and cause psychological disturbances.
Stress response was designed, after all, to get you out of an immediate life threat. Signs of stress were not meant to stay with you for weeks, months, years even.
However, there is no need to accept it as a given. You can take action and mend the adverse long-term effects of stress. The first step would be assessing whether you are at risk of burnout and depression . Determine how your personality shapes your specific response to stressors. Understand where you are right now. Then, you can make the changes you need to free yourself from the unkind clench of the effects of long-term stress.
FAQs About Stress Symptoms Stress is in everyone’s life. Selye even called it “the spice of life”. So, naturally, we all wonder what stress symptoms mean or can do to us. Our article probably answered most of your dilemmas about the workings and the effects of long-term stress. However, here are a few additional FAQs many people ask when it comes to long-term stress effects and the answers to them:
Is stress different for men and women? Yes. Firstly, more women report being under severe stress than men, and more women also said their levels of stress have increased compared to men. Secondly, whereas men are more prone to the fight or flight response, women have another way of approaching things: tend and befriend.
Is stress related to migraines? Stress is a well-known trigger for migraines, even though the exact cause of migraines is yet to be understood.
Can stress cause fatigue? Yes. Stress drains our energy and health and can result in a feeling of fatigue.
Can stress cause you to feel sick and throw up? Yes. There is a close connection between stress and our digestive tract. Some people feel sick and have the urge to throw up when under stress. Others develop bloating, irritable bowels, or constipation.
Why do I feel stress for no reason? There are two possibilities. You are either avoiding accepting that certain things are causing stress — or you are, in fact, experiencing anxiety. The symptoms of stress and anxiety are practically the same, but there are differences we mentioned before. It would be best if you would consult a psychotherapist to help you shed light on your experiences and potentially engage in therapy.
What are the stress symptoms at work? Apart from the signs of stress we described earlier, you could notice a drop in your efficacy. You could be procrastinating, making excuses, and feeling unmotivated overall. You might dread going to work. It is also possible that you get into conflicts with coworkers and managers, which is why it is crucial that you take action and tackle the effects of long-term stress before they jeopardize your career.
