There are various ways stress affects your body. Everyone at some point in their life experiences stress. It might be in different ways and circumstances but the feeling is the same across the board. Stress is mostly known for its effect on mental health however it affects your physical health as well. There are multiple causes of stress in life from a frustrating job, a non-supportive partner, financial issues. While we can’t avoid getting stressed out, there are various ways you can deal with it.
Stress can literally affect your physical health. It disrupts the release of the serotonin hormone that affects the body in various ways. Your brain and body react to stress, the way you would react to danger. It tries to fight it and might cause several adverse effects on your body.
Here are some of the ways stress affects your body:
Insomnia
Stress can make it hard to quieten your mind, making it hard to fall asleep. Stress causes your entire body to tense up, making it harder to fall asleep. Stress-induced insomnia is not just caused by your brain’s inability to shut down but also your muscle tension. Insomnia also results in increased stress levels. If left untreated it can cause health issues.
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Clenching Your Jaw
Stress causes you to automatically cause you to clench your jaws. This causes teeth sensitivity because of the constant grinding of your teeth. Stress can also slow down the production of saliva, causing you to have a dry mouth. Clenching your jaw on the regular can cause tooth pain and headaches in some cases.
Stomach Discomfort
When in a stressful situation you may feel sick to your stomach. Stress causes stomach upsets and can cause digestive issues. Chronic stress has even been known to cause digestive issues like heartburn, bloating, constipation, diarrhea, and irritable bowel syndrome.
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Metabolism
Stress eating is one of the most common ways people deal with stress. This is actually a side effect of stress, the stress cortisol hormone is linked to sugar and fat cravings. This is why you’re inclined to eat junk food when you’re stressed. Stress will lower your metabolism.
Body Aches
Stress can cause your muscles to tense up and this can cause pain and sore muscles. Usually your shoulders, neck, and back are the first to tense. When you’re stressed up your body closes up. This will cause your body to ache in the long run.
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Breakouts
Your skin is a reflection of your mental and physical health. When you’re stressed out your skin breaks out. Stress causes increased released of sebum which causes breakouts. You can also get hives and a skin rash. Acne and breakouts caused by stress are also harder to get rid of.
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Hair loss
Stress can cause hair loss and balding in some cases. It disrupts the life cycle of the hair follicle by causing multiple hair follicles to move from the growth cycle to the resting phase.
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Lack of sexual desire
Stress causes hormonal imbalance in the body and can cause erectile dysfunction and low libido. It can lower your sex drive. In some instances, it can also affect your menstrual cycle.