Mind, Body & Behavior: The Impacts of Stress

By Stephanie Wallace

Stress has always been a part of the human experience. Our ancestors developed stress responses to help them cope with environmental threats, and while we may not have to deal with being chased down by predators today, stress plays a part in our daily lives, enhancing our ability to problem solve and get things done. Chronic stress, however, can take a heavy toll on your mental and physical health. For National Stress Awareness Month, we’re looking at some of the long term impacts.

Mind

Perhaps the most recognizable impact of stress is the one it has on our mental health. The psychological effects can manifest in many ways, such as aggression, irritability, exhaustion, sadness and difficulty focusing. If left unchecked, stress can lead to larger problems, such as depression, anxiety or burnout.

Anxiety: While they are often viewed similarly, there is a difference between stress and anxiety. The latter is defined by persistent, excessive worries that don’t go away even in the absence of a stressor. A buildup of stress overtime can trigger anxiety or even lead to the development of an anxiety disorder.

Restlessness: Your flight or fight response is triggered by stress. This results in a surge of adrenaline, which can make it difficult to sit still, rest or relax. Restlessness may leave you feeling fatigued or make it difficult to concentrate at work or school.

Lack of focus: Stress has an impact on your cognitive processes, including working memory–the small amount of memory that is temporarily held in your mind and used to complete tasks. Working memory is what allows us to get stuff done without losing track of what we’re doing. Without working memory, you can’t focus, so it can be very difficult to accomplish tasks.

Body

Our bodies can handle stress in small doses, but when it becomes chronic, the impact can be serious. Long-term stress affects all systems of the body, including musculoskeletal, respiratory, cardiovascular, endocrine, gastrointestinal, nervous and reproductive.

Muscle pain: When we’re stressed, we’re tense—literally. Our muscles reflexively tense up as a natural response to avoiding injury and pain. Not only can constant tension lead to aches and pains, but it also can trigger other responses in the body.

Headache: That pounding in your head is more likely when you’re dealing with stress. Both tension and migraine headaches can be a result of chronic muscle tension. They are often caused by the contraction of muscles in the scalp and neck.

Chest pain: To deal with stress, your body releases hormones like adrenaline and cortisol. This can lead to an increase in blood pressure and heart rate, leading to difficulty breathing, throat constriction and contraction of your chest muscles. These factors can contribute to chest pain.

Fatigue: Stress means your body is operating at high alert—every part of it is working harder. That’s exhausting, and you’re going to feel it. That impact could manifest as chronic fatigue, which can leave you feeling drowsy or unmotivated even when you have gotten enough sleep.

Change in sex drive: In both the male and female reproductive systems, stress can have an impact on the libido. Chronic stress can affect testosterone production, resulting in lower sex drive or even erectile dysfunction. For women, sexual desire can be reduced by factors like fatigue, distraction or the feeling of overwhelm that can come with balancing a busy schedule.

Stomach issues: When you’re worried about something, you often feel butterflies in your stomach. That’s because your brain and gut are in constant communication. Stress can trigger pain, bloating and other discomfort. It also can impact how food moves through your digestive system, leading to vomiting, diarrhea or constipation.

Trouble sleeping: Stress can decrease both the length and quality of sleep, and in turn, sleep deprivation makes it easier for stress to impact you. The American Psychological Association found that adults who get fewer than eight hours of sleep a night are more likely to feel irritable, overwhelmed and unmotivated. Severe stress also has been known to cause insomnia.

Feeling overwhelmed: When you’re having trouble managing stress or the impacts of stress, it can lead to feeling overwhelmed. The mental impact of feeling this way can include cognitive slowness, forgetfulness, confusion and difficulty concentrating or thinking logically. This in turn can lead to more stress, creating a vicious cycle.

Irritability: The emotional effects of stress can lead to abrupt changes in mood, and a common one is anger, especially in those who are already prone to irritability. Chronic stress can make you more sensitive to small problems and, therefore, more quick to anger. For example, you’re more likely to be irritated by a dog barking or getting cut off in traffic if you’re already feeling stressed.

Depression: Stress and depression have a bidirectional connection, meaning one can cause the other and they can make each other worse. The social isolation often caused by depression can lead to stress, and major stressors like divorce or financial difficulties can unbalance your mental health.

Behavior

Diet issues: Stress can trigger the drive for comfort food, such as sugar-sweetened beverages, baked goods and junk food. This is thought to be due to the release of the hormone cortisol. While stress eating is common, in the short term, stress also can shut down the appetite thanks to the spike in adrenaline.

Outbursts: Due to the emotional and psychological toll of stress, it can lead to an emotional meltdown. This can look different for different people. It could lead to uncontrollable crying, or if you are more prone to anger, you could find yourself snapping or lashing out at others.

Drug or alcohol abuse: A common coping mechanism is substance use. However, drugs and alcohol can actually negatively impact your ability to manage stress. Prolonged substance abuse changes areas of the brain related to impulse control and motivation, which makes it difficult to quit despite the negative effects like economic instability, relationship strain and health issues.

Social isolation: Avoiding human interaction is another way people deal with worry and stress, especially if they also are coping with anxiety and depression. Like with substance abuse, this can actually increase your stress levels. Social isolation and loneliness can lead to adverse health consequences, including poor sleep quality, impaired executive function, accelerated cognitive decline, poor cardiovascular function and impaired immunity.

Less physical activity: Since stress impacts motivation and focus, it often can lead to a decrease in exercise. However, physical activity can be a great way to reduce stress. It reduces stress hormones and stimulates the production of endorphins, which can help you relax &

SOURCES: MAYO CLINIC, NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH