How Does Stress Affect Our Health?

A few months ago I was talking to a friend about the health problems related to stress. He told me that aside from losing sleep and raising our blood pressure, he didn’t see how stress could affect our health.

Yet many studies show that stress may be related to 80% to 90% of the health problems we face today. Even cancer is believed to be stress related. Some problems are a direct result of stress and sometimes stress weakens an already existing condition.

How can this be? How can a simple feeling cause so many health problems? Let me explain by comparing it to something you’re probably familiar with.

You are probably familiar with adrenaline. Our bodies produce adrenaline in tense situations, like emergencies. People have been known to do some amazing things because of adrenaline.

Our bodies produce various types of chemicals under different types of emotions. Under stress our bodies produce a chemical called cortisol.

Small amounts of cortisol can actually be good for us. When we exercise, for example, our bodies produce cortisol as a result of the physical stress of exercise. Cortisol breaks down muscle tissue. Our immune system goes to work to heal the cells damaged by cortisol and makes the tissue stronger and more resistant than before.

Today we face higher levels of stress than our ancestors did. Our bodies produce excessive amounts of cortisol. The damage done by cortisol is extensive. It even damages the cells of our immune system making it harder for our bodies to heal themselves.

Can you see now why stress causes so many health problems? The good news is there are ways to combat stress. I listed some of these ways in my previous post. Click here to see that post.

In my next few postings I will cover these in more detail.