Physical Stress: How Stress Manifests In The Body

Stress is a normal response to potential challenges in life, such as those related to our careers, children, relationships, and health. However, excessive and frequent stress can have a detrimental impact on our bodies, making it difficult to manage the demands of life and potentially leading to illness and other complications. Below, we’ll explore some ways that stress can impact your physical health and several tips for reducing these negative effects. We’ll also highlight resources for individuals who’d like to speak with a mental health professional about stress management and the effects of chronic stress on their lives. 

What is stress?

Stress is the body's natural response to challenging or threatening situations, often known as the fight or flight response. The stress response involves the nervous system and can lead to various stress symptoms, such as increased blood pressure and heart rate. 

While stress is a normal part of life that almost everyone will experience, chronic stress can contribute to health problems like heart disease and even heart attack. It’s important to speak with your physician for medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment of stress-related conditions.

Physical stress: What does stress do to your body?

Excessive or frequent stress that goes unchecked can have negative effects that spread beyond the psyche, often affecting the body of the individual experiencing it in various ways. The following are some of the most common physical symptoms of stress.

Weakened immune system

When we experience long-term stress, our body tends to produce increased amounts of cortisol, the “stress hormone,” which can lead to various long-term cortisol effects on our health. An increase in cortisol levels and a decrease in disease-fighting lymphocytes (which can also be caused by stress) can lead to inflammation and trouble warding off illness. Additionally, stress can lead to the development of certain diseases, including gastrointestinal conditions, cardiac disease, and diabetes. Many autoimmune diseases are also believed to be linked directly to stress or stress-related disorders. For example, lupus and rheumatoid arthritis can be caused or worsened by stress.

Acne

Many people tend to break out in acne when they are stressed, and for some, this can compound the stress they feel. Some research suggests that acne appears along with high stress due to an increase in oil produced as a result of a specific hormone called corticotrophin-releasing hormone (CRH). Acne might also be due to increased face touching, which often occurs when a person experiences stress.

Aches and pains

Like many other mental health challenges, stress often manifests as pain in various body parts. For example, headaches are common in those who live with chronic stress, often as a result of other side effects, such as a lack of sleep. Stress can also cause us to tighten up our muscles for extended periods. This muscle tension can lead to body aches, particularly near the neck and back. Additionally, conditions that are characterized by chronic pain, such as fibromyalgia and arthritis, can be exacerbated by stress. Body aches may tie into other conditions, so it may be necessary for you to keep track of these concerns and address them with a healthcare professional.

Gastrointestinal concerns

The connection between stress and gastrointestinal complications can be bidirectional, as well, with gastrointestinal issues often leading to higher stress levels.

If you are stressed, you may also notice a decrease or increase in appetite. You may feel as though you’re too busy to eat or find that you’re eating irregularly. High cortisol levels can also lead you to eat more because your body thinks it is in an emergency situation. These differences can sometimes lead to bodily changes, such as weight gain or loss. Those who are stressed might also seek out comfort foods, which may be high in fat or sugar, which can cause energy levels to spike and then fall, potentially exacerbating stress.

Fatigue, irritability, and restlessness

When stress is ongoing, it can cause us to overexert ourselves while also producing physiological responses that can exhaust the body without us being aware of what is happening. For some, this results in excessive tiredness that may prevent them from successfully completing their everyday tasks. For others, this fatigue may be accompanied by irritability, or the stress may leave them feeling tired and restless at the same time, unable to get rest because of excessive nervousness and worry.

Hair loss

The link between hair loss and stress can be attributed to a few different causes. One potential reason for hair loss due to stress is hair pulling. Sometimes, people who are stressed pull their hair out compulsively as a coping mechanism. Also, stress can cause telogen effluvium, a form of hair loss caused by increased anxiety or a traumatic event. A third potential cause is alopecia, a condition in which a person’s immune system attacks their hair follicles.

Reproductive challenges

During periods of high stress, some individuals experience various disruptions to their reproductive health. Stress can make it more difficult for some people to become pregnant because of disturbances in ovarian function. Heavy stress can also interrupt or prevent periods and inhibit the release of eggs. Additionally, stress may result in erectile dysfunction and a decrease in libido.

Rapid heartbeat and sweating

Stress is usually a result of the fight-or-flight response, an instinct that has helped us survive as a species for millennia. When we become stressed, cortisol and adrenaline are released. In the past, this would have helped us during situations that required us to fight back against something or run away from it. Today, these hormones can produce noticeable physiological changes, such as rapid heartbeat or excessive sweating, even without a significant threat. You may also experience shallow breathing and pain in your chest when you become stressed.

Tips for managing stress

Whether you manifest any of the symptoms listed above, developing coping skills can help you manage your stress. The following are several useful strategies for decreasing not only the physical effects but also the mental and emotional effects of stress.

Exercise

Physical activity can be an effective way to reduce the effects of stress on the body and mind. Exercise can improve your mood, boost your cognitive function, and help prevent illness. If you’re experiencing excess stress, consider going for regular walks, joining a gym, or creating an at-home exercise routine.

Meditate

Research shows that meditation, such as mindfulness, can decrease stress and its potential physical complications. Meditation involves slowing down, quieting the mind, and becoming more aware of your thoughts and feelings. To get started, consider finding a guided meditation that will take you through the process and help you calm down.    

Journal

Putting your stressors on paper may help you express yourself and provide an outlet for excessive stress. Journaling can help you avoid repressing your feelings, which can worsen them in the long term. Additionally, a journal can be a useful tool for managing your time or organizing your life, which can be an effective way to avoid stress in the future. 

Eat a balanced diet

Because stress can impact our eating habits, maintaining a healthy diet can be a useful stress management technique. To do this, consider eating a diet that is high in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, and healthy fats.

Practice self-care

Self-care activities can help you nourish your body and mind and decrease the negative effects of stress. Research shows that self-care activities—such as maintaining a regular sleep schedule, practicing mindfulness, and seeking social interaction—can decrease stress. Consider creating a self-care routine that will help you stay consistent. This can include anything from tending to your personal hygiene and engaging in deep breathing exercises to taking a bath and reading each night.

Coping with stress through online therapy

Research shows that therapy can help decrease stress levels that may lead to physical health concerns. If you’re feeling too stressed to go to a therapist’s office, you might try online therapy, which has been shown to be just as effective as in-office therapy. One of the most common forms of therapy is cognitive behavioral therapy, which aims to help individuals identify and replace negative thought patterns leading to unwanted behaviors and emotions, such as those that often exacerbate stress.

Online therapy may help you effectively manage stress and limit its mental and physical effects. With an online therapy service like BetterHelp, you can avoid the potential added stress of commuting to a therapist’s office by participating in therapy through audio or video chat. Also, because BetterHelp works with more than 25,000 mental health professionals with a range of specialties and areas of expertise, you can be matched with a therapist who has experience addressing your specific concerns.