How does stress affect your health?
by Alan Muir
You may feel the effects of stress through a faster pulse, anxiety, and fatigue, but what mechanisms actually make stress harmful to your health? Stress stimulates the continuous release of proinflammatory cytokines, including interleukin-6, which has been linked to cardiovascular disease, diabetes, osteoporosis, arthritis, depression, and some cancers. Proinflammatory cytokines are not completely bad for the body, as they stimulate the healing of infections and wounds, but it is when they are chronically elevated that they cause greater health ailments.
Negative health behaviors: Oftentimes, stress makes you crave high-fat, high-sugar foods that further suppress your immune system. Additionally, adipose belly fat increases interleukin-6 levels by as much as three times. Smoking and alcohol consumption also raise interleukin-6 levels.
Lack of sleep: Individuals under stress become sleep deprived, which alters the body’s secretion of interleukin-6. This affects the sense of well-being and immunity. Physical activity can reduce the inflammatory response, but exercise is often ignored when you are stressed and sleep deprived.
Aging effects: Stress becomes more difficult to handle as we age. It can impair vaccine response in older individuals and increase cardiovascular risk factors. It can raise hypercoagulation (excessive blood clotting) in older individuals. Researchers recruited 63 men between 20 and 65 years old to undergo a public speaking and arithmetic stress test. They found cardiovascular risk markers were higher in older individuals, which indicated stressful situations were harder to handle among older subjects.
Allergies: Stress and anxiety can make allergies last longer and become stronger. Researchers from Ohio State University Medical Center recruited 28 subjects with seasonal allergies and measured their stress levels. Those with more stress had higher levels of cytokines, which increase allergic reactions.
Slows Healing: Wound healing can take almost twice as long, when an individual is stressed. Researchers compared dental students with minor oral wounds that were on vacation to those taking a class exam, finding oral wounds took 40% longer to heal for students taking the exam.
Hostile Relationships: Aggressive relationships effect the immune and endocrine system. This has been seen among couples, as wounds healed slower among angry couples. Women especially have a negative response to interpersonal stress, as excessive anxiety can lead to depression. Among caregivers, such as those caring for an aging family member, interleukin-6 can be four times greater than among those that are not caregivers.
Cardiovascular Risks: The release of stress hormones overtime, specifically catecholamines and epinephrine, can have damaging effects on the heart. Chronic stress can elevate the heart rate and raise blood pressure, leading to abnormal heart rhythms, heart attack, and stroke.
The effects of stress can be vastly detrimental to your health. It is important to recognize the mechanisms that cause stress and try to discourage the presence of continuous stressors in your life. If you cannot completely abandon stressful situations, find calming outlets to implement in your daily routine. Everyone needs time away from the daily stress that harms health and well-being.
References
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Glaser R, Kiecolt-Glaser JK, Bonneau RH, Malarkey W, Kennedy S, Hughes J. Stress-induced modulation of the immune response to recombinant hepatitis B vaccine. Psychosomatic Medicine. 1992 Jan-Feb; 54(1):22–9.
Hammen C. Interpersonal stress and depression in women. J of Affective Disorders. 2003; 74(1):49.
Kiecolt-Glaser JK. Researcher Explains Stress-Inflammation Link. Complementary and Alternative Medicine. 2008; 15(3). Retrieved on November 10, 2009 from http://nccam.nih.gov/news/newsletter/2008_october/stresslink.htm
Kiecolt-Glaser JK, Glaser R, Gravenstein S, et al. Chronic stress alters the immune response to influenza virus vaccine in older adults. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 1996; 93(7):3043–3047.
Kiecolt-Glaser JK, Marucha PT, Malarkey WB, et al. Slowing of wound healing by psychological stress. Lancet. 1995; 346(8984):1194–1196.
Marucha PT, Kiecolt-Glaser JK, Favagehi M. Mucosal wound healing is impaired by examination stress. Psychosomatic Medicine. 1998; 60(3):362–365.
