Damage Caused to Your Body and Brain by Stress

Being stressed by small amounts can actually be beneficial to your body as it is prepared to deal with potentially dangerous situations, by releasing stress hormones. However, when you are stressed for prolonged periods of time, this can have a damaging and even lethal effect on your body and brain. Stress hormones can be beneficial initially though high prolonged levels of stress hormones such as cortisol, adrenaline, norepinephrine, can have a damaging effect on your body and brain. During the various phases of stress such as alarm, resistance, recovery, adaptation and burnout, different effects of stress will occur. Another article ‘Overcoming Stress’ which covers the various stages of stress in more detail, can be read here.


High cortisol levels can lead to anxiety, depression, weight gain and brain damage for example. Adrenaline can be beneficial for short periods though high levels for long terms can cause irritability, anxiety and sleep problems. High prolonged levels of norepinephrine can also lead to irritability, anxiety and sleep problems.

Some of the damage that stress can cause:


Heart Disease


Heart disease risk is increased as your blood pressure is increased and you may experience irregular heart rhythms, high cortisol levels can also damage your arteries and lead to a build-up of plaque.


Stroke


You will have an increased risk of a stroke as stress constricts your blood vessels and plaque can build up leading to blockages which eventually leads to a stroke.


Anxiety and Depression


Stress can play a role in the development and worsening of anxiety and depression. This is due to how stress disrupts your brains ability to process serotonin, which is a chemical that helps to regulate your mood. As stress can also disrupt other systems in your body namely your endocrine and immune systems, this can also make feelings of anxiety and depression worse.


Memory Problems, Decline in Cognitive Function and Brain Fog


Stress can cause memory problems and cause a decline in cognitive function due to the cortisol that is released when we are stressed. Cortisol is currently being researched and may actually kill brain cells and negatively affect the brains ability to form new memories, if found to be true this will support the ideation that stress causes an inability to focus on tasks and remember information. Which, if left unchecked can lead to serious memory problems and a decline in cognitive function.


Chronic Fatigue Syndrome


Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) is classified as extreme exhaustion that doesn’t improve with rest, may be caused by high stress levels.


Weakened Immune System


Prolonged stress may weaken your immune system making you more likely to catch colds, infections and other viruses. Stress hormones may also act as neurotransmitters which are responsible for communication between cells causing an interference with our immune cells to be able to communicate properly and interfere with the way our immune system resources are allocated. This can lead to a decline in our immune response.


Gastrointestinal Problems


There is a theory called gut-brain axis which outlines the connection between the microbiota in your gut and your brain. According to the theory prolonged stress can cause gastrointestinal problems due to the impact it has on the nervous system, immune system and hormones, which are the systems that are connected and mediated in the gut-brain axis theory. So stress can cause inflammation in the gut which can lead to diarrhoea, abdominal pain and bloating. Stress may also alter the microbiota composition in your gut, leading to further imbalances and gastrointestinal problems.


Weight Gain


Cortisol can stimulate the appetite causing you to eat more plus it can cause you to crave foods that contain either salt, fat, and sugar, which high amounts of can be unhealthy. Also as stress can cause you to sleep more, and taking into account the increased appetite and craving for unhealthy food this can all lead to weight gain.


Hair and Skin Problems


As cortisol and other stress hormones interfere with the production of collagen and keratin this can cause skin and hair problems. Collagen is a protein and is responsible for making your skin elastic and keeping it looking youthful. Keratin is responsible for keeping your hair strong and healthy. Lower levels of collagen can lead to wrinkles and acne, plus it reduces the skins elastic qualities. Lower levels of keratin can lead to brittle and dry hair. You may want to take supplements for your skin and hair while under sustained stressed to help prevent damage.


Sleep Problems


Insomnia is one of the most common issues of prolonged stress. This is due to our bodies being in high alert so may find it difficult to relax and unwind, increasing the difficulty to be able to fall asleep. Adding to this, cortisol and other stress hormones can interfere with sleep quality causing you to wake up more frequently than normal. If left unchecked this combination can lead to fatigue making stress worse, which can be a vicious cycle, that is difficult to break out of. At this stage of sleep deprivation, there should be some kind of intervention, as if continued for long periods of time then this can have a detrimental effect on our health and wellbeing.


To help you relax and reduce your stress levels Healution has a guided meditation which you can listen to for free below or buy and download here.


Take care and enjoy the journey.