Many people ignore the effects of stress on the brain and body. Others believe that stress affects only mental health. But that simply isn’t true. Your mental and physical health are closely tied to one another.
Changes in one can directly affect the other. In fact stress can have a significant impact on your physical health, especially when it comes to your immune system.
One major negative effect it can have is to reduce your white blood cells. When you become stressed, your body produces hormones, some of which can impair the production of white blood cells. When an infection starts, your body is poorly equipped to deal with it. Your body has a lower chance of fighting it off.
Stress can also lead to many diseases on its own, particularly heart problems. Chronic stress can contribute to high blood pressure. That can cause many complications including heart disease, kidney failure and stroke.
A number of digestive problems can result from stress. This may come as a surprise to some. You might not expect your digestive tract to be affected by something mental, ie. stress, but it happens. You can develop indigestion and stomach upset, and even stomach ulcers. Ulcers can be quite painful and even deadly.
To reduce your risk of getting sick, you can’t focus only on your physical health. Although physical health is very important, your mental health also plays a role.
Practice a variety of stress relieving techniques and make an effort to keep yourself feeling good mentally. All the vitamins and proper dieting in the world can be undone by constant stress. The only way to truly cover all your immune system bases is to ensure that you’re healthy physically and emotionally.
