10 Really Scary Facts about Stress

Lisa Franchi March 10, 2014

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 Stress – we all have it. But to what extent does it impact our health? How does it affect our daily life and well-being? Is there any difference between minor and major stress? The following facts might just encourage you to start taking stress management very seriously from now on.

Your body doesn’t recognise small or big stress.

Regardless if it’s a big or a little one, stress affects your body in predictable ways. Stress, which most of us experience multiple times in a day, begins with a cascade of 1,400 biochemical events in your body. Among the serious effects of big or small stress are premature ageing, cognitive impairment, low energy levels, and poor immunity.

It does more than make you sick.

Stress-related issues are among the major causes of productivity loss and absences among employees. If not addressed properly, stress can cause a huge toll on your financial life and could lead you to debt. Aside from this, its effect on your mental health is really tormenting. Stress could leave you feeling anxious, uninspired, blue, and unhappy.

It makes you do ‘stupid’ things.

Stress triggers what neuroscientists call ‘cortical inhibition’. This phenomenon helps explain why smart people do dumb things. Stress inhibits the function of a small part of your brain so it couldn’t function at its best.

It’s not just about Facebook.

It’s easy to blame the social media for the increasing amount of stress many people experience. But even though they cause a decline in life satisfaction as studies suggest, there are many other factors that keep our stress levels high. They include poor diet, inactivity, lack of sleep, and so much more. Worse, most of these factors are habits we do every single day.

Wrong attitude fuels stress.

Everyone experiences stress. But the pessimists and perfectionists, to name a few, are more vulnerable to the severe effects of stress. Whilst we can’t control the stressors around us, we all have the ability to reduce their impact on us. And to do this, can start by adopting a more positive attitude.

Some ‘stress relievers’ cause more stress.

Many people follow unhealthy ways to cope with stress which aggravate their stress levels further. For instance, smoking, alcohol drinking and procrastinating are commonly used strategies to deal with stress. But huge evidence suggests that they cause much more stress in the long run. What’s more, they trigger the onset of chronic illnesses.

Stress is a major sex drive killer.

In women, stress leads to a decrease in oestrogen and progesterone production and an increase in cortisol levels. This leads to irregular, painful menstrual cycles and can negatively impact emotions and sex drive. In men, stress causes a decrease in testosterone and an increase in cortisol, resulting in fatigue and a diminished sex drive.

It makes you ugly too.

Those expensive creams and beauty treatments are ineffective if you don’t deal with stress properly. In the long run, stress leads to acne, wrinkles, hair loss, and other things that can make you look ugly and uh-oh – old!

It robs years from your life.

Cortisol has a variety of biological effects on your body. This stress hormone alters your immune system which can live more susceptible to illness, suppress your digestive tract and leave you feeling constipated and ill. The destructive effect of cortisol does not end there. It increases the levels of glucose in your blood and enhances the brain’s use of glucose, which can leave you craving unhealthy, fatty carbohydrates. As a result, you greatly increase your risk of developing heart disease, diabetes, cancer and other life-threatening diseases.

The best way to manage stress is to deal with it the very moment you feel it coming up. Don’t wait until it’s too late. Start incorporating stress-busting habits and exercises in your daily life. Attend a yoga class, practise deep breathing techniques, exercise more, sleep on time, eat well, and indulge in healthier and relaxing habits.