What Stress Effects

shoutjoy
on 1/15/13 6:29 pm - Culpeper, VA

What stress affects	What it looks and feels like	What it may contribute to or worsen	What else you need to know
Muscles and joints	Pain or tightness in muscles and chest Soreness in muscles and joints Knots or spasms of pain	Rheumatoid arthritis, fibromyalgia Accidental injury such as a muscle sprain or strain	Stress lowers your threshold for pain. Small aches that you ordinarily may not notice feel more painful when you’re highly stressed
Skin and hair	Hives, itching Excessive sweating Hair loss (telogen effluvium and alopecia areata)	Skin conditions such as eczema, rosacea, psoriasis	When you’re under stress, it usually is more difficult to refrain from scratching skin that’s irritated Stress-induced hair loss may take months to resolve
Tension triangle: shoulders, head and jaw	Tension headaches Severe headaches with nausea and disturbed vision Tightness in scalp and jaw, stiff/painful neck Knots and spasms of pain in neck and shoulders	Migraines, temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorder	Most headaches are not caused by serious disease. However, report your symptoms to your doctor, who should take a “headache history” that includes information such as how your pain feels, where it’s located, how often you get headaches and what other symptoms are present
Gut	Abdominal pain, cramping Gas, diarrhea or constipation Heartburn, indigestion	Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS, nervous stomach, irritable colon or spastic colon), poor digestion, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), peptic ulcers	Though IBS can be frustrating, having it does not increase the chances of other intestinal disorders or cancer
Heart/lungs	Pain or tightness in chest, lightheadedness, inability to breathe Heart palpitations: skipped heartbeats or periodic racing of the heart	Heart disease and stroke High blood pressure Asthma Arrhythmias	People who are continually stressed secrete a hormone called cortisol, which raises blood pressure and causes the body to retain fluids, placing more stress on the heart High stress levels are linked to higher levels of inflammation, which is implicated in heart disease, among other conditions
Immune system	Frequent colds or other viruses	Autoimmune disorders such as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), type 1 diabetes, lupus	Being ill or having a chronic disease weakens your immune system. Adding prolonged stress is a double whammy
Mood and outlook	Low motivation, loss of interest and pleasure in activities including sex Difficulty sleeping Being easily upset or short-tempered Nervous tension, low energy Feelings of helplessness and being overwhelmed	Heart disease Sleep problems Depression and anxiety Sexual dysfunction Unhealthy lifestyle habits, such as too much alcohol, smoking and overeating	Feeling down and tense because of stress isn’t a personal failing. It happens to most people Short-term treatment is usually effective, and it’s OK to seek help