It is amazing how stress can affect anyone at any age. I was chatting with a friend of mine, her daughter is only in kindergarten, and already has STRESS. Like, WHAT?!? I was appalled… What could somebody that young must be worried/stressed about… Well, her homework. Yes! She was having homework that young. She was stressed about doing it, understanding it, and taking away time for her to have fun, and be a kid. Now, I’m not a parent yet, and chatting with my mom friends, it seems to be a common trend with kids and stress.

Stress starts at such a young age, and programs our brains into our adulthood. We all know that stress causes some type of underlining health condition. Some are quite obvious, and some aren’t. Well, I’m going to dive into 7 ways stress is impacting your health…

1. Mind

First off let’s start with the brain. Stress can trigger mental health issues such as; anxiety, depression, and panic attacks. If you are feeling one or more of those health issues, please consult a professional. Protecting your mind is important, stress can often lead to poor sleep habits, lack of energy, and headaches. Stress is a major cause of triggering the ‘fight/flight mechanism’, which can affect the cortisol in the body. It isn’t easy coping with stress, and sometimes leaning on family members isn’t always the best solution. One way I try and handle my stress is through self-care. CLICK HERE.

2. Heart

I think a lot of us already knew that stress plays a huge role in our hearts. My father had a stroke back in 2013, he was under so much stress and poor eating habits that it caused a blood clot. See stress will increase the heart rate, and blood pressure, and then have an effect on the body’s ability to clot. It can be damaging to arteries and increase the risk of a major health concern. Making sure to follow a healthy lifestyle is important to reduce the risk of something major happening in case stress does become an issue. Schedule a consultation today and let’s get you on the right healthy lifestyle transformation.

3. Immune System

Now, let’s take into consideration the top two with this one. Even the four reasons too… When you are undergoing stress, and your body is fighting so hard to protect everything else, heart, mind, and digestion, it leaves your immune system’s defense mechanism down. Making it more likely for you to get sick. When you do happen to get sick, and facing stress still, it is harder to recover. Having the proper lifestyle, and supplement regimen is important to keep your immune system strong especially when stress is weakening it.

4. Digestion

Stress can cause numerous digestion issues, bloating, nausea, stomach pains, and inconsistent bowel issues. Proper gut health is important to focus on with a strong probiotic, a good digestive enzyme, and proper nutrients for your body. I had a close friend of mine who experienced IBS (irritable bowel syndrome). Which can also lead to ulcers… When she did her research as to why she was experiencing this in her 30s, she realized the mental stress she was under, was causing IBS. She started to focus more on her mental health, and her IBS went away. Now, whenever she is overwhelmed and under stress, it will occur again and serves as a warning sign to focus more on mental health.

5. Reproduction System

This can come as a surprise to some… stress can have an effect on hormones and cause an imbalance. For women, this can be through irregular menstrual cycles, or for both males and females a lower sex drive. More specifically for males, stress on the body can cause a lower sperm count. Meaning for younger adults who plan to have kids, watching the amount of stress is crucial. This type of stress can be from physical workout stress, or it can come from mental stress that comes along with life.

6. Joints & Muscles

Stress is an area where you unconsciously tighten your body up. This can cause muscle spasms and sore joints. When your body is living in a state of tension and not releasing the muscle fibers, it’s causing your body to bind up. I have friends who have been diagnosed with arthritis and fibromyalgia because when they sleep at night they aren’t fully able to relax. They live in a state of tension. Causing more harm to their internal organs than good.

7. Bones

This is short, sweet, and simple. Stress has an impact on bone density. So, as we age, we are needing to be aware of bone density. However, the impact of stress, it will cause it to be more of a concern, versus when stress is minimal.

Therefore, please review the last article for Self-Care for Health. Stay tuned for the next article coming Friday to have ideas on how to recover your body from stress.

7 Ways Stress is Impacting Your Health