Being under heavy stress shortens their life expectancy by 2.8 years. These results are based on a study in which researchers from the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare calculated the effects of multiple risk factors, including lifestyle-related ones, to the life expectancy of men and women.
Heart disease, heart attack, high blood pressure and stroke. Sleep problems. Weight gain. Memory and concentration impairment.
Strategies to recover from chronic stress can include practicing mindfulness activities such as meditation and breathing exercises. People can also have a support system composed of family and friends, as well as a counselor or a psychiatrist if needed. A psychiatrist can prescribe medication to reduce stress.
"When the body cannot handle emotional overload, it simply begins to shut down. And that is often manifested by a sense of extreme tiredness and fatigue," says Kalayjian.
Some of the physical signs that your stress levels are too high include: Pain or tension in your head, chest, stomach, or muscles. Your muscles tend to tense up when you're stressed, and over time this can cause headaches, migraines, or musculoskeletal problems. Digestive problems.
If you are struggling to cope, or the symptoms of your stress or anxiety won't go away, it may be time to talk to a professional. Psychotherapy (also called talk therapy) and medication are the two main treatments for anxiety, and many people benefit from a combination of the two.
For example, your doctor might offer to prescribe: Sleeping pills or minor tranquillisers, if you're having trouble sleeping. Antidepressants, if you're experiencing depression or anxiety alongside stress. Medication to treat any physical symptoms of stress, such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) or high blood pressure.
It's important to note that there is no connection between anxiety and going crazy. While it may feel like you could go crazy due to anxiety, you actually can't.
Stress that's left unchecked can contribute to many health problems, such as high blood pressure, heart disease, obesity and diabetes.
As it's directly associated with the six leading causes of death, stress can be called a silent killer. A 2021 study shows that physical and mental stressors can lead to sudden cardiac death (SCD).
The American Institute of Stress reports 120,000 people die every year as a direct result of work-related stress. Additionally, healthcare costs resulting from work-related stress totals an average of $190 billion a year.
It's important not to go back to work too quickly or to expose yourself to very stressful situations during this phase. The recovery can take several months and you may be sensitive to stress for many years ahead.
But over the long term, stress may actually change your brain in ways that affect your memory. Studies in both animals and people show pretty clearly that stress can affect how the brain functions, says Dr. Kerry Ressler, chief scientific officer at McLean Hospital and professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School.
It has been noted that during times of chronic stress, the myelin sheaths that make up white matter become overproduced, while less gray matter is produced. When this happens, there can be an imbalance in gray and white matter. In some cases, this results in permanent changes to the brain's structure.
Stress can cause an imbalance of neural circuitry subserving cognition, decision making, anxiety and mood that can increase or decrease expression of those behaviors and behavioral states. This imbalance, in turn, affects systemic physiology via neuroendocrine, autonomic, immune and metabolic mediators.
Many people associate crying with feeling sad and making them feel worse, but in reality, crying can help improve your mood - emotional tears release stress hormones. Your stress level lowers when you cry, which can help you sleep better and strengthen your immune system.
you are unable to function at work and/or home. you feel overwhelmed with fear. you are experiencing panic attacks or physical signs of anxiety like recurrent dizziness, unexplained medical symptoms, a constantly racing heartbeat, or insomnia that has gone on for weeks.
If you feel stressed all the time, you might be dealing with chronic stress or burnout. You may find it helpful to practice grounding activities, make supportive lifestyle changes, and carve out more time for your favorite relaxation activities.
According to the American Psychological Association (APA), people in the 18-33 age group suffer the highest levels of stress in the U.S.
While stress certainly isn't easy to manage at any age, it can become more difficult to cope as you get older for a number of reasons. First, your body can't physically handle stress the same way it did when you were younger.