Harmful Effects of Chronic Stress

Stress is now considered to be a major threat to the health and happiness of humankind. Many of today’s maladies are attributed to the stresses of modern living. Long-term stress has far reaching effects on the overall function of the human body. It adversely affects the electrical circuit of your nervous system which may result in a nervous breakdown. Chronic stress usually triggers bodily imbalance that may result in physical illness and disorders. Evidence from medical research has proven the complex relationship between stress and illness. Chronic stress is now known to trigger the development of many disorders and diseases, particularly high blood pressure, cardiovascular diseases, stroke, depression, sleeplessness, alcoholism, fatigue, peptic ulcers, irritable bowel syndrome, tension headache, and sexual dysfunction, especially erectile dysfunction in men. Scientists have shown that job-stressed individuals, especially women, have increased cardiovascular risk, compared with less-stressed individuals. Many of these stress-associated disorders are attributed to increased activity of the sympathetic nervous system which is accompanied by increased production and release of stress-related hormones, and neurotransmitters, including cortisol, epinephrine, norepinephrine and the activities of other chemical messengers that are not yet identified. Prolonged exposure to stress and associated stress hormones and neuropeptides are harmful to the brain. Exposure to stressful life events has a profound effect on the human mind, brain, and behavior. Severe or persistent stress over a long period of time is destructive to the brain because it changes brain architecture, causes shrinkage of the brain, neuronal cell death, mental and emotional breakdown, impairs critical and analytical thinking, and enhances age-related memory decline and forgetfulness. Chronic stress can also permanently alter the structures, functions and neuronal connections of vital components of the brain such as the hippocampus, prefrontal cortex, and amygdala, and initiate the development of mental disorders. Common harmful effects of stress include a general negative outlook, nervousness, poor judgment, agitation and the inability to relax, irritability, excessive worrying, anxiety, fear, and moodiness, physical, mental and emotional aches and pains, sense of isolation, lonely feeling, fatigue, depression, nausea, dizziness, constipation and diarrhea, rapid heartbeat, sleeplessness or sleeping too much, withdrawal from society, neglect of responsibilities or procrastination, and increased cigarette, drug or alcohol consumption.