Chronic stress can lead to health risks: study

PanARMENIAN.Net - Stress is hard-wired within humans as the body’s response in the face of danger. It is the instinct that helped your ancient ancestors cope with a hazardous world. Even intense short-term stress is not necessarily a bad thing and not likely to cause major health concerns. When it becomes long-term or chronic stress, now that’s a different story. It can usher in numerous negative health effects and be a plague on a person’s life, The Eagle says.

Today, chronic stress has become a problem of epidemic proportion in this country — for people of both genders and all ages. The clinical community continues to warn about the health risks chronic stress can bring. It is worth recounting a few of these risks.

Stress is a hormonal response from the body and can lead to inflammation. It can overburden your mind with never-ending worries. It can make your digestive system go haywire. It can weaken your immune system and be bad for your heart. According to Healthline, if you have a family member with overactive stress responses, you may experience chronic stress, too. Chronic stress can also be a gateway to anxiety and depression. Left untreated, anxiety and depression can lead to even more serious health complications.

Given all the negative results that long-term stress can have on your health, it is important to make relieving stress a priority. Research shows that people who manage stress well tend to live longer and healthier lives. Aside from diet, exercise and relaxation techniques, there are also doctor-recommended medications and therapies for treating stress.

Stress can prompt feelings of anger, nervousness and anxiety. According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, anxiety disorders are the most common form of mental illness in the U.S. Forty million adults in the United States are affected. While it is highly treatable, less than 37% of those suffering from anxiety disorder are said to receive treatment for it. This can lead to depression. Statistics also show that in a given year, an estimated 16.2 million adults in the United States have had at least one major depressive episode.