Effects of Stress on the Body

Not everyone has the same symptoms of stress and thus the effects of stress on your body can vary in each person. However, no matter what type of stress you have, your body is affected mentally, emotionally and physically.

But remember that no one is free from stress, there can be short term stress and long term stress, each have a different effect on the body.

The effects of stress on your body can become worse or harder to relieve if you consume alcohol, smoke or use drugs. Many think that these relieve stress but it actually keeps our bodies stressed and also causes more health problems.

When short term stress occurs, each person's body can react in different manner, but most of the times one or more of the following occurs:

- Rapid Palpitation
- Chest pain
- Dry mouth
- Stomachache
- Diarrhea
- Increased blood glucose levels.
- Headache, back ache and neck pain
- Harder to Concentrate
- Difficulty sleeping
- Low sex drive
- Decrease in appetite
- Sudden Outbursts of Anger

These effects on the body usually last for a brief period of time, but if they worsen or last for a long time then you may be experiencing long term depression. If someone has long term depression you can see one or more of these effects on the body:

- Chronic head aches
- Frequent Mood Swings
- Long term anxiety
- Frequent use of alcohol or drugs
- High blood pressure
- Rapid Weight loss
- Irritable Bowel Syndrome
- Decreased sexual drive
- Insomnia

As you can see, the effects of stress on the body can be very harmful if not treated. Many suffer from heart attacks or stroke due to high blood pressure and because of becoming easily angered. Seek medical and psychological help to prevent health risks. If your stress has progressed much and you think you can cope with it on your own then you should find out which stress relief techniques you can use to reduce the stress.