It’s estimated that stress, anxiety and depression are the reasons for one-in-five visits to GP’s in the UK, unsurprising given the wide-ranging physiological changes that accompany a stress response. Stress not only affects just about every bodily system or part, but can also exacerbate the symptoms of other illnesses.
When you are under stress, your muscles contract and become tense – a muscle tension that affects your nerves, blood vessels, organs, skin and bones. Seriously tense muscles can result in a range of conditions and disorders including muscle spasms, cramping, facial or jaw pain and the shakes. Many forms of headache and chest and back pain are also the result of stress-induced muscle tension.
Stress can also contribute to circulatory diseases such as coronary heart disease, sudden cardiac death and strokes – unsurprising since it can increase your blood pressure, constrict your blood vessels, raise your cholesterol level and speed up your blood-clotting rate. Stress is now considered a major risk factor in heart disease – right up there with smoking, being overweight and lack of exercise.
Ever notice how stress hits your stomach? Your gastrointestinal system can be a ready target since stress affects the secretion of stomach acid and can speed up or slow down the contraction of muscles in your intestines. Constipation, diarrhea, gas, bloating and weight loss can all be stress-related. It can also contribute to gastric reflux and can play a role in exacerbating irritable bowel syndrome and colitis.
Read the full article at http://www.integrated-training.co.uk/fight-stress.html
