Stress is fast becoming one of the biggest health concerns for doctors. We’re living more stressful lives than ever, working long hours without enough time off. This fast paced lifestyle is increasing stress levels which lead to all sorts of health problems, both mental and physical. Problems with anxiety and depression are fairly well known symptoms of stress but the negative effects are a lot further reaching than you know. These are just some of the unexpected effects of stress that you could be suffering from right now.
Obesity
Obesity is another huge health epidemic that doctors are struggling to tackle and high stress levels are making it a lot worse. When you’re under a lot of stress your body releases high levels of a hormone called cortisol which encourages weight gain around the stomach, one of the most dangerous areas. Working long hours without breaks also means you’re more likely to snack during the day because you haven’t got time for proper meals and when you get home, you’ll be tired and less likely to spend time cooking fresh food. It’s always important that you eat properly, no matter how busy you are. Eating bad food has a negative effect on your mood which will make you more stressed, creating a vicious cycle.
Addiction
People deal with stress in all sorts of different ways but one of the most damaging things that people do is to rely on alcohol or drugs to relieve stress. It starts out with a drink or two after work to relax but if you don’t keep an eye on it, you can soon spiral and fall into a serious addiction. Once you’re reliant on alcohol to deal with stress, you’ll find it incredibly difficult to cut out the drinking. If you think that you might have developed an addiction problem due to stress you need to seek help from a professional and consider visiting a Health Recovery Centre. Addiction problems caused by stress are more common than you think and they can affect anybody so always keep an eye on the amount that you’re drinking, particularly during the week while you’re at work.
Accelerated Aging
As you start to get older, you’re in a constant battle to stop the signs of aging from showing. But if you find that you’re aging very quickly, it could be down to stress. Studies into the effects of stress found that people who were under a lot of pressure aged as much as 17 times faster than people living a more relaxed lifestyle. That includes the physical signs of aging on the outside, but also your body in general. That means you’re far more likely to get ill from a younger age. At the very least, you’ll notice more lines and wrinkles, but in more extreme cases, you could end up struggling with age related diseases like heart disease or Alzheimer’s a lot earlier than you otherwise would have done.
Most people think that being stressed out is just a part of modern life but it’s doing your body so much damage, so get those stress levels under control right away.