7 ways stress is harmful to your health

Here are several early warning signs that you could be suffering from stress:

• Irritability

• Headaches

• Body aches

• Sleep problems

• Changes in appetite

If that sounds like you, read on. You could be more at risk than you realise.

7 reasons to get your stress under control

1. Stress makes it hard to control your emotions

An early warning sign your stress may be getting out of hand is an inability to control your emotions. Snapping at friends, family or colleagues for no reason, and overreacting to situations that clearly don’t call for such a reaction.

You see, the prefrontal cortex, the part of your brain that helps control your emotions, is quite sensitive to stress. Furthermore, sleep deprivation due to stress can compound the effect, making outbursts more frequent, intense, and harder to control. This can affect your ability make decisions and also how people perceive you, potentially damaging your reputation. It’s a vicious cycle.

2. Stress weakens your immune system

Stress takes a heavy toll on the body, weakening the immune system, making you more susceptible to a host of germs floating around the home and office. That’s why it’s vital to give yourself time to recover from prolonged stress.

3. Stress can lead to weight gain

Some eat when they’re sad, others eat to avoid their problems. Some do both… And it probably wouldn’t be a problem if you reached for a stick of celery or an apple. But it’s the sweet, high-calorie foods that seem to make us feel better. Hence the weight gain.

4. Stress is bad for dental hygiene

If your jaw is sore, and there’s no mortar and pestle in sight, it’s a good chance you’ve been grinding your teeth. This classic symptom of stress can cause lasting damage to your teeth and jaw.

When combined with a weakened immune system - also due to stress - your mouth can become a haven for bacteria, leading to gum disease, or worse. The resultant bad breath can make close encounters particularly uncomfortable for all involved, impacting interactions at work and home.

Unfortunately, teeth grinding often occurs during sleep, doing harm even when you’re not aware.

5. Stress makes you look older

Stress slows the rate that new cells grow, causing premature signs of ageing. So, if you’re getting wrinkles, grey hair, decreasing muscle mass, and poor eyesight earlier than expected… perhaps it’s a sign you’re under too much stress.

6. Stress can lead to mental health issues

Significant and prolonged stress changes your brain chemistry, dampening the brain’s reward system responsible for providing pleasurable feelings when you’re having fun. Quite simply, the glass is always half empty, and you struggle to find pleasure in pleasurable things. This chemical imbalance can cause anxiety, depression, and even personality disorders.

7. Stress can cause ongoing negative health effects

As if the rest of the article wasn’t enough, here’s a quick mention of some ongoing negative health issues caused by stress.

Stress can cause permanent hair loss, and skin problems such as acne, eczema and psoriasis. Stress is also responsible for a range of gastrointestinal problems including gastritis, ulcerative colitis, reflux, and irritable colon.

When prolonged stress is not treated, it can become chronic. This form of stress doesn't let up, and can lead to heart disease, liver issues, and stroke, amongst other serious conditions.

Final thoughts

People are quite resilient, but you can only take so much before stress starts to take its toll on your health. So, if you’re feeling stressed, stressed about your stress, and noticing it affecting your productivity, health and well-being… then perhaps it’s time to do something about it. Easier said than done, but you can start by pinpointing the source of your stress, and take small, manageable steps to reduce it, and feel more in control.

If the source of your stress is work related, then a conversation with leadership or HR may be in order. And if that doesn’t help, then maybe there’s a better place out there for you. Common causes of stress in the workplace include: overwork, poor communication, unclear expectations, lack of opportunities, and general job dissatisfaction.

If your stress is from home, then some bigger conversations may need be had, perhaps with the assistance of a counsellor. This may include relationship issues or poor work-life balance. If you are already experiencing the negative health affects of stress, consult your doctor, or contact EapAssist for immediate, confidential counselling support.

This is why we built Indie, to help you identify and manage stress in a confidential, private and safe way. Don't wait to get the help you and your team need, get Indie today.