30 Scary Ways Stress Can Mess With Your Body

Stress is a natural part of life, and a little stress can be good for you. It gets blood flowing to your brain and you're able to focus on the task at hand. But it's when stress becomes chronic that it can be detrimental to your body, whether it's from heightened situations at work, family drama or traffic on the freeway.

"Stress can have a huge impact on a person's health," explains internal medicine specialist Dr Matthew Mintz. Just how big of an impact? Dr Mintz says that most doctor's office visits are related to conditions caused or aggravated by stress. Here are 30 alarming - and sometimes surprising - ways stress can mess with your body.

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It can cause you to make bad food choices

When you're stressed, you're more likely to make unhealthy food choices and reach for bags of potato chips instead of carrot sticks.

“Cravings may be triggered by an insufficient level of dopamine or serotonin,” explains holistic health and wellness specialist Natalya Fazylova.

If you're under pressure, the adrenal glands produce cortisol, aka the stress hormone, while the brain has a low serotonin level. This induces cravings for comfort foods such as those high in simple carbohydrates. After you consume them, insulin levels in the blood increase and stimulate the brain to release stored serotonin. “We suddenly feel better, our mood improves, and we function well,” Fazlova says. But this serotonin rush doesn’t last long, and soon after, you'll generally feel tired or hungry again and the same vicious cycle continues.

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It can keep you from exercising

Stressed out and not motivated to hit the gym? pediatritian Dr Nadine Cohen says that stress actually decreases your energy levels. So when you get home from a long day at work, it's more tempting to sit in front of the TV than power up with jumping jacks and squats. However, if you can force yourself to work out during a stressful time, you might actually feel better. Studies have found that exercise can help promote stress relief by reducing anxiety.

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It can lead you to indulge in addictive behaviours

A 2008 study from the Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences suggests that there's a link between addictive behaviours such as drinking and drug use and stress. The more stressed an individual is, the more likely they are to pick up an addiction, maintain one or relapse.

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It can interfere with your sleep habits

There's a complicated relationship between stress and sleep. “The challenge with anxiety and sleep problems is that they make each other worse,” sleep specialist Dr Rita Aouad previously told Prevention. Basically, when you're pulling the string at both ends, you'll likely have trouble falling asleep or staying asleep because your mind is churning over negative thoughts.

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It can throw off your menstrual cycle

Research has shown that stress impacts your hormones, which means that it can definitely mess with your menstrual cycle. “Extreme amounts of stress can affect hormonal levels that are involved in maintaining a normal menstrual flow and ovulatory cycles,” explains fertility specialist Dr Shahim Ghadir.

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It can lead to fertility problems

Stress has been shown to more than double the chance of infertility in women, according to osteopath Dr Leonid Frenkel. One 2014 study from the journal Human Reproduction found that women with the highest levels of stress were significantly more likely to suffer from infertility than others, even when accounting other health factors. It's likely related to interrupted menstrual cycles due to stress.

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It can also lead to a surprise pregnancy

When it comes to a patient’s fertility, stress can play a large role on impacting both positive and negative outcomes. Dr Ghadir explains that when a woman's stress is relieved, she will start ovulating again-and likely won't exactly know about it. If you aren't using proper birth control methods, it can lead to an unexpected pregnancy.

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It can make you more susceptible to illness

Stress usually has a negative impact on sleep, diet and exercise-all major components of overall health. So it's no wonder that your immune system will also be compromised. "Chronic stress is shown to weaken the immune system and make you prone to getting sick more often," explains Dr Mintz.

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It can also temporarily delay an illness

Just as stress can make you sick, it can also keep illnesses at bay, claims Dr Mintz. “During a particularly stressful event when your adrenaline levels are high, you might temporarily be better able to fight off a cold,” he explains. While you might be able to ward off illness during a particularly stressful event or episode, he also notes that it's not uncommon for people to get sick directly after it.

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It can trigger health issues such as shingles.

Because stress has the ability to weaken the immune system, it can also reactivate illnesses such as shingles, otherwise known as as herpes zoster, says Dr Frenkel. Research suggests that there's a link between chronic stress and shingles outbreaks.

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It can cause cold sores.

For those who are prone to cold sores, reducing stress can help prevent an outbreak. You can lower your stress levels by following a healthy diet, getting enough sleep at night and exercising.

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It can cause acid reflux...and lead to ulcers

Have you ever suffered acid reflux during an incredibly stressful event? Acute (sudden) and chronic stress can increase the acid levels in your stomach, causing heartburn and in some cases ulcers, which are open sores on the lining of your stomach. Dr Mintz says.

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It can mess with gut function

There's a strong connection between the brain and gut. When you're stressed, you're more likely to experience IBS symptoms such as diarrhoea, an upset stomach, and bloating. Dr Cohen says that stress actually causes spasms in your gut and can disrupt normal digestive function.

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It can ruin your nails

Not only are you more likely to bite your nails when you are stressed, but high cortisol levels can actually stop your nails from growing-which likely happens because of a stress-related nutrient deficiency. When they eventually start again, horizontal ridges running across your nails called Beau’s lines, will often form. Fortunately, Beau’s lines grow out over time.

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It can lower your sex driv.

Stress can take a toll on your sex life, and one of the ways is by decreasing your sex drive. According to Dr Mintz, when your mind is running amok, you're not going to be interested in getting busy between the sheets.

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It can also impact sexual function

Studies have found that sexual function is also impacted by stress. “Not only can it decrease your drive, but can also influence performance issues as well,” Dr Mintz says.

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It can elevate your blood pressure

Stress contributes directly to risk factors for high blood pressure-like a poor diet and excessive alcohol consumption-so if you're stressed, your blood pressure is likely to go up.

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It can increase your risk of a heart attack or stroke

It's not uncommon for people to suffer heart attacks or strokes when they are seriously stressed out. Stress stimulates a part of your brain called the hypothalamus, which in turn stimulates your adrenal glands to release hormones, cortisol and adrenaline.

This can increase your heart rate and blood pressure. “With ongoing stress, your heart has to work harder to counter the increased blood pressure in order to pump and circulate blood to the body,” Dr Cohen explains. With fluctuations and elevations in blood pressure, you're at increased risk of having a heart attack or stroke.

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It can aggravate respiratory problems

Many years ago, it was thought that asthma may be caused by stress or anxiety. While we now know this isn’t the case, stress and strong emotional reactions can lead to worsening asthma symptoms, explains Dr Mintz. He says it’s also important to keep in mind that chronic stress can lead to anxiety, which can cause panic attacks and perceived difficulty breathing.

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It can mess with your metabolism.

Chronic stress directly correlates with weight gain. Dr Cohen says that cortisol leads your body to hold onto fat rather than burn fat. And because it can increase your cravings for unhealthy foods, you're more likely to develop belly fat.

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It could lead to obesity

Dr Cohen claims there is a connection with “central obesity” and metabolic syndrome-a condition that includes high blood pressure, high blood sugar, excess belly fat, and abnormal triglyceride and cholesterol levels. People who are stressed are more likely to have unhealthy habits that contribute to developing metabolic syndrome. “Metabolic syndrome is associated with poor health outcomes and increased development of premature heart disease,” she adds.

It can make you moody

Chronic stress can impact mood in a number of ways, according to Dr Cohen. “People with ongoing stress can experience excessive worrying, restlessness, difficulty concentrating, irritability, anger, and sadness,” she says. Stress also impacts levels of key mood-affecting neurotransmitters like serotonin and dopamine.

It can aggravate depression symptoms

If you suffer from a mood disorder, you most likely find that stress aggravates these symptoms. “Mood disorders such as generalised anxiety disorder, panic disorder, and depression are all potentially triggered or worsened by ongoing stress levels,” Dr Cohen says.

It can make you more susceptible to seizures.

“Chronic stress can lower the seizure threshold and therefore increase someone’s susceptibility to seizure,” Dr Frenkel says. One study found that acute or chronic stress was the most common seizure trigger for patients with epilepsy.

It can contribute to dementia

High levels of midlife stress have been shown to be associated with greater rates of dementia later in life, says Dr Frenkel. One study found that women who had been through significant mid-life stressors had a 65 percent greater risk of developing dementia.

It can slow down a healing wound

Psychological stress can negatively impact a wound from healing, Dr Frenkel claims-and several scientific studies have suggested that it can. Stress increases the levels of certain hormones in the blood, slowing the delivery of cytokines, which aid with the healing process.

It may cause type 2 diabetes

Stress eating can lead to increased blood sugar levels, which can subsequently cause insulin resistance. “This may suggest that stress can increase the risk of type 2 diabetes,” Dr Frenkel explains.

It can induce headaches

According to the Mayo Clinic, stress is the most commonly reported trigger for tension headaches. The pain is mild to moderate and can feel like a tight band around your head.

It could ruin your hair

Stress can destroy your hair in a variety of ways, from causing hair loss to slowing down its growth. While some of it has to do with hormones, changes in your diet triggered by stress could also be the culprit behind your lackluster locks.

It can make you feel dizzy or jittery

It's not uncommon for people to have shaky hands before giving a speech or during any other angst-inducing event. Neurologist Dr Joseph Jankovic previously explained to Prevention that all of us have psychological tremours. A psychological tremor is a very mild tremour that results from your heart beat, blood flow, and other processes going on inside your body. However, under stressful conditions, this tremour can become more pronounced.