How to Prevent Stress from Harming Your Health
October 05, 2022
![Stress is the body’s reaction to a challenging or demanding situation—either physically, mentally, or emotionally.
There are two types of stress:
Acute stress = short-term stress—like from sitting in traffic or having an argument with a friend
Chronic stress = prolonged stress—like from managing chronic health issues or ongoing money problems
What Happens During the Stress Response?
When faced with a stressor, the body releases adrenaline and cortisol—stress hormones— causing effects such as:
Increased heart rate
Elevated blood pressure
Slowed digestion
Increased sugar in the blood
Changes in immune function
Everyone goes through stressful periods at some point or another, and the stress response is meant to help us protect ourselves against threats.
But when you don’t manage that stress properly, or your stress becomes chronic, it can lead to health problems.
How Stress Affects the Body
Even in the short term, stress can take a toll on your body and contribute to:
[note: thinking of this as an illustrated outline of a body with lines pointing to areas affected]
Headaches
Memory issues
Sleep problems
Skin issues, like acne
Digestive issues, like diarrhea or constipation
Weight gain or loss
Muscle tension and pain
Stress and Your Health
Over time, unmanaged chronic stress can affect your health and increase the risk of:
[note: thinking of this as a section with icons to illustrate each one]
Anxiety
Chronic fatigue
Depression
Diabetes
Heart attack
Heart disease
High blood pressure
Obesity
Stroke
In fact, stress may be a risk factor in up to 90% of diseases.
In particular, research has suggested that some severe stress may significantly increase the risk of developing one or more autoimmune conditions, such as:
Psoriatic arthritis
Psoriasis
Celiac disease
Hashimoto’s thyroiditis
A Snowball Effect
Chronic stress doesn’t just contribute to new health issues—it can also worsen existing health conditions.
Meanwhile, managing a chronic condition can also contribute to increased stress levels, as can caring for a loved one with health issues.
52%
of Americans report that their personal health concerns are a significant source of stress.
51%
of Americans report that family health problems are a significant source of stress.
Stress can also cause people to choose coping mechanisms that can worsen overall health, such as:
Being sedentary
Binge drinking
Smoking
Overeating or making unhealthy food choices
Sleeping too much
Withdrawing from their social life
49%
of Americans say that their behavior has been negatively affected by stress.
42%
of Americans say that they’ve relied on unhealthy habits to get through stress over the past two years.
* Sources: American Psychological Association, Stress in America 2020, 2021, and 2022 survey reports
Healthy Ways to Cope with Stress
Only 58%
of Americans feel they do enough to manage their stress—and this number is on the decline.
79%
of Americans feel they could use more emotional support.
Try these healthy strategies to help manage stress:
Keep a Stress Log
Identifying your personal stress triggers can help you know what to avoid. (Twill Care has an easy-to-use Stress Tracker!)
Write in a Gratitude Journal
Taking time to write down what you’re grateful for can help you focus on the positive.
Practice Mindfulness Meditation
Research suggests that mindfulness may help decrease stress and burnout.
Prioritize Sleep
Stress can affect sleep, and decreased sleep can make stress seem worse than it is. Establish healthy sleep habits (and do your best to stick with them even when you’re stressed).
Stay Active
Exercising regularly may help boost your mood, release feel-good chemicals in the body, and reduce the negative effects of stress.
Eat Healthy Foods
Research suggests that eating plenty of veggies and omega-3s may help regulate your body’s cortisol levels.
Abstain from Alcohol
While it may help take the edge off at first, turning to alcohol to combat stress may actually lead to a heightened emotional state.
Quit Smoking
Smoking may seem to help with stress in the short term, but nicotine cravings and addiction may actually worsen stress levels.
Stay Social
Seeking support from loved ones may help you cope better with life’s stressors.
Schedule “Me Time”
Don’t forget to practice self-care. Carve out a little time each day to do something you love, whether that’s reading a book or cuddling a pet.
Talk with a Therapist
With help from a mental health professional, you can learn tools and strategies for coping with stress and develop a personalized stress management plan that’s best suited for your needs.
Sources
The American Institute of Stress.
American Psychological Association.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (February 2021) Stress & Smoking.
Choi D.-W. et al. (2018) Association Between Sleep Duration and Perceived Stress: Salaried Worker in Circumstances of High Workload. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health.
Cleveland Clinic.
Green A. A. & Kinchen, E. V. (2021) The Effects of Mindfulness Meditation on Stress and Burnout in Nurses. Journal of Holistic Nursing.
Harvard Health Publishing. (August 2012) Watch out for unhealthy responses to stress.
Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. The Nutrition Source: Stress and Health.
Kamiya, K. et al. (2019) Risk Factors for the Development of Psoriasis. International Journal of Molecular Sciences.
Liu Y.-Z. et al. (2017) Inflammation: The Common Pathway of Stress-Related Diseases. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience.
Mayo Clinic.
Mental Health America. Stress: Coping with Everyday Problems.
NIH National Institute of Mental Health. I’m So Stressed Out! Fact Sheet.
NIH National Library of Medicine. (May 2020) Stress and your health.
Schultchen D. et al. (2019) Bidirectional relationship of stress and affect with physical activity and healthy eating. British Journal of Health Psychology.
Song H. et al. (2018) Association of Stress-Related Disorders with Subsequent Autoimmune Disease. Journal of the American Medical Association.](https://prod-us-east-1-hd-cms-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/cms_uploads/en_US/img/crop_images/Twill--Care-Stress-and-Health_c801fc1.png)
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