Stress Can Literally Make You Sick

When is comes to the physiological changes that occur when experiencing either short-term or long-term stress, it all comes down to biology!

What really matters: our health.

Have you ever been told something like, "a little bit of stress is good for you." Well, it turns out that isn't really true... it is true that some kinds of stress are less bad for you than others, especially in small amounts, for small lengths of time. However, stress can also be really bad for you! Don't take the potential health threat from stress too lightly.

Your Immune system and Stress

The immune system is one of the major body systems, and it functions to protect our bodies from disease and illness. Both acute and chronic stress can have negative effects on a person's immune system, and can ultimately lead to a number of well-known diseases and conditions.

Long Term Effects of Stress

• Cardiovascular disease
• Cancer
• Obesity
• Diabetes
• Premature aging
• Infertility
• Loss of sex drive
• Various psychological disorders

What is Psychoneuroimmunology?

Psychoneuroimmunology examines the relationship between stress and the immune system. This is an exciting field of science that ties together three body systems:

• the nervous system
• the endocrine system
• the immune system

The Different Types of Stress

Different types of stress affect immunity in different ways:

• Acute stress (5-100 minutes), white blood cells move into the skin, and enhance the immune response.
• Stressful event sequence (i.e. personal trauma and events that follow) no overall significant immune changes.
• Chronic stressors (i.e. unemployment) have negative effects on almost all functional measures of immunity.

In Conclusion

It has already been scientifically proven that hormone-like substances called neuropeptides appear to translate stressful emotions into biochemical events, some of which affect the immune system. In other words, there is a physical link between emotions and immune function. Stress can literally make you sick.

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About the Author

I started blogging about two years ago, and my collection of blogs and articles is getting pretty impressive. I’ve taken online classes for writing, and even some classes about the art of blogging itself. It would be really awesome if you join the adventure and maybe even help me think of what to write about next. If you would like to submit some feedback or ideas, you can always tweet me on Twitter.

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Work Cited

“Chronic Stress Can Damage Brain Structure and Connectivity.” Psychology Today, Sussex Publishers, Website.

“Psychoneuroimmunology: Conditioning and Stress.” Annual Reviews, Website.

“Stress.” CMHA National, 27 Feb. 2016, Website.