Even though most of the world doesn’t realise it, stress is actually one of the biggest health concerns of the modern age, and more scientists around the planet are starting to link stress to many of the health issues that we face on a daily basis. Stress comes from a wide range of different sources, from traffic to work to the neighbour’s barking dog.
The effects of stress are felt for years if not addressed in good time, and can lead to serious problems later down the line, both mentally and physically. For those wandering how stress affects the human body and why it’s considered so toxic, this is a simple breakdown of stress and it’s downsides.
The Fear Response
When our ancient ancestors were being attacked by a wild animal, their bodies would automatically switch over to a fear response mode, which gave them heightened senses, stronger muscles, faster reflexes, and more. This response, however, is only meant to be short lived, as it’s fairly taxing on the body to maintain this. We no longer have the same stressors as they did, but we have continued to be stressed out by the things around us, and our bodies are having the same reaction except over a much longer period of time.
It’s obvious as to why this could become a problem if left unchecked, and why high levels of stress are often linked with cardiovascular disease. And because our brain is not able to differentiate between a wild animal and a noisy and stressful office environment, we are not able to turn it off, and we sometimes have to spend hours playing video games or checking out Australian betting sites to unwind.
Teeth And Gum Damage
A large study from 2012 showed that stress can actually damage our teeth and gums, usually due to them grinding their teeth while they are sleeping. Stress is not a response that always goes away when we sleep, especially if we are highly stressed about something in particular, and we don’t resolve it or find other methods of cutting down the amount of stress that our bodies are experiencing. This can serious long term consequences, as it can be expensive to repair tooth damage and cost no small amount to fix.
Stress and Weight
The human body is designed to put on as much weight as possible, which has become a problem as we have access to a much wider range of foods, which has lead to the obesity crisis that many countries are experiencing. The fact of the matter, however, is that our brains, when stressed, will inevitably make us turn toward calories as a vice, and it’s a problem that can quickly spiral out of control. Eating too much is a very common sign of a person being highly stressed, and it’s a problem that can lead to weight gain, which in turn can put extra strain on the body, especially the heart.
These are just a few reasons as to why we need to try and cut down on the amount of stress that we experience on a day to day basis.