Chronic Stress and Health

Chronic Stress and Health

Why saying “you’re making me sick” is a real thing

In an effort to improve my overall health, I needed to change my environment, the chronic stress was too much. Taking on a project I thought to be a learning experience in my genre, wasn’t.

I gained personal experience at how quickly a person’s health can deteriorate, in the presence of stress.

Over the course of the last year, I’ve tried to internally resolve developing issues; holistically, nothing worked. Initially, I brushed off these symptoms as related to being in perimenopause. I’ve been in perimenopause for longer than these symptoms have existed. I knew something was wrong.

As my readers know, I am transitioning through perimenopause, hopefully, prescription free.

We all know that chronic stress can be the root cause for many health issues; as reported by Undergraduate, Michael Randall of Dartmouth University.

“…the biochemical interactions that constitute the stress response requires a definition of stress. In the realm of biology, stress refers to what happens when an organism fails to respond appropriately to threats.(2)”  Michael Randall, Dartmouth Undergraduate

What type of stress are we talking about?

Not intermittent stressors, like burning your finger or barely avoiding an accident. While those stresses have a similar physiological response; we’re talking about chronic stress as defined by APA.org below:

“..Stress is often described as a feeling of being overwhelmed, worried or run-down. Stress can affect people of all ages, genders and circumstances and can lead to both physical and psychological health issues. By definition, stress is any uncomfortable “emotional experience accompanied by predictable biochemical, physiological and behavioral changes.” Some stress can be beneficial at times, producing a boost that provides the drive and energy to help people get through situations like exams or work deadlines. However, an extreme amount of stress can have health consequences and adversely affect the immune, cardiovascular, neuroendocrine and central nervous systems.(4)”

Research, and the process of elimination, directed me to chronic stress being the root cause of my newly acquired struggles with:

• Weight gain and inflammation
• Nausea and faulty hunger cues
• Inability to concentrate
• Tremors and nervous reactions
• Chronic migraines
• Apathy
• Disordered sleep patterns
• Longer healing and recovery times
• Increased tachycardic events
• A general sense of malaise and fatigue
• A pervasive feeling of dread

These are a few of the symptoms of chronic stress I’ve experienced in the recent past; they align with what the American Physiological Association mentions:

When stress starts interfering with your ability to live a normal life for an extended period, it becomes even more dangerous. The longer the stress lasts, the worse it is for both your mind and body. You might feel fatigued, unable to concentrate or irritable for no good reason, for example. But chronic stress causes wear and tear on your body, too(3). (click for your free download of stress facts from APA.org)

After reviewing the above information, I tried to find resolution directly with the source.

Explaining why I’ve removed my source of chronic stress. It’s 48 hours later, I’ve experience my first uninterrupted night of sleep in a very long time. The feelings of dread are fading and, shockingly, the inflammation is starting to clear; I’m finally able to put my rings on comfortably.The feelings of nausea and inability to manage my body temperature are still present, I’m happy to report I’m headache free for the first time in weeks..

That leaves me to wonder and ask you, my readers:

Have you suffered from unexplained symptoms that might be related to stress?

What have you done to improve your life experience and expectancy?

How long did it take before your life felt normal once again?

Literature Cited:

1. STRESS AND HEALTH: Psychological, Behavioral, and Biological Determinants via the NIH
2. The Physiology of Stress: Cortisol and the Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal Axis via Darthmouth.edu
3. How Stress effects your health via APA.org
4. Understanding Chronic Stress via APA.org