We all experience stress. It’s a normal part of life, whether it’s a looming deadline, financial worries, or relationship troubles. But when stress becomes chronic, constantly simmering in the background, it can damage both mental and physical health.
When you feel stressed all the time, your body stays in fight-or-flight mode, releasing stress hormones adrenaline and cortisol. Too much exposure to stress hormones disrupts other bodily functions, causes symptoms of anxiety and depression, raises blood sugar levels, and can even impair reproductive functions.
Learning to recognize and manage the effects of chronic stress can help prevent negative health effects and improve overall well-being.
What Is Chronic Stress?
Stress is the way your body responds to a threat. When your brain senses a crisis or danger, it triggers your adrenal glands to release stress hormones like adrenaline and cortisol. These hormones create a rush of energy, raising your heart rate, increasing blood sugar to fuel cells, and sharpening focus. Stress hormones affect mood, increasing anxiety and making you feel jumpy or tense.
At the same time, your body de-prioritizes functions that don’t aid the fight-or-flight response, such as the immune system, digestive system, reproductive system, and growth processes.
Chronic stress occurs when your life circumstances feel like a constant threat. Your body continually releases stress hormones, so you are in fight-or-flight mode most of the time.
Chronic vs. Acute Stress:
Acute stress is a short-term situation that provokes a stress response in your body. You might experience acute stress if you suddenly have to slam on the brakes to avoid an accident. The situation has a clear endpoint when you calm down and your stress hormones go back to normal levels.
Chronic stress is any ongoing situation that triggers the stress response, with no end in sight. It can stem from work concerns, financial strain, relationship problems, caregiving responsibilities, or health issues.
Signs and Symptoms of Chronic Stress
Signs of chronic stress often build gradually, making them easy to dismiss or normalize. Symptoms vary from person to person. Being familiar with the signs and symptoms of chronic stress can help you manage the symptoms and prevent health effects.
Physical Symptoms
Chronic stress can cause noticeable physical symptoms.
- Fatigue: Changes to sleep patterns and a persistent state of heightened alert can lead to exhaustion.
- Muscle tension: Stress can show up as muscle tension, causing stiffness and discomfort and affecting your daily life.
- Headaches: The muscle tension from chronic stress can also lead to headaches.
Emotional Symptoms
Chronic stress can affect your mood and may exacerbate symptoms of existing mood disorders.
- Anxiety and irritability: Chronic stress can make you feel worried, on edge, and easily frustrated.
- Depression: Chronic stress can cause or worsen symptoms of depression. It might provoke feelings of hopelessness, and you may lose interest in activities you typically enjoy.
- Overwhelm: Chronic stress can be caused by having multiple competing responsibilities. Feeling constantly “on call” can be overwhelming.
Behavioral Symptoms
Stress may make it more difficult to maintain relationships and engage in basic self-care.
- Changes in appetite: Some people may lose interest in food during long periods of stress. Others may overeat as a form of self-soothing.
- Withdrawing from others: It may feel challenging or unappealing to engage with other people while stressed. This can lead to social isolation.
- Difficulty concentrating: Stress responses cause your brain to focus on whatever is causing stress. That can make it hard to concentrate on anything else in your life.
How Chronic Stress Affects Your Body
Stress responses divert resources away from body systems that don’t support the fight-or-flight response. Chronic stress can cause prolonged reduction in function of those systems.
- Weakened immune system: Stress hormones negatively affect the immune system. This can lead to increased susceptibility to illness, slower healing, and more frequent colds or infections.
- Cardiovascular issues: Stress causes increased blood pressure and a faster heart rate, increasing the risk of heart disease, stroke, and irregular heartbeats.
- Sleep problems: Stress can cause sleep disturbances, leaving you feeling un-rested, exhausted, and foggy during the day.
- Digestive distress: Stress can trigger a range of digestive problems, including stomach upset, appetite changes, and worsened symptoms of existing gastrointestinal (GI) issues like irritable bowel syndrome.
Chronic stress symptoms can create or worsen other symptoms. For example, panic attacks can feel like a heart attack, which adds to overall stress. Another complication is that poor sleep and immune system weakness can make you more likely to get sick more often and make it harder to get better.
Chronic Stress on Your Mind and Mental Health
Chronic stress can increase the risk of mood disorders like depression or anxiety. It can also negatively affect cognitive functions like memory and focus.
Elevated levels of stress hormones can affect the hippocampus, a brain region responsible for memory. Chronic stress can also reduce executive functions like cognitive flexibility, behavioral inhibition, and working memory.
This can lead to cognitive symptoms such as:
- Difficulty concentrating
- Memory issues
- Decision fatigue
- Brain fog
- Reduced ability to regulate emotions
Long-term stress can also worsen sleep, which compounds mood and cognitive problems. You may experience symptoms such as:
- Persistent irritability
- Feeling detached
- Loss of interest in things once enjoyed
Examples of Chronic Stress
Chronic stress can have many causes. One or more challenging life circumstances can trigger long-term stress symptoms.
- Work and career: Long hours, increasing workload, or high physical demands can create job-related stress that lingers after work hours.
- Finances: Money concerns are a common and persistent source of stress for many people.
- Relationships: Problems in romantic, family, or professional relationships can lead to ongoing stress and worry.
- Health and caregiving: Caring for a sick or aging loved one brings increased responsibility and can strain the relationship, adding more stress. A serious illness is stressful in itself, and being out of work adds stress about career and finances.
- Environments: Living or working in an environment that doesn’t feel safe or support rest can cause long-term stress.
How to Reduce Chronic Stress
Taking proactive steps to manage stress can help you safeguard your physical and mental health. Stress management techniques are a great way to regain control of your health and well-being.
- Exercise regularly: Physical activity is an effective stress reliever. About 30 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise most days of the week can improve your mood and reduce stress.
- Relaxation techniques: Practice relaxation techniques like deep breathing, meditation, or yoga to calm your mind and body.
- Stay connected with supportive people: Stay in touch with friends or family members who offer positive support. Even short interactions can help you feel less isolated.
- Healthy habits: Quality sleep, eating a balanced diet, and limiting alcohol and caffeine intake may improve your stress resilience.
- Seek support: If lifestyle changes aren’t enough, talk to a therapist, counselor, or healthcare provider.
- Set boundaries around work and commitments: Set personal boundaries about how many hours you can work and how much of a workload you can take on. Communicate that to your workplace and avoid accepting more work than you can truly handle.
Small changes to reduce stress are easier to manage than trying to do a major life overhaul. Choose a few strategic changes and follow through consistently.
Manage Your Stress for Long-Term Health
Chronic stress can affect your whole body, not just your mental health. The extensive effects are why it’s worth taking stress-related symptoms seriously.
Lifestyle changes work as an effective chronic stress treatment and can help you find more balance in your life. In some cases, a medical evaluation can help address physical symptoms and prevent long-term effects of chronic stress.
Employers can partner with Next Level Prime to offer employee wellness programs and stress-management resources. Programs like health and wellness coaching, as well as behavioral health and emotional counseling, are available virtually for Next Level Prime members.
To learn more about Next Level Prime, visit our website or contact the Next Level Prime team today.
