How Does Stress Affect Health

When it comes to stress and how does stress affect health, some of the effects believed to be linked to stress have not been validated by research and data.

Traditionally the stomach ulcer has been thought of as one of the health side effects thought to be associated with stress.

Although the stomach acid produced during times of stress may aggravate an ulcer, research actually points more to genetic factors and actually a bacterial infection in the stomach.

There is no doubt however that evidence is mounting in the direction that some health effects are at minimum at least strongly influenced by stress.

Headaches, excessive muscle tension, high blood pressure, rapid heartbeat, interrupted digestion, and other symptoms are often recognized as some of the more common symptoms of stress and your health.

However, having said that, there are indeed longer-term, and more serious, potential consequences from chronic stressful environments.

In part, studies undertaken at the National Institutes of Health and elsewhere, strongly suggest that stress has an effect on the immune system. Interestingly enough, the effect of such stress can actually be positive, as well as negative.

Since stress, under certain circumstances, can be a person's 'fight or flight' response to a perceived threat, it can have a positive effect. In this scenario, stress triggers the release of bodily chemicals that can actually aid in the healing infections from bites, punctures or other damage. It would follow if you consider how evolution may have developed the immune system to deal with these types of maladies.

However, when the periods of your body responding as such occur over a prolonged period of time; the effects of stress on your body can become harmful.

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