{"id":63734,"date":"2017-11-29T11:15:02","date_gmt":"2017-11-29T16:15:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/?p=63734"},"modified":"2021-05-05T07:59:03","modified_gmt":"2021-05-05T11:59:03","slug":"effects-of-stress-health","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/lifestyle\/effects-of-stress-health\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Reasons You Need to Address Your Stress, Stat"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"5
Photo: Twenty20<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

You\u2019ve heard it before, but we\u2019ll say it again: The effects of stress can harm both your mind and your body. Not only can tension affect your mood and mental health<\/a>, but experts and research also link it to major health concerns like heart disease, insulin resistance and chronic inflammatory conditions.<\/p>\n

\u201cStress<\/a> is not something that is all in your mind. It\u2019s a set of objective, measurable events that take place in body and brain, a complex physiological process,\u201d says Kyle Davies<\/a>, psychologist and author of The Intelligent Body<\/em><\/a>. \u201cThe body\u2019s stress response is exactly the same regardless of whether the \u2018trigger\u2019 is a physical injury (such as a car accident), an illness (like a virus) or a blockage of emotion.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are now beginning to see that emotional stress contributes to a massive range of social, economic and health problems,\u201d Davies continues. \u201cEmotional stress plays a part in almost everything from mental health problems like anxiety<\/a> and depression to a huge array of chronic physical problems.\u201d<\/p>\n

Considering all the health effects of stress, the question is: Do you have it on your wellbeing-boosting priority list? To convince you take care of it stat, we\u2019ve listed five sneaky ways stress can mess with you both physically and mentally. Read on, then start your de-stress journey with expert-approved tips<\/a> and\u00a0meditation apps<\/a>\u00a0that make calming down a little more doable.<\/p>\n

RELATED: <\/strong>Stressed Out? 45 Resources to Help You Relax<\/a><\/p>\n

5 Surprising Effects of Stress on Your Well-Being<\/h2>\n

1. Poor Gut Health<\/h3>\n

Think it\u2019s just greasy burgers and milkshakes that can wreak havoc on your tummy? It turns out stress can be just as bad for your belly as an unhealthy diet.<\/p>\n

New research<\/a> from Brigham Young University shows that when female rats were exposed to stress, their gut microbiome<\/a> \u2014 the trillions of bacteria that live in the digestive tract and influence everything from digestion to immunity to sleep quality<\/a> to brain health \u2014 changed to resemble the digestive tracts of mice who ate a high-fat diet. In other words, stress can make your microbiome appear like you just downed a load of french fries even when you didn\u2019t. Yikes. While more scientists call for more research to understand this link, they think that these changes in the gut may be part of the puzzle that links stress, mood disorders and obesity.<\/p>\n

RELATED: <\/strong>Here\u2019s What to Eat to Help You De-Stress<\/a><\/p>\n

2. Slower Workout Recovery<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Sure you need to physically \u201cstress\u201d your muscles to get stronger<\/a>, but mental stress can also have a big impact on your body\u2019s ability to recover post-workout<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can be doing all the right things training-wise, but if you\u2019re not managing stress<\/a> properly or getting proper rest, it affects the body\u2019s ability to bounce back,\u201d says Angie Fifer<\/a>, certified mental performance consultant and Association for Applied Sport Psychology executive board member. Translation: Instead of reaping a workout\u2019s rewards \u2014 like an energy and mood boost<\/a>, as well as muscle gain \u2014 you could end up feeling more fatigued and sluggish and curbing results.<\/p>\n

3. Trouble Sleeping<\/h3>\n

Speaking of fatigue, there\u2019s nothing worse than trying to get a good night\u2019s rest when you have a lot on your mind. According to W. Christopher Winter, MD, president of Charlottesville Neurology and Sleep Medicine<\/a> and author of The Sleep Solution<\/a><\/em>, stress tinkers with our zzz\u2019s by sacrificing deep sleep<\/a> for more light sleep. This leads to more frequent (and longer) awakenings in the middle of the night. So in the morning, you end up\u00a0feeling tired<\/a>, rather than refreshed.<\/p>\n

Stress also tends to hinder our perception of sleep duration. \u201cThink about that one for a bit…stress makes us think we have gotten far less sleep than we actually have. In some cases, it can make an individual who has slept 6 hours feel like he or she got no sleep,\u201d he says. This can then lead to feeling even more<\/em> stressed. Talk about a bad sleep cycle.<\/p>\n

RELATED: <\/strong>6 Signs That You\u2019re Exhausted (Not Just Tired)<\/a><\/p>\n

4. Mouth Problems<\/h3>\n

Canker sores, bleeding gums, sensitive teeth \u2014 yes, stress can bring on all of these issues. According to a study in the International Dental Journal<\/a><\/em>, people who reported oral health problems<\/a>, such as sensitivity and bleeding, had higher work stress<\/a> scores compared to those who didn\u2019t. In another study published in the Annals of Periodontology<\/a><\/em>, people who experienced higher levels of financial stress and poor stress coping skills had higher levels of periodontal (or gum) disease. The good news: Those with high money-related stress, but good coping skills had the same incidence of gum disease as people under low stress.<\/p>\n

5. A Cranky Jaw<\/h3>\n

Do you ever clench your jaw or facial muscles when you feel tense? Not only can this lead to unwanted wrinkles, it can cause your jaw to ache, click or lock. When you tense the muscles around your face and jaw or grind your teeth, you put extra pressure on the joint, which can lead to pain. In fact, researchers<\/a> have found that stress, anxiety and depression<\/a> may contribute to symptoms of temporomandibular disorders aka TMD.<\/p>\n

Read More
\n<\/strong>8 Signs You\u2019re Way Too Stressed (And How to Deal)<\/a>
\nStressed Out? Here\u2019s How to Finally Find Relief<\/a>
\n11 Simple Ways to Relieve Stress Now<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Put de-stressing on your health priority list. These five surprising effects of stress on health should convince you to sign up for some serious self-care.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":41,"featured_media":63741,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[8,12,13,15],"tags":[159,173,280,282,341,360],"class_list":["post-63734","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-lifestyle","category-mental-health","category-sleep","category-stress","tag-anxiety","tag-meditation","tag-sleep","tag-stress","tag-tax1living-well","tag-tax2stress-management"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/63734","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/41"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=63734"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/63734\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/63741"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=63734"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=63734"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=63734"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}