We all deal with stress from time to time. And in many ways, a little stress can be healthy. But when stress is prolonged or chronic, meaning it sticks around for weeks, months, or even years, it can lead to negative changes to your immune system and other biological functions of your body. In line with this, Jumia Travel, the leading online travel agency, shares some of the ways stress can make you sick.
Your teeth are fractured or damaged
Psychological stress really can cause you to grind your teeth—both during the day and at night while you sleep. Teeth grinding can lead to tooth fractures, cavities, and other dental issues, so it’s definitely a habit you’ll want to break.
You’re putting on weight.
Long-term stress can cause you to add weight. This is because stress promotes cravings for high-calorie food. Of course, you know high-calorie foods can lead to weight increase.
Your joints ache
Stress promotes low-grade inflammation, it can heighten symptoms of joints ache in different parts of your body.
You’re always tired
The links between stress and poor sleep are well-established. But even if you feel you’re sleeping well, there’s evidence that stress may trigger feelings of fatigue.
You have headaches
Tension-type headaches have long been associated with stress. Stress-triggered headaches aren’t the result of rising heart rates, but instead seemed tied to over-working yourself when stressed out.
Your blood pressure is too high
To help you survive a precarious situation, stress fires up your sympathetic nervous system, which in turn cranks up your blood pressure so that your limbs and muscles are ready for action. None of that is an issue in the short term. But over time, chronically elevated Blood Pressure can overwork your heart, leading to damaged arteries and blockages. Be careful to put stress in check to forestall a rise in BP.
