2023-11-10 19:45:00
November 10, 2023, 8:45 p.m. | Reading time: 6 minutes
Under pressure – constantly: When we experience constant stress, it doesn’t just affect our mood. How stress affects the body. And how we can find a way out of it.
Many people dismiss stress as a bad thing per se. But it’s not that simple, because in principle it is a natural and useful reaction of the body. It is vital in some situations. However, in everyday life, stress can be stressful and have an impact on well-being and health. That’s why it’s important not to permanently ignore signals from the body that indicate stress.
What function stress actually has for our body
And that’s what’s behind it: As soon as we perceive a situation as threatening, our body switches to alert mode. “The reaction is triggered in the brain,” says doctor Ralf Suhr, chairman of the Health Knowledge Foundation. As a result, messenger substances called stress hormones are released – for example norepinephrine, adrenaline and cortisol.
As a result, our body releases more energy – we become more alert and can react more quickly. This was crucial for our ancestors when a dangerous animal suddenly appeared from which we had to flee.
From the peak of stress to the permanent state
However, these days it is rarely an encounter with a wild bear that triggers a stress reaction in us. Instead, it is our everyday life: high demands, constant time pressure, sensory overload. All of this can cause long-term stress, which has a negative impact on our health.
Because the ongoing stress doesn’t give the body time to recover. Disease-causing processes can accelerate in the event of chronic stress. “However, a direct connection between stress and certain diseases cannot be proven so easily in studies,” explains Ralf Suhr.
Nevertheless, various diseases are associated with chronic stress. In this way, it can suppress the immune system – as a result, you are often more susceptible to infections. In addition, stressed people often develop unhealthy behaviors. For example, you sleep poorly or too little, eat hastily or unhealthy, or smoke.
Also interesting: How stress can affect weight
Our body uses these signals to show us when we are under too much stress
1. in the gastrointestinal area
One consequence of stress can be digestive problems – even if you have eaten foods that you actually tolerate well. “Some people then have a tendency to have diarrhea,” says Prof. Mazda Adli, psychiatrist at the Fliedner Clinic in Berlin and stress researcher at the Charité.
However, with constant stress it can also happen that the intestines become rather sluggish. Some people’s appetite also decreases. Stress can also contribute to heartburn or irritable bowel syndrome, as Adli explains.
2. in the cardiovascular system
When we are under acute stress, our heart beats faster and blood pressure rises. If stress becomes a constant condition, it promotes diseases such as high blood pressure. “Cardiac arrhythmias are also possible,” says Mazda Adli.
Chronic stress is also a risk factor for heart attacks or strokes, which can be exacerbated by unhealthy behaviors such as smoking.
3. in the muscles
Stress can lead to tension. This could be the neck muscles, which are so tight that you can hardly turn your head. Back pain can also occur. All of this often leads to incorrect strain on the musculoskeletal system. Painful, possible consequences: a herniated disc or lumbago.
4. in metabolism
Stress may contribute to metabolic diseases such as type 2 diabetes or elevated cholesterol levels.
“When stressed, the body releases more of its energy reserves, both sugar and fat, because it feels threatened,” explains Mazda Adli. “At the same time, stress hormones promote resistance to insulin.” The result: blood sugar levels rise.
The stress hormone cortisol also ensures that the body continually replenishes its sugar and fat depots. This can result in the body being provided with more energy than it ultimately needs.
This excess sugar and fat can lead to increased storage of abdominal fat, constrict the bloodstream and put strain on the blood vessels and promote metabolic diseases.
Also interesting: Sit-ups against belly fat? Expert explains whether this works
5. in the psyche
“The brain and therefore the psyche react very sensitively to chronic stress,” says Mazda Adli. Because constant stress puts the body on permanent alert. This constant activation leads to mental illness. “The best-known mental illness resulting from stress is depression,” explains Adli.
The increased release of cortisol can also cause concentration to decline, and long-term pressure can manifest itself in the form of memory problems. Since stress is usually associated with a feeling of fear, anxiety and panic attacks can occur in the medium to long term.
Also interesting: Singer Pink speaks openly about her panic attacks
What we can do against stress
If your body is already sending signals and you notice that stress has permanently entered your life, you should try to take countermeasures. Conscious, regular recovery phases in everyday life are a good start. These can be short mindfulness exercises such as consciously breathing in and out. Regular exercise also counteracts chronic stress.
Helpful in the long term: work on stress-promoting thought and behavior patterns. For example, beliefs like “I have to be perfect and not make mistakes”.
What is also important to find a way out of stress: maintain friendships, pursue a hobby. “All of this not only leads to psychological relaxation and the promotion of positive emotions, but also directly counteracts the constant biological alarm in the body,” says Mazda Adli.
Reduce stress with neurocentric training
One way to reduce stress is through special training. “Neurocentric training specifically activates areas that help reduce stress and at the same time promote cognitive performance. “Breathing and mindfulness exercises stimulate the prefrontal cortex, an area of the brain that is particularly responsible for emotions such as satisfaction, empathy, regulation and planning,” expert Luise Walther explained to us.
Techniques that can be used include:
Abdominal breathing 2-2-4-2 breathing mindfulness exercise palming
You can find out exactly how these methods work in this FITBOOK article.
With material from dpa
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