Stress is something we have all dealt with in our day-to-day lives. Whether it’s caused by a job interview, a client presentation, or a major negative life change such as a relative’s death. Stress is our body’s natural reaction to changes and events in our environment, but what happens if stress becomes constant and lasts for an extended period of time? Here’s the danger that chronic stress poses to your health.
What is stress?
According to the Australian Psychological Society, stress feels like being “overloaded, wound-up, tense and worried” when we encounter difficult situations. The brain and body naturally reacts to stress, causing some changes in the body. There are two types of stress, the Australian Psychological Society says. Acute stress is temporary, and is caused by situations such as meeting a deadline or answering an exam. However, when stress becomes constant and is felt for a long time, it becomes chronic stress. Situations such as domestic violence or living in a stressful environment may cause chronic stress.
Chronic stress may lead to chronic disease over time
Stress is not always bad. According to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), stress can also motivate us to overcome the situations we face. However, long-term or chronic stress may be dangerous to health. NIMH says that people experiencing chronic stress are more susceptible to viral infections such as flu, but what makes it more dangerous is it increases the risk of chronic disease in the long run. If chronic stress stretches over a long period of time, it may lead to chronic diseases such as heart disease, high blood pressure and other illnesses.
How can you effectively manage stress?
Now that you know how chronic stress can negatively affect your health, what can you do to effectively manage it? According to the U.S. National Institute of Health’s website MedlinePlus, here are some ways that may help prevent stress from becoming long-term.
- Try to have a positive outlook towards life’s challenges
- Spend time and surround yourself with the people you enjoy being with
- Take a breather and spend time with yourself doing a hobby
- Exercise to help your brain release “feel-good” chemicals
- Fuel your mind and body with healthy food and enough sleep
- As much as you can, avoid situations that may cause chronic stress
Can Vitamin D help manage stress?
Aside from doing these simple ways to reduce stress, monitoring your Vitamin D levels may also help. According to Dr. Michael F. Holick in his book The Vitamin D Solution: A 3-Step Strategy to Cure Our Most Common Health Problem (2010), Vitamin D indirectly helps in daily stress management. It regulates the enzyme tyrosine hydroxylase, which is vital to the production of certain hormones (dopamine, epinephrine and norepinephrine). These said hormones are produced to help us cope with stress on a daily basis. Insufficient supply of Vitamin D may lead to the continuous production of these hormones, possibly resulting to constant exhaustion and eventually, chronic fatigue.
Stress is inevitable in our daily lives. While we should try to manage stress as effectively as we can, we cannot completely avoid it. Fortunately, there are various ways we can try to manage it.
