IMPACT OF STRESS ON HEALTH 3
Impactof Stress on Health
Accordingto Taylor (2014), stress can significantly affect the human body. Ifstress is left unchecked and unmanaged, it can create a number ofhealth problems that can be costly or even impossible to treat.Stress affects a person’s behavior, thoughts and feelings. Stressmakes the muscles to tense up and if it persists for a long time, thebody remains in a constant state of guardedness. When muscles remainunder tension for a long time, it creates other reactions in the bodythat lead to stress-related disorders such as headaches and even highblood pressure in extreme cases (Taylor, 2014). Stress affects thedigestive system because it hinders nutrient absorption through theintestines creating stomach-related problems such as diarrhea andconstipation. Stress also causes other stomach disorders such asvomiting and if it becomes chronic, one can develop ulcers and severeabdominal pains.
Accordingto Taylor, stress also affects the respiratory system (2014). It alsoaffects the breathing rate forcing one to breathe hard, which cancreate complications for people suffering from asthma or other lungdiseases. According toan article by the American Psychology Association (APA),long-term continued stress is hazardous for people suffering fromheart conditions because it can easily case stroke or heart attack.Moreover, stress makes the liver produce extra glucose to provide thebody with more energy to respond to emergencies. The extra glucose isno cause of alarm in healthy people but for people vulnerable to Type2 diabetes, it can worsen their health condition. Finally but not toend the least of the impacts of stress on human health, it hampersboth the male and female reproductive system. Stress causes irregularmenstruation periods and lack of sexual desire in women and can causeerectile dysfunction or impotence in men (AmericanPsychology Association).
References
AmericanPsychology Association (APA). TheImpact of Stress.Retrieved from: https://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/stress/2011/impact.pdf
Taylor,S. E., (2014). HealthPsychology (9 th edition).McGraw-HillEducation.