How Chronic Stress Affects the Body

The stress hormone cortisol can impact your health

Stress is a fact of life. Over the short term, it boosts alertness, improves memory, and drives us to accomplish tasks. But chronic stress is different.

Stress triggers the brain to release cortisol, also called "the stress hormone." Again, that's completely natural. But over time, high levels of cortisol cause harm, from head to toe.

In fact: Here's how stress affects specifics parts of your body:

• Your gut
  Stress increases stomach acid and slows blood flow to the digestive system, often worsening conditions like ulcers, acid reflux, irritable bowel syndrome, and more.
• Your weight
  Cortisol triggers appetite, making you want to eat more. Cortisol also makes it hard for your body to produce insulin, which slows your metabolism.
• Your immune system
  Normal amounts of cortisol help fight disease. But too much kicks your immune response into overdrive, exhausting its defenses.
• Your skin
  High cortisol levels prevent the body from fighting inflammation and repairing itself after being injured. They can also trigger eczema and psoriasis flare-ups.
• Your hair
  Each hair follicle goes through a cycle of growth and rest. Stress triggers large amount of follicles to rest at once, and for long periods of time. That causes hair to fall out and slowly regrow.
• Your brain
  Stress can tighten the blood vessels and muscles in your head and neck, bringing on tension headaches or triggering migraines.
• Your heart
  Chronic stress makes your heart beat faster over long periods of time, boosting the risk of high blood pressure. Cortisol can also prevent blood vessels from working properly, which can cause plaque buildup. Left unchecked, these can lead to strokes and heart attacks.

Tips to manage your stress

No one's immune from stress. The trick is to learn how to eliminate unnecessary stress before it becomes a chronic condition. Here are a few tips:

• Get better sleep
  Stress can make it hard to sleep, but going to bed at a consistent time each night, limiting evening screen use, and avoiding caffeine and alcohol before bedtime can aid in better sleep patterns.
• Watch what you put in your stomach
  Stress causes inflammation, but so do alcohol and foods with extra sugar, a high fat content, and the like. The stomach is the second brain, so feed it the good stuff.
• Meditate
  Meditation can have a significant impact on lowering stress levels. As little as 15 minutes three or four times per week can help quiet the mind and help you relax.

Anastasia Hill is the associate editor of Be.Well.