Physical issues related to Stress

In some ways, the most serious physical results of stress are those that build up over time.

The system that is most affected is the cardiovascular system – the heart and all the arteries and veins that carry blood to and from the muscles and organs that the heart supplies with blood. Stress stimulates the body to supply more blood to major muscles, while organs – for example, those responsible for digestion – receives less blood. All this involves changes to the blood vessels themselves.

The bad news is that long-term stress simulation of this system causes our blood pressure to rise as the vessels struggle to cope with the extra blood rushing through. It triggers changes in the way the heart muscles works, meaning that there is an increased risk of unusual or irregular beats. As if that weren’t enough, chronic stress can also increase the risk of developing narrowing arteries.

Chronic stress has, therefore , been linked to an increased risk of developing cardiovascular problems such as heart attacks and stroke. Acute stress can also trigger symptoms in these areas, bringing on conditions such as angina and chest pain.

Meanwhile, of courses, as can worsen illnesses related to poor circulation such as Reynaud’s phenomenon, where people find that the blood supply to fingers and toes actually cuts of in cold weather, leaving their digits white, pale and painful.

Most of the problems stress causes in the cardiovascular system are related to constant simulation it receives. But remember that while the sympathetic system is overactive, it also effectively turns out the system that controls digestion. This means that stress very often causes some kind of digestive symptoms – from mild problems with indigestion to more serious problems that require investigation and treatment.

-Excerpt form Dr.Middleton’s book Stress