How stress can make you ill

IT is almost a given that you will experience stress in your lifetime, but it is also good to manage your stressors as stress can have adverse effects on your health.

Dr Alfred Dawes, general, laparoscopic and bariatric surgeon, said stress management is important because the consequences of poor management can be dangerous.

“Stress can compromise your immune system, and raise your blood pressure and blood sugar, as the stress hormone cortisol, when elevated over the long term consistently, produces glucose, leading to increased blood sugar levels. Also, the function of cortisol is to thwart the effect of insulin, which makes the cells insulin-resistant and leaves the body in an insulin-resistant state when cortisol levels are high. This will make the pancreas struggle to keep up with the high demand for insulin, while glucose levels in the blood remain high and the cells cannot get the sugar they need. This can lead to poor wound healing among other diabetes complications such as end organ damage, renal failure, cardiac ischemia and damage to the eyes,” he said.

Dr Dawes said poor sleep, which is an end result of stress, can lead to a compromised immune system.

“The antibodies that your cells make to strengthen your immune system are made while you are sleeping, so if you’re not sleeping it affects that production and you become more prone to infections,” he said.

Psychiatrist Dr Roger Roberts said many studies have shown that stress, particularly chronic stress, is associated with many health problems. He said the more common ones include:

1. Obesity

Stress hormones, particularly cortisol, cause increase in weight, and to make the situation worse, cortisol tends to cause excessive amounts of fat to be stored in your abdomen, leading to a large belly.

2. Cardiovascular diseases

“People with high levels of stress are at increased risk for heart attacks and strokes,” Dr Roberts said. He added that stress negatively affects the heart and the blood vessels, which may lead to high blood pressure. Stress may also cause cholesterol as well as blood sugar levels to increase. Dr Roberts said it is important to note that many risk factors for cardiovascular diseases, for example heart attacks and strokes, are associated with chronic stress and include hypertension, diabetes, high cholesterol, obesity and substance use — smoking and alcohol consumption.

3. Gastrointestinal problems

It was once believed that stress caused peptic ulcers, but more recent research suggests that stress does not cause ulcers, but may cause pre-existing ones to act up. “Stress is associated with gastroesophageal reflux disease (commonly known as heartburn) as well as irritable bowel syndrome,” Dr Roberts said.

4. Sex and reproductive problems

Dr Roberts said one may lose his or her sex drive when stressed, but acute stress in men may cause an increase in testosterone, which leads to an increased sex drive. He pointed out that chronic stress may lead to low sperm count and erectile dysfunction, while women can experience reproductive health problems when exposed to chronic stress, including amenorrhoea (absence of menstruation), irregular menses and painful periods.

5. Headaches

According to Dr Roberts, many people only realise that they are stressed when they begin to have headaches. “Stress is indeed one of the most common triggers for migraines and tension headaches,” he said.

6. Mental health problems

Dr Roberts said chronic stress is associated with high levels of depression and anxiety disorders. Additionally, he said, significant stress plays an important role in the onset and the relapse of many mental disorders.

He added that if one is stressed and unable to manage, he or she should seek help from a counsellor/therapist who will likely be able to help. “Managing stress may lead to a healthier, happier and perhaps a longer life,” Dr Roberts said.