Stress and health

If we ever needed any convincing that stress affected physical health, we shouldn't need it now - not with the economy the way it is and people losing their jobs and homes. But it doesn't take extreme stress, like a death or losing your home to affect people. Smaller stresses, even those that are pleasant, can affect us too. This includes getting married, moving, or having a baby.

How do the stresses affect us? It all depends on the person. Some people who are stressed can't eat. They lose their appetite and lose weight. As they lose weight, they also become malnourished as they're not getting the vitamins and nutrients their body requires. The result? The get sick. Or, they may overeat. Overeating can trigger other problems if the pounds start to add up.

Stress can affect your blood pressure, cause migraines, worsen chronic diseases like asthma or diabetes, and it can bring on other health problems, like shingles (herpes zoster). I remember when I got shingles, my brother had died three months before and I was sick with a cold that had triggered an asthma attack *and* I had a sinus infection. If that combination didn't cause enough stress to trigger shingles, I don't know what stress could be.

So - if we are under stress, what can we do to protect ourselves? Well, you know that whole bit about eating properly, getting enough exercise and sleep? It's even more important when we have stress. And, we need to listen to our body and listen well. If you're one of those people who loses appetite with stress, make sure you eat healthy foods when you do eat, for example.

We can't eliminate stress from our life, but we can change how we react to it.

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