With the rise of stress in people’s lives, a lot of them are finding it harder and harder to just stop and smell the roses, take in the beauty of the nature around them, or practice mindfulness.
If you’re also one of the individuals who’re constantly pushing forward and they’re stretched out in all directions, your health may feel it.
This isn’t necessarily your fault. Indeed, the world is full of stressors, many of which we can’t avoid. The toxins from the water, food, and air and the pressure from technology only add to our level of stress.
Stress, in small amounts, may be an incentive to perform better; however, prolonged exposure to stress is linked with various health issues and has to be addressed.
Unfortunately, many people don’t notice that some health problem they’re struggling with is actually caused by too much stress. Below, check out three health problems that can be caused by chronic exposure to stress.
3 Common Health Problems Triggered by Chronic Stress
- Adrenal fatigue
This is like a dark cloud that’s constantly hanging over you, day and night. You’ll find it hard getting up in the morning or forgetting to shower or dress clean for work.
You may get some boost of energy around 9 or 10 in the morning; however, in the afternoon, you already need a nap. You try to find energy from coffee and sugar.
But, your soul may need something else. Your brain wants it to be quitter, without all that surplus chatter. This fatigue accumulates over a period of time and it’s a result of multiple stresses in life.
Our adrenal glands keep us alive and regulate the stress we’re faced with daily. However, when overworked, these glands will increase the secretion of cortisol and adrenaline to keep us going.
Without proper recovery, the adrenal glands will be on high alert always. To protect the adrenal glands, choose herbs like licorice root and ashwagandha and plenty of fruits and veggies.
Also, it’s pivotal to take rest, exercise, and improve your overall health. Take care of yourself and determine the stressors and address them properly.
- Diseases of the stomach, gallbladder, and liver
One doesn’t have to consume alcohol to deal with a fatty liver or they don’t need to consume hard-to-digest fats to have problems with the gallbladder.
Sometimes, the surplus stomach acid you’re dealing with has to do more with stress than the foods you’re consuming. These organs may be affected when we’re experiencing a lot of stress, anger, and resentment.
Although we can’t avoid stress entirely, we can make appropriate changes in our lifestyle to lower our reactions to stress and take proper self-care.
Better your diet-expel the foods that are causing you health problems and increase the intake of whole foods, including fruits and veggies.
- Nutritional deficiencies
If you’re following an unhealthy diet, chronic stress will only add to the risk of nutritional deficiencies.
This is because stress tends to add to the problem and reduces the minerals and vitamins that we need for optimal health. This in turn results in poorer nutrient absorption and digestion.
Moreover, the vitamins B or the happiness vitamins also decline with chronic stress. We need these vitamins for proper digestion and metabolism. When we’re lacking vitamins B, the carbs we consume don’t turn into energy, but rather into fat.
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