What Is the Definition of Stress?
Stress is the body’s reaction to potentially dangerous events, whether real or imagined.
When you are threatened, your body undergoes a chemical reaction that allows you to act in a way that prevents injury. The stress response is also known as the “fight-or-flight” reflex.
Your heart rate quickens, your breathing quickens, your muscles constrict, and your blood pressure rises as a result of the stress reaction. You’ve prepared yourself to take action.
It’s how you safeguard yourself.
What Are the Consequences of Long-Term Stress?
It’s not something to be concerned about if you become a little stressed now and then.
Chronic stress, on the other hand, can develop or exacerbate a variety of serious health conditions, including:
- Menstrual problems
- Sexual dysfunction, such as impotence and premature ejaculation in men and loss of sexual desire in both men and women
- Cardiovascular disease, including heart disease, high blood pressure, abnormal heart rhythms, heart attacks, and stroke
- Obesity and other eating disorders
- Mental health problems, such as depression, anxiety, and personality disorders
- Gastrointestinal problems, such as GERD, gastritis, ulcerative colitis, and irritable colon