Your body’s stress response can trigger several physiological changes, which can affect immune function. Why you’re stressed and how long you’re stressed can impact how your immune system responds.
When you feel stressed, your body undergoes several changes to help you survive and overcome perceived threats and obstacles. These changes allocate resources to critical functions in your body, such as elevating your heart rate and breathing and slowing your digestion.
Your body also has an immune response during your stress reaction. The exact effects depend on your stressor and how long you’re exposed. It can contribute to a variety of short and long-term health effects.
What is the link?
Your immune system is an intricate part of your stress reaction (also known as your “stress cascade”). In fact, your stress reaction primarily involves your nervous, endocrine, and immune systems.
When stress first occurs, your body initiates the acute stress phase, sometimes called the “alarm” phase.
At this stage, specialized immune cells are transported through the bloodstream and into areas of the body most likely to encounter bacteria, viruses, and fungi, like the skin. This helps boost immunity so the body can respond to an immediate immune threat.
When stress persists too long, becoming prolonged or chronic, your immune function declines.
Over time, your body has to find ways to counteract the persistent inflammatory processes caused by unrelenting stress. It starts releasing anti-inflammatory cytokines, which are intended to cancel the stress reaction once a perceived threat is no longer present.
When the stressors don’t go away, your body can become caught in a cycle of pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory processes, which can contribute to what’s known as “sickness behavior,” a group of symptoms including fatigue and cognitive impairment.
Ultimately, prolonged stress exposure can weaken your overall immunity.
Symptoms of stress
Stress can have body-wide effects and can impact both your mental and physical health.
Common symptoms of stress include:
- rapid heartbeat
- increased respiration
- sweating
- shortness of breath
- elevated blood pressure
- chest pain
- muscle aches and pains
- headaches
- nausea or vomiting
- bowel changes
- loss of appetite
- overeating
- fatigue
- sleep disturbances
- skin changes
- anxiety
- depression
- mood shifts
- irritability
- burnout
- low concentration
When it comes to your immune system, specifically, symptoms of stress can include:
- increased rate of infections
- delayed wound healing
- frequent colds or cold-like illnesses
- chronic inflammatory conditions
- new or worsening autoimmune conditions
- new or worsening allergies
Stress management
There are many different ways to manage stress in the moment and in the long term. It’s OK to try different options until you find one (or more) that aligns with your lifestyle and preferences.
Stress management methods can include:
Progressive muscle relaxation
Progressive muscle relaxation (PMR) is an in-the-moment technique for relieving stress when it’s short-term or acute, when it first happens.
You can perform PMR by taking a few moments to relax all of your body’s muscles, starting at your feet and working your way up to your head. Then, close your eyes to shut out visual stimuli and actively focus on relaxing the muscles in one body part at a time.
You can do PMR as often as needed.
Other in-the-moment techniques you can try include:
- sensory grounding
- deep breathing exercises
- taking a short break or walk
- structured counting
- positive affirmations
Exercise
Physical exercise can help relieve stress in the short — and long-term. A wealth of research supports using exercise to reduce stress levels, and how you go about it is completely up to you.
Exercises that can help to manage stress include:
- running
- yoga
- hiking
- walking
- swimming
- cycling
- strength training
Meditation
Meditation describes hundreds of different approaches to achieving a state of mind-body balance and awareness.
Mindfulness meditation is a well-researched methodology that involves focusing on the present moment and learning to let unhelpful thoughts pass without dwelling on them.
Mediations may be beneficial for relieving mental and physical symptoms of stress, making it a powerful tool to consider adding to your routine.
Journaling
Expressing negative thoughts and emotions can help relieve stress and promote proactive approaches to problem-solving. You can do this through journaling, writing down your thoughts with paper and pen, or in a digital format.
In addition to stress management, research indicates journaling can be helpful in managing symptoms of certain mental health conditions, like anxiety disorders, that may contribute to chronic stress.
Treatment options for stress
If stress is affecting your daily life, it can be helpful to speak with a mental health care professional.
They can work with you to identify the stressors in your life and establish new coping skills. Certain therapy frameworks, like cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), focus on restructuring unhelpful thought and behavior patterns that contribute to stress.
A doctor may also prescribe medications to help with distressing symptoms that accompany stress, like anxiety, depression, or gastrointestinal upset.
Each person’s symptoms and underlying causes of stress can be different, but examples of medications used for stress-related symptoms across a variety of conditions include:
- SSRI and SNRI antidepressants (Prozac, Zoloft, Cymbalta)
- anti-anxiety medications (Xanax, Valium, Buspar)
- beta-blockers (Inderal, Lopresor, Tenormin)
- sedatives (Ambien, Lunesta, Rozerem)
- mood stabilizers (Lithium, Depakote, Lamictal)
When to speak with a doctor
Stress is not inherently bad, and most people experience it in many different ways each and every day. Short-term stress, while often uncomfortable, can help push you to new achievements and encourage personal growth.
When stress is persistent, your typical coping strategies aren’t effective, or you’re noticing a decline in your mental or physical wellness, it may be time to talk with a doctor.
Takeaway
Experiencing stress activates your immune system, which can be helpful in the short term but unhelpful in the long term.
By developing effective stress management techniques like PMR, mediation, and journaling, you can help keep stress from wearing down your immune function over time.
By Hope Gillette
Source: HealthlineMedia
