Living permanently stressed, running from one place to another, anxious to make ends meet, working tirelessly or facing continuous family or relationship problems that seem to have no solution can thus affect our health.
Diabetes. Undergoing permanent stress increases the risk of type 2 diabetes in men by up to 45%, according to a study by the University of Gothenburg (Sweden). Hence, Masuma Novak and his colleagues suggest that excess stress is beginning to be viewed as a preventable cause of a lack of response to insulin.
Dementia.If you are chronically stressed at forty, your brain will age worse and you will be more prone to developing dementia.
Noisy.Women who are constantly under stress can suffer from hypersensitivity to sounds, to the point that normal conversation with an intensity around 60 decibels can be annoying, and even painful, for their ears.
ItchingStress can activate immune cells in the skin, causing or accentuating inflammatory skin diseases, and increasing the itchiness or itching they generate, according to a study from the Berlin Medical University published by the American Journal of Pathology.
InfectionsImmune cells of chronically stressed people are unable to respond to the hormonal signals that normally regulate inflammation and are therefore more prone to colds, as demonstrated in a recent published Carnegie Mellon University experiment in PNAS. Also, stress alters the balance of bacteria that live in the digestive system, making us more sensitive to inflammatory bowel diseases.
Different decisions.Stress modifies the way decisions are made, altering the way in which people weigh the advantages and disadvantages of each option, according to a study published in Current Directions in Psychological Science. In particular, stressed people focus more on the positive, on the rewards, and barely consider the risks.
Cholesterol.According to a Spanish study echoed by the Scandinavian Journal of Public Health, workers with job stress are more likely to suffer abnormally high levels of LDL (‘bad’ cholesterol) and excessively low levels of HDL (‘good’ cholesterol). ‘). In addition, a greater accumulation of atheroma plaque (due to lipid deposition) is observed in its arteries, which can end up clogging them and causing cardiovascular problems.
Worse in town.People who were born and live in urban areas show a higher risk of anxiety and stress problems. Brain MRI scans revealed that urbanites have a greater response to stress in the amygdala, the area of the brain that controls emotions and mood.
