Studies show that heart disease is the number one killer in the world. It affects almost everyone in this planet. Many blame our diet and some even blame the environment itself. But many doctors agree that stress is one of the main factors of heart diseases and other ailments plaguing our race today.
How does stress affect our body? Is it possible that a simple heartache will weaken our body and even our mental state? Studies have shown that there are indeed links between stress and the effects it has on our complex bodies. It can make us lose focus, or we become depressed, which will eventually lead to memory loss. Even your relationship with the people around you will be affected. Let us look at how it works:

In a physiological sense, first, we experience the stress alarm reaction called the fight-or-flight response. When chemicals and hormones enter our bloodstream, we get our sudden burst of energy called adrenaline rush. Our blood pressure and breathing increase while digestion slows down and blood is pumped into our major organs. After the so-called “rush”, the body will go to the next phase, which is called stress resistance. Every bodily function goes back to normal, but is still somewhat on alert. Repair of any damaged tissue is initiated. The final phase is what we call stress exhaustion. Prolonged stress will become very dangerous. Our immune system will weaken because of too many chemicals pumped into the bloodstream and the cardiovascular system is the first to suffer.

What is the bottom line? Too much stress is very bad to our health. If we are not careful, then we will be one of the countless victims of heart attacks, high blood pressure, or stoke. We become susceptible to colds and other diseases due to the fact that our immune system is weakened. We gain unwanted fats because our metabolism inevitably slows down. We may even begin to suffer from stomach ulcers. There are also other stress related problems that we need to look for, such as sexual dysfunction, pimples, headaches, digestive problems, and bowel disorders. The list goes on forever.

Everyone experiences stress for this is part of who we are and our life here on earth. But as the saying goes, “Too much of everything is dangerous to your health”. So, take it slow and enjoy life. The relationship between our emotions and our physical selves should always be in balance.