Body stress can affect all the systems in the body, but those 3 body systems suffer the most:
- Musculoskeletal system
When the body is stressed, as a response to it all the muscles tense up.
Muscle tension is almost a reflex reaction to stress, and a healthy way of guarding against injury and pain.
When muscles stay tense for a long period of time, this may trigger other reactions of the body and even promote stress-related disorders.
For example, tension-type headache and migraine headache are associated with chronic muscle tension in the area of the shoulders, neck and head.
Another example is musculoskeletal pain in the low back and upper extremities that has also been linked to chronic stress, especially stress at work.
Relaxation techniques and other anti-stress activities have been shown to effectively reduce muscle tension, decrease the incidence of certain stress-related disorders, and increase a sense of well-being.
- Cardiovascular system and heart
The heart and blood vessels are the two elements of the cardiovascular system which provide nourishment and oxygen to all the organs in the body.
Chronic stress, that is experienced over a prolonged period of time, can contribute to long-term problems for heart and blood vessels.
The ongoing increase in heart rate, the elevated levels of stress hormones and increased blood pressure, can take a toll on the body and increase the risk for hypertension, heart attack and stroke.
- Adrenal glands
During a stressful event, an increase in hormone cortisol can provide the energy required to deal with prolonged or extreme challenge.
Chronic stress causes adrenal fatigue. When we are under stress our brain commands the release of cortisol through the brain-adrenal axis, but this can sometimes be damaging, because chronically high cortisol can cause a vicious cycle where the brain remains in a constant state of fight-or-flight.
Over time, this can cause extreme exhaustion known as adrenal fatigue.