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The Effects of Stress on Health

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Submitted By sbethany403
Words 940
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Sahara LaFever
Prof. Eric Wright
English 1010
10 November 2015
The Effects That Stress Has On Health

Stress is a word that constantly gets tossed around with different meanings and connotations. Many people do not realize what a significant effect that it can have on people and their families. Merriam-Webster defines stress as a state of mental tension and worry caused by problems in your life, work, etc. The denotation of stress can also be stated as something that causes strong feelings of worry or anxiety. In a medical or biological context, stress is a physical, mental, or emotional factor that causes bodily or mental tension (medicinenet.com). It does not just interfere with your daily life; it causes many health problems. Stress can be as acute or as minute as the patient allows it to be but despite the assumptions, stress is a terrible disease that can affect the health of many including altered brain function, internal organ issues, and mental instability.
There are many different causes of stress depending on the type of person the patient may be. Money, the economy, work, relationships, and responsibilities are all recorded factors known to cause stress. Stress can be caused by a deadline you have to meet at work or even the concern of pleasing your spouses or relatives. Workplace stress can affect your ability to apply and keep jobs or appease your boss. According to a survey from the American Psychological Association, more than one third of American workers experience chronic work stress (helpguide.org). School can also have a great impact on your stress levels. Teenagers experience a multitude of feelings when they are trying to balance a social life and keeping up with schoolwork and stress is definitely one of them. Teens in America and all over the world are constantly pressed to make decisions whether it be to stay in and do homework, or to go out because their significant other or best friend wants them too. One way or another, this can have a negative impact on the teens’ health due to the amount of stress it causes. Most things we come in contact with will cause stress and some stress is unavoidable but if taken care of and handled in a suitable way, the stress will not affect your health to the extent that it is capable of.
Stress can take a toll on your health including your mental capacity and brain function. It can also altar your internal organs’ production of things your body needs. Stress can cause changes in your brain function and cause long term issues. The building block of anxiety disorders and other mental diseases is stress. Chronic stress changes neural networks (psychologytoday.com). Your brain assists you in thinking, computing, and decision-making but when you have chronic stress, all of these functions can be altered or even disrupted. Stress can trigger heart attacks, strokes, and the crashing of internal organs. Your internal organs produce viable resources for your body and our bodies are trained to work that way but when stress is a factor, you can experience long term bodily issues.
Stress affects more people than you may believe. More than 94 percent of adults believe that stress contributed to the development of their major illnesses, such as heart disease, depression, and obesity (apa.org). More often than not, stress can be one of the leading causes of suicide. Reports have shown that suicides in adolescents and young adults were either caused by cyberbullying or school and workplace stress. Many stress patients believe that suicide or overuse of drugs are the only option. Post-traumatic stress disorder is a disease that anyone can experience after a stressful event that may have occurred. Many war veterans experience this due to the traumatic experiences and events they encounter during duty. Many cases end in suicide or hospitalization.
If more people were aware of the repercussions and recoils of stress, I believe it could be avoided and taken care of with better measures. Many people believe stress is just something that teens or even adults claim to have but it is much more than that. Stress can be chronic and have lifelong affects on our bodies along with our family and friends. This disease can have a terrible effect on your health. When you are experiencing stress, you may experience heart diseases, weight changes, depression, and altered brain function. Stress can affect more than just how you act or your outlook on things; it will also affect your health. Some early adults or adolescents may blame stress on their teachers, bosses, or spouses but if the right precautions are taken, it can be handled in much better ways than some patients have experienced before. Stress is a state of mental tension or worry that has the ability to altar your brain function, internal organ production, and your mental capacity if you allow it to.
Works Cited

Bergland, Christopher. “Chronic Stress Can Damage Brain Structure and Connectivity.” Psychology Today. Psychology Today, 12 Feb. 2014. Web. 3 Nov. 2015.

Pietrangelo, Ann. “The Effects of Stress on the Body.” Healthline. 24 Aug. 2015. Web. 2 Nov. 2015

Segal, Jeanne. "Stress at Work." Tips to Reduce and Manage Job and Workplace Stress. 1 Aug.

2015. Web. 9 Nov. 2015.

"Stress." MedicineNet. Medicine Network, 9 Sept. 2012. Web. 3 Nov. 2015.

"Stress." Merriam-Webster.com. Merriam-Webster, n.d. Web. 10 Nov. 2015.

"The Effects of Stress on Your Body." WebMD. Ed. Joseph Goldberg. WebMD, 24 June 2014.

Web. 5 Nov. 2015.

"The Impact of Stress." Apa. American Psychological Association, 2011. Web. 8 Nov. 2015.

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