5 Ways stress can affect your health

Stress has become one of the major causes for a number of health issues. Not many people focus on their mental health and take it for granted and continue to be workaholics. This could be blamed on lifestyle and the overall atmosphere where we are living. To top it all the coronavirus pandemic has also played an additional factor. Stress cannot be called as a disease, but if that is ignored, it can lead to one. Here are a few ways in which stress could affect your physical health.

1. Brings down the body metabolism – When you are under stress, the mind tells you to increase your desire for high –fat or sugary foods. This increases the toxins in the body that brings down the activity of the enzymes that helps to break the fats.

2. Weakens the immunity system – A strong immunity protects the body from a number of diseases. Stress has all the ability to weaken the immunity system and this can happen when you are constantly under its influence. You might become prone to infections and also slow down the healing process.

3. Affects the health of the gut – This might be surprising but being constantly under mental pressure could also lead to the growth of harmful bacteria. This can result in a leaky gut and that can lead to autoimmune diseases as well as inflammation.

4. Alters the genes – The genes are the ones that determine the amount of fat the body can store. It also determines the ageing process, immunity and many other factors in the body working. With constant mental strain, the body begins to produce chemicals that can alter the genes and bring negative changes.

5. Reduces appetite – A number of times people due to mental strain start to loose appetite. Loss of appetite can lead to deficiencies and the body can soon start showing symptoms of deficiency.

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