What if your everyday routine was causing damage to your body?
All of us encounter stress in our daily lives and some experience more stress than others. Unfortunately, many people don’t know exactly how stress affects women’s health.
Wondering what stress might be doing to your own body? Keep reading to discover the answer!
The Biology of Stress
Everyone experiences stress from time to time. But do you know what stress is doing to your body on a biological level?
When you experience stress, your body will release hormones in reaction. This includes hormones such as adrenaline.
Generally speaking, these hormones are a good thing. For example, a sudden burst of adrenaline can help you react quickly in the event of an emergency.
But you aren’t meant to experience the effects of these hormones all the time. The more stress you experience and the more often you experience it, the more your body will start to feel negative short- and even long-term effects.
Women’s Health and Stress: Why Is It So Important?
Our guide is focusing on women’s health when it comes to stress. But why is it so important to highlight how this affects women?
According to a variety of studies, women are likelier to experience stress than men are. On top of that, women are likelier to experience certain stress symptoms, including anxiety and depression (more on this later).
Unfortunately, modern science still doesn’t know exactly why stress affects women differently than it affects men. But now that we know that this is the case, it’s more important than ever to recognize signs of stress and do our best to avoid stressful situations.
With that in mind, here are some of the symptoms of stress you should be aware of.
Stress and Headaches
Obviously, there are a variety of factors that can cause headaches and migraines. But did you know stress is one of the likeliest causes?
That’s because of the physical reaction you have to stress. It’s natural to tense your muscles when you are feeling stressed out. But the longer your muscles are tense, the likelier you are to experience some nasty headaches and migraines.
This is why reducing stress is so important. If you are constantly experiencing stress, you may be constantly experiencing headaches and migraines. But reducing the stress in your life can help make these migraines and headaches a thing of the past.
Stress and Libido
One unexpected area where stress can impact your life is in the bedroom. Simply put, stress is likely to negatively impact your sex life!
At its mildest level, high levels of stress will make you distracted during sex and affect the overall quality. But stress can also make it harder to experience arousal and ultimately reduce your sex drive in a big way.
The good news is that you can begin treating your stress right away. And you may soon discover that your libido has fully returned.
Anxiety, Depression, and Stress
Earlier, we mentioned that women were more likely to experience anxiety and depression from stress than men. In fact, women are twice as likely to experience depression.
And women are more likely to experience anxiety disorders. These include disorders such as OCD, PSTD, and panic disorder.
Overall, women are simply likelier to feel the effects of stress than men are. And that makes it more important than ever for women to detect symptoms of stress and fight back against them.
Menstrual Issues and Stress
One very unexpected symptom of stress in women concerns menstruation. We’re sad to report that stress can actually make everything about PMS that much worse.
General PMS symptoms may be more severe when you are stressed. Additionally, your period may be irregular as well.
Stress and Heart Problems
Stress can have a profound effect on your heart health. Unfortunately, many women don’t know just how bad this can be!
When you are stressed out, it tends to raise both your heart rate and your blood pressure. And the longer your blood pressure is high, the likelier you are to experience something serious like a stroke.
This can even affect young women, especially if you have had previous heart-related health issues.
Pregnancy and Stress
Have you been having trouble getting pregnant? It’s possible that stress might be the cause!
Sadly, women who are very stressed out will have more difficulty getting pregnant. And this can eventually become something of a self-fulfilling prophecy.
If you are having trouble getting pregnant, you are likely to stress out over that issue. And that initial stress can make getting pregnant that much more difficult because your stress levels continue to rise!
Stress and Stomach Issues
Have you had an upset stomach lately? It may not be something you ate. Instead, it may be caused by stress.
Short-term stress can lead to issues such as vomiting and diarrhea. But longer-term stress can lead to more serious issues such as irritable bowel syndrome.
But it gets worse. After stress gives you IBS, continued stress can make IBS symptoms (including bloating and gas) even worse than they already are.
Obesity and Stress
Stress can actually lead to obesity. And while stress-snacking can be a factor, the issue goes deeper than that.
When you are stressed out, your body produces more cortisol. In addition to prompting you to eat more, cortisol also causes your body to store additional fat.
This produces a kind of perfect storm where you are eating more food and retaining more fat. And women experience this problem much more keenly than men do.
What’s Next?
Stress affects women’s health in many different ways. Fortunately, researchers and companies are working every day to reduce and street the stress in women’s lives.
The right supplements and dairy ingredients can greatly improve quality of life and reduce stress. To learn more about the research and ingredients that can promote wellness in your life and reduce stress, contact us today!