Diets and Stress

School, relationships, illnesses, sports, and family issues - stress is everywhere. Stress is both a physical and emotional response to anything in the environment. Acute stress is a kind of stress that sets your body in a flight-or-fight mode for a short time. Acute stress can be so severe in humans that it can lead to death. Chronic stress is when stress lasts for a long time in a human body. An overstressed person may develop psychological conditions such as anxiety, depression, panic attacks, or sleeping problems. (www.medicine.net) Stress affects a big part in nutrition, different parts of the body, systems, and also societal causes stress.

Stress can sometimes lead to unhealthy lifestyle patterns, which will lead to more stress. Stress may cause the human body to begin eating the wrong foods for a healthy diet. A stress hormone called cortisol, causes stressed people to crave foods high in fat, sugar and salt. (www.stresscenter.com) Stress also makes us prone to emotional eating, when we eat when we aren't hungry, or eat junk foods that are bad for us. (www.stresscenter.com) Malnutrition from stress may cause blood sugar imbalances as well. When we don't eat enough food or don't eat enough healthy food, it will lead to scarce amounts or proteins and carbohydrates needed for our bodies to obtain energy. (kidshealth.org)With blood sugar imbalances, it will also lead to mood swings, fatigue, poor concentration and even hyperglycemia, if long-termed stress.(kidshealth.org) Poor nutrition can also lead to lowered immunity so you're more inclined to illnesses, both minor and major. It's best to have lower-stress levels than to risk getting an unhealthy diet that may lead to major or minor illnesses.

Stress affects many different body systems that will affect your health lifestyle, which will lead to many disorders and disease. Chronic stress can affect your cardiovascular system by damaging your blood vessels, which may lead to risk of heart attacks. (Hyde, 2008) There will also be an increase in the storage of fat and will increase the risk factor of strokes and heart attacks. (Hyde, 2008) The immune system is also affected by the amount of stress in the human body. Stress hormones called cortisol will gain control of immune cells to stop fighting viruses and infections that enter the body. (webmd.com)The stress hormones may also accelerate the aging of the immune system cells, causing the cells to weaken overtime. (webmd.com)When stress begins affecting the digestive system, your mouth gets dry because you have stopped secreting saliva. Stress hormones will also lower the release of stomach acid and other chemicals needed to break down food during digestion. (Hyde, 2008)In long periods of stress, constipation and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) may occur as well. (Hyde, 2008) Stress can affect your body systems leading to chronic diseases and may even cause certain death. It's best to be stress-free