Facts About Stress

Virtually all people are familiar with the sensation of feeling under stress, but many are unaware of the deeper ramifications that stress has, and the vast amount of consequences and harm it can do to our bodies.

For example, were you aware that stress places serious strain on our cardiovascular health? Not only that, but almost every system of the human body can, and does, get negatively impacted by stress, especially the chronic type of stress.

In this article, we will learn some facts about stress that we may have previously been unaware of.

How Stress Can Kill You

Stress, also known as the silent killer (hey, that’s a fact already!), is known to lead to many health conditions which may potentially have fatal repercussions, especially if left untreated.

 

Among others, stress may also kill by causing a heart attack. During stressful times, the heart rate increases, as does blood pressure. Combined with the possible thickening of blood, and the narrowing of the blood vessels, this can put an enormous amount of extra strain on the heart.

This extra strain may lead to the heart growing tired, which increases the risk of heart attack. Due to the heart already being strained and overworked as a result of stress, any further strain, such as the one caused by an anxiety attack or heavy exercise, can lead to a sudden heart attack.

A heart attack of any kind, and from any cause, is also considered an extreme medical emergency, and may lead to death in the absence of immediate medical attention.

Stress could also kill via blood clots. Due to the increase in platelets, and the thickened consistency of the blood which results from stress, the risk of developing blood clots in various areas of the body increases by a large margin.

This can lead to blood clots developing in very dangerous places, such as the kidneys, the heart, the lungs, and more vital organs.

These vital organs, if left without their supply of oxygen and nutrients that blood flow provides them with, begin to die, and with them dying, so does the rest of the organism. This is why blood clots are considered very dangerous by medical professionals.

In a different type of danger, stress may also kill, indirectly, by lowering your immune system’s ability to protect your body from threats such as infections and cancer cells. This is because stress hormones, like cortisol, lead to a diminished number of leukocytes, the natural killer cells that the immune system uses to identify and eliminate threats such as those mentioned earlier.

In the absence of a sufficient number of leukocytes, the immune system has less resources left to use against the threats to the body, which leads to an increased risk of the organism in terms of developing illnesses resulting from infections, or cancer cells.

The Less Deadly Side Effects Of Stress

Stress, while being a silent killer, is also a silent diminisher of quality of life. This is due to the physical and mental effects of stress being often so severe that they greatly negatively impact the quality of life of the sufferer.

To give an example, due to the effects of stress, and its related stress hormones, on the brain, the brain chemical balance may be affected, leading to a chemical imbalance in the brain, which in turn may lead to problems such as major depressive disorder and bipolar disorder.

Additionally, because of how stress negatively impacts the circulatory system, blood flow to extremities may be hindered, which can lead to things such as cold extremities, like having cold hands and feet, and in men it can lead to issues with maintaining erections.

Depending on the type of stress one experiences, and the cause behind it, it can lead to mental issues such as social anxiety, eating disorders and recurring panic attacks.

Stress also makes it much harder to focus when it is chronic. This may lead to a diminished work performance, school performance, and more, which undoubtedly hinders sufferers of chronic stress in advancing in their respective careers and education.

Anxiety, and the stress resulting from it, are both known to cause physical symptoms, such as pain, nausea, dizziness, and others. This is due to a multitude of reasons having to do with how anxiety and stress negatively affect the body.

Anxiety: How It Affects The Body

Anxiety, which can be accurately described as another form of stress, affects the body in many negative ways, across the board.

Let’s start by talking about how anxiety affects the central nervous system. While experiencing anxiety, the body releases stress hormones, like adrenaline and cortisol, which can trigger unpleasant symptoms such as headaches, dizziness, and may even lead to depression and chemical imbalances in the brain.

Anxiety also affects the cardiovascular system, by increasing the heart rate, as well as the blood pressure. This can lead to dangerous situations, such as an increased risk of heart failure and stroke.

Anxiety also affects breathing. During anxiety episodes, a person may begin taking in quick, shallow breaths, as a consequence of the fight or flight mode being triggered.

This can lead to the false sensation of not getting enough air, which may prompt the person to hyperventilate even more, worsening the symptoms of hyperventilation, which include dizziness, tingling, and may even cause one to faint.

Anxiety impairs the immune system’s ability to protect the body against threats like bacterial infections. This is because, due to the release of cortisol into the body, the number of leukocytes present in the body diminishes.

Leukocytes are the immune system’s natural killer cells, which it uses to find and eliminate threats, such as bacteria and viruses. With a diminished leukocyte count, the immune system has less resources available with which to defend the body from threats, increasing the chances of infection and other ailments.

Cortisol can have both inflammatory and anti-inflammatory properties, according to research, and either one of these properties may come into play. Both outcomes will further weaken the immune system’s response, further allowing infections and other threats to invade the body.

Furthermore, anxiety also causes tightness in the muscles, due to the body constantly being prepared for a fight or flight situation. This can lead to soreness and pain.

Anxiety/Stress And The Heart

The heart is one of the main parts of the body affected by stress and anxiety, and severely so.

Because anxiety and stress cause an increased heart rate, this can put a lot of strain on the heart, especially if the increased heart rate goes on for prolonged periods, in the case of chronic stress or anxiety.

Anxiety has, in fact, been linked by research to the following heart conditions:

• Tachycardia - Tachycardia, or rapid heart rate, can be a direct result of an anxiety disorder. This is due to the fact that when the body’s fight or flight response gets triggered as a result of anxiety, the body goes into survival mode, and forces the heart to pump blood at a much faster rate than normal, in order to provide your vital organs and muscles with a faster supply of oxygen and nutrients that it may need to escape the perceived danger.

• High blood pressure - Due to the high levels of cortisol often resulting from anxiety, the consistency of the blood may thicken, and the blood vessels may become narrower, which in turn increase the blood pressure in the body. This can also result in plaque buildup on the arteries and smaller blood vessels, which can ultimately lead to very dangerous blocked arteries and veins.

• Arrhythmia - Arrhythmia, meaning irregular heart beats, is a potentially very dangerous heart condition that may result from anxiety and the stress hormones that it prompts the body to release. In people with arrhythmia, the heart rate may alternate between slow and fast, sometimes jumping from slow to fast or vice versa in a matter of moments, vastly increasing the risk of a sudden heart attack. 

Can Anxiety Cause Left Arm Pain?

It is now time to answer the question asked in the title of this article: Can anxiety cause left arm pain?

The answer is that yes, anxiety may indeed cause pain in the left arm, although there are two different reasons for which it can do so, one of them being much more dangerous than the other possibility.

The first possible cause of pain in the left arm caused by anxiety is muscle tightness and fatigue, resulting from the muscles in the left arm being constantly strained in preparation for a fight or flight episode.

This can cause muscle fatigue and, in turn, pain. Although the pain may also come from the fact that the muscles are strained, rather than fatigued.

In any case, when strained muscles are the cause behind pain in the left arm, the issue usually goes away on its own, as long as the underlying anxiety and stress are addressed, to prevent the issue from returning.

The second possible reason for pain in the left arm resulting from anxiety could be a heart attack. One of the symptoms of a heart attack is pain in the left arm. This happens due to the nerves in the left arm connected to the heart notifying your brain that something is wrong, or because the arm is not receiving sufficient blood supply all of a sudden.

Other symptoms of a heart attack to look out for include:

• Chest pain, pressure, discomfort, or a combination of these.

• Nausea and the urge to vomit.

• Excessive sweating in the absence of heat or exercise.

• Pain or discomfort in the arm, back or neck, usually on the left side of the body.

• Dizziness or vertigo.

It is important to do your best to keep calm during a possible heart attack while awaiting medical assistance, as panicking might further worsen the situation.

Anxiety can indeed cause pain in the left arm, for two main reasons: either sore muscles, or a heart attack.

It is very important to recognize the dangers that anxiety exposes you to, and try to address the underlying anxiety before developing severe health consequences.

Stress is known to affect the general mental health of individuals suffering from it, especially in cases of chronic stress, or when the stress levels are severely high. However, just how much can stress affect your mental health?

Research shows that stress can cause eating disorders and depression, on top of the already potentially fatal effects it can have on our bodies. 

What Are Eating Disorders?

Eating disorders are mental health disorders that, due to their nature, tend to cause an unhealthy relationship with food in the people suffering from them. There are several types of eating disorders, including:

• Anorexia Nervosa - An eating disorder that is characterized by an unhealthy obsession with maintaining a skinny figure, often accompanied by body dysmorphia that makes the sufferer believe they are “fat”, even when severely and dangerously underweight.

• Binge eating disorder - This is a disorder that is characterized by the urge to consume large amounts of food in a binging fashion, in one sitting, often to the point of discomfort. The sufferer often experiences feelings of guilt and shame after a binge, and sometimes “purges” after a binge, in order to attempt to correct the issue, this “purging” generally involves vomiting the food that was just eaten.

• Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder - This disorder is similar to Anorexia Nervosa, in that it causes the sufferers to be very selective in the amount and type of food that they eat, but it differs from Anorexia Nervosa due to the fact that it causes no obsession regarding body weight or shape.

There are also some eating disorders which do not yet have an official name or diagnosis process, which can make it difficult to get insurance to cover treatment for them.

All in all, eating disorders are a very serious problem, and should be treated as soon as possible by the competent specialized medical personnel, in order to ensure the safety and good health of the sufferer.

What Is Depression?

Depression is considered by many to be the most common mood disorder there is, as it affects millions worldwide, and its main symptoms affect the mood and emotions of the individuals suffering from it.

The symptoms of clinical depression are so severe that they impact the sufferer’s ability to work, eat and even sleep properly. In fact, depression makes most daily tasks much harder to perform, to the point that, in severe enough cases, the only thing a depressed person may do is lay in bed for the entire day, or multiple days.

A loss of interest in activities previously enjoyed by the individual, such as the individual’s hobbies, is also one of the symptoms of depression, greatly diminishing the quality of life of those suffering from depression.

In order to be diagnosed with depression, the person seeking diagnosis must have been suffering from the symptoms for at least two weeks, in order to rule out the possibility of it being just general sadness from a recent life event or events.

Other names for depression include: major depression, major depressive disorder, and clinical depression. These names may be used interchangeably when referring to this mental health condition.

Depression affects a person’s mood greatly, typically causing feelings of apathy or sadness that are constant and independent from the sufferer’s situation. For example, a person with depression may win the lottery, and experience little to no happiness from it as a result of their condition. Alternatively, a depressed individual can experience a sad life event, but feel complete apathy.

Depression can also lead to suicidal ideation in more extreme cases, a very concerning and serious possible symptom that should be addressed immediately by a mental health professional.

There is also something called persistent depressive disorder, which is a mental health disorder similar in nature and symptoms to depression, but with less intense symptoms. The difference is that this disorder can last for much longer, often lasting at least two years, and even with treatment being administered, and counseling provided by professionals.

Stress Can Cause Eating Disorders And Depression

Stress negatively impacts multiple parts of the body, especially when the stress is chronic in nature. One of the main parts of the body that stress negatively impacts is the brain, which can be very dangerous.

Due to the release of stress hormones into the bloodstream as a result of stress, the brain’s chemical balance may become altered and disturbed, leading to a number of potential mental health conditions having an increased risk of developing.

One of the mental health conditions that may develop as a result of stress-caused chemical imbalances in the brain is depression. In fact, one of the most common causes for depression is a chemical imbalance in the brain.

Stress may also lead to eating disorders, albeit in a different way. Some people end up using binge eating as a way to cope with stress, and may develop binge eating disorder as a result of that unhealthy coping mechanism.

For others, stress regarding their weight may lead them to develop conditions such as Anorexia Nervosa, which persists even after losing enough weight to reach normal levels, and nudges the patient into underweight and severely underweight territory.

Stress may also cause other mental health issues, such as bipolar disorder, several types of anxiety disorders (health anxiety, social anxiety, general anxiety, etc.), and more.

All of this makes stress a contributing factor, if not a catalyst, to a large number of mental health conditions.

Due to the deep and powerful effects that stress has on our bodies, and especially on our brains, it is of little surprise that stress can cause eating disorders and depression as well.

Due to this, and the other dangers of high stress levels, it is important to address the underlying stress before it helps develop new and severe problems, mental and physical alike.

Due to the rising stress levels in people across the entirety of the world over the last few decades, including students dealing with academic stress, more and more people are becoming aware of stress and the dangers which it can pose to both mental and physical health.

Because of this, the CUSS, or College Undergraduate Stress Scale, was created, with the aim to identify the levels of stress in certain students, in order to better understand the stress someone is dealing with. This can lead to a more effective way of addressing the stress.

The College Undergraduate Stress Scale: What It Is

The C.U.S.S. was created as a tool to help determine the levels of stress that college students may experience. Typically, it consists of a questionnaire which contains various questions which refer to multiple possible causes of stress for college students.

Some of these things may be financial issues, academic strain or struggles, family problems, and more. The questionnaire typically focuses on issues with a potential to cause stress that are commonly encountered in the college life.

Educators and researchers alike often make use of the C.U.S.S. in order to help assess the exact stress levels of students, which is quite easy to do since the C.U.S.S. was designed with this very goal in mind.

After doing so, the picture regarding the levels and causes of stress in students becomes much clearer, allowing for a concentrated effort in affording aid or an intervention in the area or areas needed in order to lower stress levels for the students.

By conducting measurements of stress levels regularly, educational institutions which do so end up with plenty of useful information, which can help them establish a more supportive and learning-conducive environment for their students.

While there are several different variations of this scale, with different items on the questionnaire, and differing stress level scoring methodology, the core fundamentals of the scale remain the same universally, the ultimate goal being for this scale to become a standardized way to test for students’ stress levels.

How College May Increase Stress Levels

College may increase stress levels in quite a few ways, some more common than others. For the purposes of this article, we’ll go over just a few examples of situations where being a college student may lead to an increase in stress levels:

• Academic stress - Worrying over whether or not you will pass an important upcoming exam, or whether or not you will get a good score on your paper, will undoubtedly lead to an increase in stress levels.

• New social environment - This mostly applies to those who have had to move away for college, with them now being forced into distance from their old friends, as well as their family, and finding themselves in an unfamiliar place with unfamiliar people around them. The stress can be two-layered here, first owing to the loneliness of no longer having that many ways to spend quality time with old friends and family, and secondly owing to the stress associated with finding new friends and forming a new social circle.

• Financial stress - It is no secret that a large amount of people struggle financially in college, and even acquire debt in the form of student loan debt. This can all cause stress, regarding the worry of how one will get out of the uncomfortable financial situation.

• Uncertainty of chosen field of study - Sometimes, a student may have chosen a major that they find themselves being unsure of after a certain amount of time has passed. This can lead to conflicting thoughts raging on inside the mind, battling between the wish to see through what one started, and the wish to quit and do something else. This can lead to increased stress levels, as well.

There are many more reasons that could spark stress in the life of a college student, but they are too numerous to list all of them in this article, so these few examples will have to do. 

How Stress Can Kill You

You read that right, stress can kill you.

There are numerous ways in which stress may do so, but in order to attempt to paint a bit of a clearer picture, here are a few examples of how stress can lead to the tragic and untimely death of individuals:

• Heart attack - Stress is known to increase the heart rate, as well as the blood pressure. This combination may prove deadly. As the heart is under constant extra strain for the near-permanently elevated heart rate resulting from chronic stress, this can lead to the heart being more vulnerable to additional stressors such as a serious scare, or heavy exercise, which can lead to a sudden heart attack.

• Stroke - With the blood vessels becoming narrower as a result of cortisol, and the consistency of blood becoming thicker, stress can lead to the blood flow to the brain becoming blocked or partially hindered, which can lead to a stroke and kill.

• Blood clots - In individuals suffering from chronic stress, an increased risk of developing blood clots throughout the body is often observed, These blood clots, if they form on or around, or reach, a vital organ, may very easily lead to a deadly situation.

Because stress is such a frequently encountered phenomenon throughout the college experience, people may begin to consider it a normal part of it. However, it should not be forgotten that experiencing long term stress is neither normal, nor healthy, and the issues causing the stress should be addressed in order to lower stress levels, and allow for healthier minds and bodies.

Stress is not nicknamed the silent killer for nothing, as it can prove quite deadly. Thankfully, things like the college undergraduate stress scale exist, which help identify stress levels accurately in college students, and allow for a response by the educational institutions that is guided by accurate information, and strikes right at the problem or problems behind the stress.

Stress can also lead to developing unhealthy addictions to harmful substances, such as nicotine, in an attempt to cope with it.

Conclusion

Stress sufferers’ numbers are rising worldwide, and have been constantly rising for several decades now. This is, in part, due to the fact that the pace in which life takes place is ever-accelerating, placing much pressure on virtually everyone to perform faster and better, which may be unhealthy. Combined with the already existing stresses of regular life, it becomes an even more serious issue.

This is why it is important to be aware of this issue, and help spread awareness about it, so that others may also learn about the dangers that stress poses for us, and help the effort to reduce its effects and presence in our lives.

Stay blissful!