How to Handle Stress?

One study found that women reported feeling less interested in sex when they were anxious. Their bodies also reacted differently to sexual stimulation when they were anxious.

People who experience a lot of stress are more likely to smoke cigarettes and misuse drugs and alcohol. Depending on these substances for stress relief can cause other health problems.

This is associated with cortisol releases that can increase blood glucose (sugar) production.

Although stress doesn’t directly cause ulcers, it can aggravate any existing ulcers you may already have.

Excessive cortisol releases from adrenal glands above the kidneys may lead to fat accumulation. Stress-related eating habits, such as eating junk food or binge eating, may also lead to excess pounds.

Chronic stress and an unhealthy lifestyle will cause your blood pressure to rise. Over time, high blood pressure can cause permanent damage to your heart.

Abnormal heartbeats and chest pain are symptoms that can be caused by stress.

This could be a flashback or a more significant reminder related to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Women are up to three times more likely to have PTSD than men.

If you have a family member with overactive responses to stress, you might experience the same.

If you eat a lot of junk or processed foods, the excess fat, sugar, and sodium increase inflammation.

In addition to being good for your heart, exercise also helps your brain make serotonin. This brain chemical can help you maintain a healthy outlook on stress, while warding off anxiety and depression.

A lack of support at home can make stress worse, while not taking time off with your friends and family can have similar effects.

According to the Mayo Clinic, people who manage stress tend to live longer and healthier lives.

Stress is the body's natural defense against predators and danger. It flushes the body with hormones to prepare systems to evade or confront danger. This is known as the "fight-or-flight" mechanism.

This type of stress is short-term and is the most common way that stress occurs. Acute stress is often caused by thinking about the pressures of events that have recently occurred, or upcoming demands in the near future.

This response all starts with a part of your brain called the hypothalamus. When you’re stressed, the hypothalamus sends signals throughout your nervous system and to your kidneys.

Women are more likely to experience more physical signs of stressed compared to their male counterparts.

This doesn’t mean that men don’t experience stress. Instead, men are more likely to try to escape from the stress and not exhibit any signs.

You may be flooded with thoughts about the future and your daily to-do list.

Rather than focusing on one item at a time though, these thoughts bombard your mind all at once, and it’s difficult to escape them.

Your fingers may shake, and your body might feel off-balance. Sometimes dizziness can occur. These effects are linked to hormonal releases — for example, adrenaline can cause a surge of jittery energy throughout your body.

This is caused by a rise in blood pressure. You may get hot in situations where you’re nervous too, such as when you have to give a presentation.

Stress-related sweat is usually a follow-up to excessive body heat from stress. You might sweat from your forehead, armpits, and groin area.

Stress can make your digestive system go haywire, causing diarrhea, stomach upset, and excessive urination.

This is due to an accumulation of stress’s effects in the mind. It can also occur when stress affects the way you sleep.

Constant overwhelming stress can take its toll, and bring down your overall outlook on life. Feelings of guilt are possible too.

According to the National Institute of Mental Health, anxiety and depression are the most common.