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Stress serves a purpose in your body. Our early ancestors couldn’t have survived without the stress response to fight, flight, or freeze.

The chemical reaction stress creates is what alerts you to danger. But what about when the “danger” is coming — as the movie line says — from inside the house? What about when stress isn’t just your body jumping into action to stay alive, but is instead chronic?

If the basic stress response is what kept humans alive, it’s possible that chronic stress is what’s making us sick.

So what’s going on under the hood? How is stress really making you sick? And what can you do about it?

How Stress Affects the Body

At its basic level, chronic stress can lead to stomach problems, colds, poor sleep, and mood swings. But over time, stress symptoms can lead to more serious problems, such as stroke, diabetes, and depression.

Stress and heart health

Stress causes your body to release certain hormones, including adrenaline and cortisol. Together, they give you a rush of energy and strength.

So, when a stressful event happens, these hormones cause your heart to beat faster, and your blood vessels dilate to push more blood to your muscles and your heart. This, in turn, raises your blood pressure. Then, ideally, your body returns to its baseline when the stressful event is over.

But with chronic stress, hormones keep flooding your system. Your heart rate stays elevated, as does your blood pressure.

As a result, you may adopt certain unhealthy coping behaviors to manage your stress. For example, you might drink too much alcohol, smoke, or eat high-fat, high-sugar foods. These behaviors also raise blood pressure and increase your chance of heart disease.

It’s a double whammy. One of the best ways to manage stress and safeguard heart health is regular exercise. For example, walking 30 minutes can both improve markers of heart health and reduce stress.

Stress and your immune system

Your pituitary gland produces stress hormones like cortisol. This gland receives a signal from the brain and — bam! — your adrenal glands (just above your kidneys) get to work making cortisol.

This increased cortisol gives you the energy you need to fight or flee. Cortisol also basically turns on your immune system, so that it’s ready in the event of injury or sickness.

But chronic stress can interfere with the signals between your brain, pituitary gland, and immune system. They may not communicate as they should, which ultimately leaves you more vulnerable to disease.

Stress hormones also make your immune system produce inflammatory molecules called cytokines. Over time, cytokines can lead to chronic inflammation, which experts have linked to everything from cancer to rheumatoid arthritis.

Can stress directly cause these diseases? Not necessarily. But it’s part of an inflammatory immune response that can contribute to these diseases over time.

Stress and digestion

You know that feeling of queasiness you get when you’re stressed or nervous? That happens because of the close connection between your brain and your gut.

Stress can actually affect the millions of bacteria floating around in your gut. These bacteria help you digest food, absorb nutrients, and stay regular.

But remember the close connection between your brain and your gut. Chronic stress can interfere with the signals connecting your brain and belly, making your gut not function as well.

For people with chronic inflammation of the bowel, stress can increase symptoms like bloating and pain. It can also cause painful muscle spasms in the bowel.

Stress can also weaken the barrier around your intestines. This is what helps protect you from food-related bacteria. A good immune system can take care of these bacteria — usually.

But an immune system compromised by stress doesn’t work as well. It’s another reason you’re more likely to get sick from stress.

Stress and muscle tension

Stress makes you tense your muscles. If you’re going to fight someone, you need your muscles taut and ready.

After the threat passes, your muscles release their tension. But when the threat is chronic, your muscles remain in a constant state of readiness, and as a result, you have more muscle tension.

This explains why your neck and shoulders may feel sore after a stressful day of meetings. Stress can also cause headaches. For people who have migraines, stress is a huge possible trigger.

Stress and mood

If your body is constantly trying to fight or flee situations, it can take a big toll on your mental health. It can cause symptoms like racing thoughts, a feeling of restlessness, and emotional exhaustion. Chronic stress can also cause mental fog, making even simple decisions feel impossible.

We also know that stress can create hormone imbalances. Too much cortisol and adrenaline can deplete your brain’s natural supply of “happy” chemicals. Stress can limit your dopamine, serotonin, and oxytocin levels.

As with almost everything with stress, it’s a cycle. You feel more depressed and more anxious, making you less likely to take steps to manage stress.

Stress Management Tips

What are the best ways to manage your stress if you’re having stress symptoms?

The solution is different for each person. UPMC behavioral health experts often advise people to:

• Minimize your use of alcohol or other drugs — Drinking or using drugs might seem to help in the short term. But relying on them in the long term can lead to dependency. If you’re struggling with substances, help is available.
• Move more — Daily walks, strength training, or activities like swimming or biking can help reduce stress hormones. Try to get at least 150 minutes or more per week of activity.
• Seek social support — Find healthy, fun outlets with people whose company you enjoy. Mixing fun and social connection can help balance stress hormones.
• Take a mindfulness class — Learning breathing and meditation techniques can help regulate your stress response. Consider taking a mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) course.
• Talk to a trained therapist — Sometimes, you just need to talk it out with a disinterested third party. A good therapist can ask questions and help you reframe situations.