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Does stress itself cause poor health, or does stress cause high blood pressure and unhealthy habits, which cause poor health? (monyet.cc)

submitted 1 year ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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title. I feel like you always hear stuff to the liking of "high stress leads to poor health," but I am kind of wondering exactly why this occurs.

For instance, it's said that stress can cause:

Aches and pains.
Chest pain or a feeling like your heart is racing.
Exhaustion or trouble sleeping.
Headaches, dizziness or shaking.
High blood pressure.
Muscle tension or jaw clenching.
Stomach or digestive problems.
Trouble having sex.
Weak immune system.

Imagine, hypothetically, that I were to have a high stress life, but still had good sleep, low blood pressure, and a slow heart rate, while also staying away from unhealthy habits like drinking or addiction.

Would my health still be worse than a person who lives an equivalent, but less stressful life than me?

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[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

Stress, especially chronic stress, can raise cortisol levels which can result in an inflammatory response which can present as things like joint pain. I also believe there is some sort of emotional connection from cortisol and/or stress that results in poor food or health choices. I think I read somewhere that in the presence of cortisol, your body will convert more energy to fat and something else having to do with an elevated blood sugar, bit I can't remember.

Exercise can lower cortisol levels even if stress is still present.

I'm not a doctor, herbalist or anybody in any sort of medical field. I just read a lot of books and ask a lot of questions. I could be totally wrong.