Abnormal Psychology - Theories of the Stress-Illness Link
This is something that I've always been interested in. I don't really ever feel stressed- but I know that between work and school and life in general I have to be experiencing some level of stress. By not admitting to the mental effects of stress it probably manifests itself physically.
What is probably more accurate is that as a result of a stressful life you start changing your habits and behavior. If you're really busy you probably don't have time to eat well, sleep well, relax, exercise or anything else associated with healthy living. In addition to that people pick up detrimental habits; smoking, too much caffeine, drinking. Because you stop doing healthy things and pick up unhealthy things- it's difficult to say whether or not stress and stress alone can really affect your health- or if it's just the behavior resulting from stress.
Stress can affect your body on many levels. The nervous system, hormone levels, brain activity are all subject the stress in your life. The one that is gaining a lot of interest is the immune system. Everything from the common cold to cancer is thought to be affected by stress. It's not really well defined but there have been a lot of connections made. One study linked stress to low anti-bodies in your secretory immune system. The secretory immune system is all of your mucosal surfaces- so when there aren't as many anti-bodies there you are more prone to viral infections. There are also a lot of pyschosomatic reactions as well as developing hypochondria which are the mental affects of stress.
There are definitely biological and chemical responses to stress- but I think a lot of it has to do with your behavior when you cope with stress. Next time your life gets a bit hectic try to remember that and keep yourself balanced. Healthy body, healthy mind, healthy body.
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