How can stress affect your physical health?

Stress can have immediate and long-term effects on physical health, clinicians and researchers warn. In acute episodes the body releases adrenaline and cortisol, triggering faster heart rate, rapid breathing and heightened blood pressure. If those responses persist, chronic stress alters metabolism, weakens immune function, and increases the risk of cardiovascular disease, experts say.

“Repeated activation of the stress response contributes to elevated blood pressure and inflammation that can damage arteries,” said Dr. Lisa Chen, an associate professor of cardiology at Riverbend Medical Center. Epidemiological research links chronic stress with higher rates of heart attack and stroke, and with metabolic conditions such as type 2 diabetes.

Patients report tangible symptoms. Maria Alvarez, 42, a nurse who developed chronic insomnia after prolonged workplace pressure, described constant headaches, digestive upset and a decline in her baseline health. “Stress didn’t just change my mood,” she said. “It changed how my body felt every day.”

Psychologists note stress also affects sleep, appetite and pain perception, often creating a cycle that amplifies physical problems. “Stress hormones impair sleep and immune responses, which reduces resilience to infection and injury,” said Dr. Mark Patel, a clinical psychologist at State University’s Stress Research Institute.

Public health organizations recommend evidence-based strategies: regular physical activity, cognitive behavioral therapy, adequate sleep, social support and, when necessary, medical treatment. Small lifestyle changes can reduce physiological burden and improve outcomes.

Clinicians emphasize early recognition. Routine screening for stress and referral to appropriate services can prevent progression to chronic disease, they say. As research advances, experts advocate integrated care that treats psychological stress as a key factor in physical health.

Healthcare systems are urged to incorporate stress measurement into routine visits and insurers to cover therapies; employers are encouraged to implement workload adjustments and offer mental health resources to reduce population-level physical harms and costs.