How does stress affect my health?

Stress and Health: Experts Outline Short- and Long-Term Risks

Growing evidence shows that stress affects both body and mind, experts say. Acute stress triggers a fight-or-flight response that can raise heart rate, sharpen attention and mobilize energy for immediate challenges. When stress becomes chronic, clinicians warn, it can contribute to persistent physiological changes.

Clinicians and public-health researchers link prolonged stress to increased risk of cardiovascular disease, including elevated blood pressure, heart attack and stroke. Endocrinologists note that chronic activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis elevates cortisol, which influences metabolism and can promote weight gain and insulin resistance. Immunologists observe that ongoing stress dampens immune response, increasing susceptibility to infection and slowing wound healing.

Mental-health professionals point to robust associations between sustained stress and anxiety disorders, depression and sleep disturbance. Cognitive specialists report that chronic stress impairs attention, memory and decision-making through structural and functional changes in brain regions such as the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex.

Experts recommend a layered approach to reduce harm. Primary-care physicians advise routine screening for stress and related symptoms during visits and, when necessary, referrals to mental-health specialists. Behavioral interventions with strong evidence include cognitive behavioral therapy, structured relaxation training and regular physical activity. Public-health officials encourage social support, adequate sleep and workplace policies that reduce chronic pressures.

Researchers emphasize that small, consistent changes yield measurable benefits and that early intervention can prevent progression to more serious illness. Clinicians urge people experiencing persistent or disabling stress to seek professional evaluation. With coordinated care and evidence-based strategies, most people can reduce stress-related risk and improve overall health.

Public-health researchers recommend accessible community programs, workplace flexibility, and insurance coverage for mental health services to expand reach; policymakers, clinicians and employers are urged to collaborate to make stress prevention and treatment affordable, culturally appropriate and evidence based and widely available.