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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 Uno@monyet.cc to c/asklemmy@lemmy.ml

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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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[–] fiat_lux@kbin.social 23 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

In addition to fight or flight, cortisol is an anti-inflammatory. Which sounds good, but when the body is inflamed and keeps having its complaints obscured by cortisol when you really need rest... the result is more inflammation and possible further damage. So the body provides more cortisol...

Pre-existing unrelated conditions feel even worse from the elevated cortisol, which also elevates cortisol...

It's a dangerous feedback loop, 0/10, do not recommend.