How does stress affect your physical health?

Stress and the Body: Experts Outline Tangible Physical Harm and Remedies

Medical experts warn that chronic psychological stress can produce measurable harm across organ systems, elevating risks for cardiovascular, metabolic and immune disorders. Dr. Maria Alvarez, an internist with two decades of clinical research experience, said the body’s stress response — led by the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis and surges of cortisol and adrenaline — mobilizes energy but also alters inflammation, blood pressure and glucose regulation.

In the short term, stress triggers increased heart rate, tighter muscles, stomach upset and disrupted sleep, symptoms clinicians report in primary care settings. Over months to years, persistent stress is associated with high blood pressure, atherosclerosis, impaired immune defenses and a greater incidence of type 2 diabetes, researchers say. Chronic stress also contributes to chronic pain syndromes and gastrointestinal disorders through altered gut-brain signaling.

Clinicians interviewed explained mechanisms: cortisol shifts immune cell distribution and promotes low-grade systemic inflammation, while sympathetic nervous system activation raises blood pressure and increases clotting tendency. These pathways help account for links between long-term stress and heart attacks, strokes and accelerated aging identified by epidemiological studies.

Public health specialists recommend evidence-based interventions. Cognitive-behavioral therapy and stress management training reduce physiological reactivity in controlled trials, therapists report. Regular physical activity, consistent sleep routines and moderate social engagement have documented benefits for endocrine and immune markers. Primary care physicians encourage patients experiencing persistent fatigue, unexplained pain or new cardiovascular symptoms to seek evaluation.

Experts emphasize prevention and early treatment. "Addressing stress is a medical as well as a social priority," Dr. Alvarez said. "Clinicians and communities should ensure accessible mental health care and support systems to protect physical health."

Policymakers should expand access to mental health in primary care and workplaces, aiming to lower the long-term physical disease burden linked to stress across communities.