Running head: HEALTH IMPACTS OF STRESS 1

Health Impacts of Stress

California State University of Channel Islands

Kelsey Garcia
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The feeling of stress is well-known for the majority of the population with each

individual having their own specific stressors and health impacts associated with those stressors.

While stress is a concept known to many, the theory of stress and stressors was not developed

until 1936 by the endocrinologist, Hans Selye. Prior to Seyle, the term “stress” was solely a term

utilized in physics but was later developed by Seyle to define the idea of stress (AIS, n.d.). Some

definitions include, “the rate of wear and tear on the body”, and the “physical, mental, or

emotional strain or tension”, with various other definitions (AIS, n.d.). As stress varies among

individuals, it became difficult to identify an exact definition causing the definition to be

continuously altered by Seyle during his time of research.

While the causes of stress will vary among individuals, there are notable similarities as

well. According to the American Psychological Association, the nine key sources of stress

amongst different groups consist of the following: money, work, family responsibilities,

health-related concerns, housing costs, relationships, job stability, the economy, personal safety,

and discrimination. With these research findings, the prominent causes of stress can vary among

groups with money being the primary sources of stress among Generation Z, millennials, and

Generation X with Millenials, on average, displaying higher stress levels overall (APA, 2019).

There were also similarities among the boomer generation and older adults with health-related

concerns being the primary cause of stress with an overall lower level of stress compared to the

other generations (APA, 2019). With the average stress level being higher than the perceived

healthy level of stress, it is clear that stress is not just present in a specific population but rather is

reoccurring amongst different generations, races, and genders. With that being said, different

groups may face stress due to different factors relating to their generation, race, or gender. An
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example of this can be seen with Millenials and Generation Z, which contain a high number of

college students creating specific stressors. Author Lea Winerman focuses on the stressors

specific to college students noting that within one year, there was a 30% increase in students

trying to seek counseling despite the fact that there was only a 5% increase in attendance during

that time period (Winerman, 2017). For college students, the common stressors found were

academic performance, family issues, relationship problems, and depression (Winerman, 2017).

As seen above, the level of stress can be affected by one’s generation, gender, or race with

similarities in stress factors across the board.

Despite stress commonly expressed with a negative connotation, it can be considered as

the body’s natural response to circumstantial factors. While stress can produce the fight or flight

response within the body, long-term stress levels can produce severe negative effects on one’s

health (APA, 2013). Long-term and even reoccurring acute stress can pose a variety of risks to

one’s health by producing a variety of complications within the bodily systems, with one of these

being the cardiovascular system. During times of stress, one’s heart rate and blood pressure will

naturally increase due to the fight-or-flight response but problems will arise if the stress is

prolonged and/or reoccurring rather than reverting to the body’s normal state. Due to this

cardiovascular response, chronic stress can put individuals at risk of hypertension, heart attack,

and stroke (APA, n.d.). In addition to the cardiovascular system, stressors can heavily impact the

respiratory system as well. When some individuals experience stress, it can produce shortness of

breath and hyperventilation which can become problematic, especially for those with preexisting

respiratory problems. Individuals who experience such as response are prone to respiratory risk

factors such as asthma attacks or panic attacks due to hyperventilation (APA, n.d.). Another
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prominent area of health impacts can be seen in the gastrointestinal system. Stress can produce

changes in the esophagus creating spasms in this area as well as an increase in bloating, burping,

and gassiness (APA, n.d.). In addition, nausea is a likely symptom of acute or chronic stress,

which can initiate vomiting depending on the individual, which produces a toll on the person’s

body and health status. Lastly, stress can determine which nutrients are absorbed by the

intestines, which can negatively impact the gut health of the body putting individuals at risk for

Inflammatory Bowel Disease and Irritable Bowel Syndrome (APA, n.d.). While there are a

variety of other bodily systems that can be affected in addition to those mentioned, it comes to

show the severe toll and negative effects that stress can produce on one’s body.

As the effects of stress can greatly impact an individual’s health, it becomes necessary to

establish methods to reduce your stress level and promote your overall health. While the

effectiveness of methods will vary between individuals, author Anahad O’Conner for the New

York Times elaborates on some potential methods for stress reduction provided by Dr. Rangan

Chatterjee. With breathing exercises being proven to reduce stress, Dr. Chatterjee suggested the

“3-4-5 Breath [method] in which you breathe in for three seconds, hold it for four seconds, then

exhale slowly to count of five (O’Conner, 2019).” Doing this breathing exercise according to Dr.

Chatterjee, promotes relaxation and reduces the stress response. In addition to breathing

exercises, the American Psychological Association provides suggestions in order to reduce one’s

stress levels with the first step being to identify the specific stressor or stressors (APA, 2019).

Once the stressors have been identified, one key method seen to help reduce one’s stress level is

mindfulness meditation, which involves attention and acceptance allowing individuals to

produce positive emotions and a calm state of mind (APA, 2019). Mindfulness meditation can be
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achieved with the help of instructor-led classes. Not only has mediation been proven to lower

one’s stress levels but this can also be achieved with physical activity overall. Simple exercises

such as a brisk walk can be seen to reduce stress and help eliminate the negative impacts that

stress can cause (APA, 2019). Physical activity can reduce stress while also improving an

individual’s overall sleep, with sleep being able to alleviate stress on its own. Inadequate sleep

can negatively impact one’s mental state and moods only heightening stressors that can occur

throughout the day (APA, 2019). With that being said, it is important to take the measures that

are within an individual’s control to reduce stress in order to actively promote one’s overall

health.

While there a variety of methods that have been proven to reduce stress, which can be

seen above, there is a lack of absolute validity in these methods as stressors and effectiveness of

these methods can vary among individuals. In addition, the level and severity of an individual’s

stress are unknown as there is no definitive method of stress measurement beyond the patient’s

self-report and measurement of physical effects, such as blood pressure and heart rate. Due to

this, it can create difficulty for a patient who is experiencing stress as each individual will vary in

the effective methods for stress reduction and the effects stress produces in that individual’s

health. Since stress can produce changes within bodily systems such as nausea, vomiting,

hypertension, stroke, and so forth, it may be difficult to identify stress as the source of these

health implications without undergoing a variety of tests to rule out other causes.

As research on stress is ongoing, authors and researchers for the International Journal on

the Biology of Stress expand on the potential to measure stress in a new form: speech. These

researchers are currently attempting to determine’s an individuals level of stress as they state
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“stress can affect these decisions and change the wording, grammar, and timing of speech, which

can, in turn, be used as vocal markers of stress (Picard, et al, 2019).” While these researchers feel

speech analysis can help identify stress, there are additional concerns presented by the authors

including validation, privacy, and ethical questions that may arise from such use of technology

and diagnostic purposes. While an advancement such as this can help provide more definitive

measures of stress, additional research and testing will need to be completed in the future prior to

introduction for public use.

In completing this research, I came to learn how necessary it is to establish a personal

method to reduce stress as well as become aware of the possible health effects of stress in order

to better identify them if they arise. This topic was beneficial to my personal health as my body

handles stress through vomiting, which has created a significant toll on my body over the years.

From personal experience, I have had to undergo a variety of testing in order to determine that

vomiting may be induced by stressors rather than physiological factors. Prior to this paper, I was

unaware of just how many bodily systems can be greatly impacted by stress displaying the

overwhelming need to take measures to reduce stress. Being a full-time college student and

working close to full time, stress is a common factor in my daily life creating heavy importance

on establishing methods to reduce my stress levels. Throughout this course, I have been able to

identify the various effects of fitness, not only physically but mentally as well, which is going to

be a method that I will incorporate in trying to reduce my stress levels. A topic such as this is

important to research as stressors will always continue to arise throughout life.

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Resources

American Psychological Association. (2017). By the numbers: stress on campus. Retrieved from

https://www.apa.org/monitor/2017/09/numbers

American Psychological Association. (2019). Healthy ways to handle life’s stressors. Retrieved

from ​https://www.apa.org/topics/stress-tips

American Psychological Association. (2013). How stress affects your health [PDF]. Retrieved

from ​https://www.apa.org/helpcenter/stress-facts.pdf

American Psychological Association. (2019). Mindfulness meditation: a research-proven way to

reduce stress. Retrieved from ​https://www.apa.org/topics/mindfulness-meditation

American Psychological Association. (2019). Stress in American 2019: interactive graphs.

Retrieved from ​https://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/stress/2019/interactive-graphics

American Psychological Association. (n.d.). Stress effects on the body: cardiovascular system.

Retrieved from ​https://www.apa.org/helpcenter/stress/effects-cardiovascular#menu

American Psychological Association. (n.d.). Stress effects on the body: Gastrointestinal system.

Retrieved from ​https://www.apa.org/helpcenter/stress/effects-gastrointestinal#menu

American Psychological Association. (n.d.). Stress effects on the body: respiratory system.

Retrieved from ​https://www.apa.org/helpcenter/stress/effects-respiratory#menu

O’Conner, A. (2019). Stress can make you sick: take steps to reduce it. Retrieved from

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/08/well/mind/stress-can-make-you-sick-take-steps-to-

reduce-it.html
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Slavich, G.M., Taylor, S., & Picard, R.W. (2019) Stress measurement using speech: Recent

advancements, validation issues, and ethical and privacy considerations, Stress, 22:4,

408-413, DOI: 10.1080/10253890.2019.1584180

The American Institute of Stress (AIS). (n.d.). What is stress?. Retrieved from

https://www.stress.org/what-is-stress