How can Stress Affect the Female Body
The female body works quite differently than the male body does. It is more than obvious that women are undergoing a lot more hormonal changes than the man does, but in situations like those, how does the stress affect the entire body functions of the female?
We have comprised a small list of brand new information for you, connected to how stress affects the body, so keep on reading to find out.The stress is an unavoidable part of the every day life.
Stress Affect the Female Body
Overcoming the obstacles of every day, planning, as well as achieving goals all require a little bit of stress. However, when there is no way to manage the stress, it can compromise the overall health.
This can have a lot of negative effects on the body. The management of stress is very important in order to maintain a healthy lifestyle.
- Brain – when under a lot of stress, there is more of the stress hormone called cortisol released in the body, and the excessive amounts of it can interfere with memory and learning. Also, the elevated levels of cortisol can increase the risk of a mental illness.
- Cardiovascular system – the stress definitely increases the risk of a hypertension, stroke or a heart attack. A study from nurses in Denmark showed how the pressure from work with women created a higher risk of developing a cardiovascular disease. Another study of white collar workers in Beijing showed how the job strain with women only increased the thickness of the carotid artery, which is an early sign of a heart disease.
- Respiratory system – the stress can cause difficulty while breathing, asthma attacks, panic attacks and rapid breathing.
- Muscles – the stress can cause increased tension in the muscles, tense headaches, chronic musculoskeletal pain and such a severe form of muscle tension that it can actually lead to atrophy.
- Digestion – it can cause butterflies, pain or nausea in the stomach; can disrupt the bowel, leading it to a state of diarrhea or constipation; and when it comes to the esophagus, due to the smoking or overeating because of stress you can cause acid reflux or heartburn.
- Reproduction – the elevated stress levels can cause longer periods, cramping and missing periods, delay of ovulation, which can affect the infertility, it can reduce the sexual desire, and increase the symptoms of PMS, such as mood swings, bloating and cramping.
- Liver – during this period of fight or flight response, the liver will secrete an increased amount of glucose. For some already vulnerable populations, such as the women who are slightly overweight, or Native Americans, the extra sugar in the bloodstream can easily lead to diabetes.
But what increases the risk of mental illness and stress with women? Here is some insight about answering this question.
There a socioeconomic disadvantages here, as well as the pressure of having to care about children, spouses, parents and so on.
- Women who worry about losing their jobs are defintiely more likely to be diagnosed with obesity, high blood pressure and high cholesterol levels.
- When working in a male dominated profession, where the women make up less of the workforce, the cortisol levels with women is highly elevated.
- Women who are into jobs with a lot of stress and pressure have a 40% increased risk of a heart disease.
What can also elevate the stress levels with women is the fact that the lifetime prevalence of violence against women can go as up as 50%, and not to mention that every one in 5 women will, in her lifetime, suffer rape or attempted rape.
Some of the factors that reduce the stress with women are maintaining healthy relationships, having access to material and financial resources (which leads to having more options), and having control in difficult situations.
There are some stress management techniques to deal with this issue, and they involve regular exercising, mindfulness, relaxation and breathing techniques, mutually beneficial relationships and counseling.