Stress that’s left unchecked can contribute to many stress related health problems. According to the recent report 74% of UK adults have felt so stressed at some point over the last year they felt overwhelmed or unable to cope. 81% of women said this compared to 67 percent of men. They have allowed stress to get out of hand, to control them. When this occurs, some obvious signs are nervousness, trembling, dizziness, pounding of the heart, troubled breathing, and sweaty palms.
However, there is a long list of more serious stress related health problems.
- Insomnia
- Indigestion, acid enters the stomach and leads to ulcers
- Colitis and/or constipation
- Back, neck, chest, and stomach pains due to muscle tension
- Headache, fuzzy vision
- Loss of appetite
- Depression
- Increased levels of fatty acids and serum cholesterol
- Hypertension
- Decreased time of blood coagulation (blood clots more easily internally)
- Heart disease
- Kidney disease
- Endocrine gland disorders
- Weakening of other organs of the body
- Use of drugs, alcoholism, excessive smoking
- Suicide
Indeed, as indicated by Selye’s theory of stress, almost any disease can be caused by emotional stress.
How does Stress Cause so Many Health Related Problems?
In the 1970’s Drs. Meyer and Friedman, two cardiologists, and Ray H. Roseman suggested that excess stress may be the most significant risk factor in the development of heart disease. They categorized individuals as showing either Type A behaviour or Type B behaviour. The Type A individual was described as aggressive, ambitious, competitive, and time conscious.
The doctors concluded that the consequences of this stressful behaviour elevated blood pressure, increased levels of serum cholesterol and fatty acids, stimulation of blood clotting, and over production of various hormones made these people more susceptible to heart disease. Type B behaviour was described as more relaxed, though not necessarily less ambitious or successful.
Other researchers have questioned Friedman’s and Rosenman’s lack of emphasis on the role of diet and exercise in heart disease, but there are supporting studies, and it is generally agreed that stress is a risk factor in heart disease.
In one study, 94 men, prior to undergoing diagnostic coronary testing, were asked to respond to tests for coronary-prone behaviour pattern anxiety, depression, and neuroticism. The men with the greatest amount of atherosclerosis scored significantly higher on all four scales of the test for the Type A coronary-prone behaviour pattern than did those with less disease. Other scientists in the U.S., the Netherlands, Australia, and Israel have independently reported empirical studies comparing individuals with coronary disease and individuals without coronary disease. Consistently, the patients with heart disease exhibited the Type A personality.
Type A personality
According to Friedman and Roseman, you can be described as a Type A personality if you are:
- Excessively competitive
- Always strive for achievement
- Are overly aggressive
- Exhibit time urgency
- Think of or do two or more things simultaneously
- Restless
- Feel “challenged” upon meeting another type a person
- Hyperalert
- Have explosiveness of speech and amplitude
- Struggle against the limitation of time and the insensitivity of the environment
- Almost always feel guilty when you relax
- Do not have the time to spare to become the things worth being because you are preoccupied with obtaining the things worth having
- Have certain nervous characteristics (frequently clench your fist, tight facial muscles, bang your hand on the table, etc.)
- No longer observe the more important or interesting things in the world
- Pretend to listen but really remain preoccupied with your own thoughts when you can’t steer the conversation your ways
