Key Takeaways
- Too much stress can weaken your immune system and make you sick.
- Chronic stress causes your body to produce cortisol, which creates inflammation.
- It is important to learn strategies to better cope with stress to maintain good health.
From relationship issues, financial troubles, and school deadlines to work pressures, life is full of stressors. Stress doesn’t feel good, but when we never get a break from it, it can make us literally ill.
This is because ongoing stress causes our bodies to constantly produce cortisol which creates inflammation in the body. This negatively impacts our immune system by reducing our white blood cells that are responsible for fighting infections.
Stress can also affect our sleep and worsen existing medical conditions. And then there are all the ways we try to cope with stress—with food, alcohol, or other unhealthy habits—that can make us more prone to sickness in the long term
The true key to combatting stress and avoiding the physiological repercussions involves addressing the root cause of said stress. If you can’t do that, healthy stress reduction techniques will be your next best bet
Can Stress Really Make Us Sick?
Unfortunately, the answer is yes. It’s been shown that 60% to 80% of primary care visits may have a stress-related component.
Dr. Julia Kogan, PsyD, a health psychologist with a background in neuropsychology and a specialty in chronic stress, sleep, and health behaviors explained that chronic stress can decrease immunity and cause more frequent illness for several reasons.
When our body is under stress, it releases cortisol. Cortisol is a stress hormone that can cause inflammation when released too regularly into the body. This inflammatory response can be helpful to fight off germs and illness in the short term. However, when we are constantly stressed, it can create issues with our immune system, cause infections, and worsen chronic illnesses like arthritis, IBS and fibromyalgia.
Our body’s white blood cells (lymphocytes) which help fight infections also decrease when we experience chronic stress. This makes us more prone to colds, the flu, and other infections.
When our body is under stress, it releases cortisol. Cortisol is a stress hormone that can cause inflammation when released too regularly into the body.
In addition, we’ve all lost sleep when we’re stressed. Sleep is an integral part of healthy immune system functioning. When our sleep is regularly disrupted, it can weaken our immune system.
Dr. Patricia Mills, Wholistic MD, a Specialist in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and Practicing Functional Medicine added that too much cortisol in your body upsets the balance of your sex hormones.
“[T]he building blocks used to make cortisol are the same ones used to make estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone. This shortage causes decreased levels of your sex hormones…and can cause a range of health concerns [such as] problems with menstruation, infertility, and menopause for women, low testosterone for men, and medical diagnoses like PCOS, fibroids, endometriosis, and erectile dysfunction,” explained Dr. Mills.
How Can I Know If Stress Is the Reason I’m Sick?
It can be challenging to definitively say that your illness is solely due to stress because everyone’s body is different with multiple systems working together to maintain its proper functioning. Your body may respond to a certain level of stress differently than someone else’s body.
Stress can also exacerbate existing health issues—so even if stress wasn’t the root cause of an illness, it can make the illness worse.
Dr. Mills explained that there is no way to know for sure if stress is the reason you are sick. In today’s world, stress affects all of us in some way so it is important to learn strategies to better cope with stress.
Julia Kogan, PsyD
We know that chronic stress that is experienced too often and too intensely can result in decreased immune system functioning, so looking at stress levels is an important part of managing not only emotional well-being but physical health as well
— Julia Kogan, PsyD
Excessive stress is one of the major root causes of chronic disease in our modern society. Everyday life stress such as work, family, finances, intense workouts or sudden and catastrophic events such as the death of a loved one or loss of a job can slowly or quickly build up physical and mental stress.
If you’re under chronic stress, and you’re experiencing physical, emotional, behavioral or cognitive issues, you should look at how your stress levels are affecting your overall health.
“We know that chronic stress that is experienced too often and too intensely can result in decreased immune system functioning, so looking at stress levels is an important part of managing not only emotional well-being but physical health as well,” advises Dr. Kogan.
What Are the Symptoms of Stress-Related Sickness?
It can be difficult to determine whether stress is the sole reason you’re sick; however, there are symptoms related to chronic stress that differ from those experienced with a regular cold or flu.
How to Lower Stress and Ward of Sickness
The best way to lower stress and prevent getting ill is to re-think how you deal with stress. Since moving to a monastery isn’t an option for most of us, we need to find a new strategy to respond to the stresses of life that cannot be avoided.
Dr. Mills highlighted how hormones play in our stress and relaxation response. The opposite of stress is relaxation, and the hormone for relaxation is oxytocin.
Most of us end up coping with stress using short-term gratification tactics like food, drinking, smoking, exercise, excessive shopping or drugs. Dr. Mills explained that these activities activate our hormone dopamine in response to stress, not oxytocin. High amounts of dopamine cause us to experience extreme pleasure and addiction, creating a vicious cycle that feels impossible to stop.
“Therefore, you want to be very intentional about activities that release the hormone oxytocin to counterbalance your stress while avoiding the extreme cravings associated with the hormone dopamine,” advises Dr. Mills.
Here are a few activities that can powerfully activate oxytocin in your body. Choose a few from the following list and incorporate at least 5 minutes into your morning and evening routine and throughout the day as needed:
Meditation
Meditation can help slow down racing thoughts and reduce anxiety. Look into the apps Calm or Headspace for guided meditations or to learn how to meditate on your own.
Breathwork
Breathwork can be as simple as starting and ending the day with five deep belly breaths. Dr. Kogan explains that you can engage the calm response in the body with deep relaxation exercises including diaphragmatic breathing and progressive muscle relaxation.
Gentle Yoga
Yoga can be an effective antidote to stress. Try two slow sun salutations in the morning and two moon salutations in the evening to get started on your practice.
Go for a walk outside
Physical activity is one of the best ways to beat stress, improve sleep and boost your immune system. Take a break and go for a walk around the block. Practice your deep breathing, swing your arms, look around, and just enjoy being alive!
Dancing
If hitting the machines at the gym or going for a run isn’t your thing, there are ways to make it more stimulating for you. Dancing—whether on your own or in a class—is a terrific way to destress while also getting your blood pumping. Put on some fun music and free-form shake out all your angst with your own rebel dance routine. Join an online or in-person class, or meet up with friends for an impromptu dance party.
Essential oils
Aromatherapy can be a soothing way to relieve stress during a busy day or when winding down for the evening. Dr. Mills shared a simple way to enjoy this practice which involves putting warm water into a bowl and sprinkling 10 drops of either lavender oil or Roman chamomile oil.
Keep in Mind
If you’re constantly feeling overwhelmed and chronically stressed, be sure to see your doctor or mental health professional. They can help determine whether there is something more serious going on and provide specific stress management tips that fit your situation and needs.
Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
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Sharma K, Akre S, Chakole S, Wanjari MB. Stress-induced diabetes: a review. Cureus. 2022;14(9):e29142.
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