How Stress Affects Your Body

How Stress Affects Your Body
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Updated on January 16, 2025
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If you’ve ever felt stressed out (and who hasn’t?), you already know that being under pressure can affect your body, either by causing a headache, muscle tightness, or flutters in your chest, making you feel down in the dumps, or leaving you ravenous for chocolate or robbed of all appetite.

There are both short-term and potential long-term physical effects of stress. Learning how to manage stress effectively can help to reduce both varieties.

How Acute Stress Affects Your Body

When you experience an acute or sudden onset of stress — maybe you’re running late, working on a tight deadline, driving in bad weather — your body may react in the following ways:

  • Muscle tension
  • Shortness of breath and/or rapid breathing and hyperventilation (people with breathing disorders may have an event triggered by stress)
  • Increased heart rate, stronger contractions of the heart muscle, and elevated blood pressure — what’s known as the fight-or-flight response
  • Sweating

  • Gastrointestinal distress (bloating, nausea, gassiness, diarrhea or constipation, even vomiting)
  • Dry mouth

Most people can take these kinds of physiological changes in stride. “Cortisol is released when you feel stressed, but the level of this hormone should go back down when the stressful event is over,” says Jennifer Haythe, MD, a cardiologist at Columbia University’s Irving Medical Center in New York City. 

When the stress subsides, the body relaxes and these symptoms go away.

There are instances of acute stress that can be more serious and have a more profound effect on your body. Stress-induced cardiomyopathy — an uncommon form of cardiomyopathy also known as broken heart syndrome — is a weakening of the heart’s left ventricle (its main pumping chamber) that usually results from severe emotional or physical stress.

 Although the condition is relatively rare, the vast majority of cases are in postmenopausal women.

“Cardiomyopathy can occur in very stressful situations, such as after a huge fight, the death of a child, or other major triggers,” Dr. Haythe says. “Patients come into the emergency room with severe chest pain and other symptoms of what we call acute heart failure syndrome, though their coronary arteries are clear. They can be very sick, but with treatment, most of the time, people recover.”

How Chronic Stress Can Affect Your Body

While the physical effects of acute stress typically subside once the stressful situation has passed, chronic stress — the kind that continues for months or years — is more likely to lead to serious illness.

The stress hormones cortisol and epinephrine (adrenaline) “affect most areas of the body, interfering with sleep and increasing the risk of stroke, high blood pressure, and heart disease as well as causing depression and anxiety,” says Alka Gupta, MD, chief medical officer at Bluerock Care in Washington, DC.

Here are a few key ways chronic stress can impact the body:

Inflammation Studies have shown that chronic stress is linked to increased inflammation in the body.

 “One of the proposed actions of stress is that it triggers inflammation in the body, which is thought to underlie many diseases, including heart disease, diabetes, autoimmune disorders like multiple sclerosis, and even pain,” says Dr. Gupta.

One possible culprit: Chronic stress seems to be linked to an increase in pro-inflammatory cytokines, a type of immune cell that is typically part of the body’s defense system when you have an infection. But when these cytokines are chronically activated, as with stress, they can lead to ongoing, low-level inflammation. 

“People with autoimmune conditions, in which the immune system attacks the body itself, tend to have higher levels of these cytokines,” says Michelle Dossett, MD, PhD, an assistant professor and specialist in integrative medicine at UC Davis Medical Center in Sacramento, California. The good news is that stress-management techniques, such as mindfulness meditation, have been shown to have anti-inflammatory effects, lowering cytokines in the body.

Digestive Disorders “The gastrointestinal tract is filled with nerve endings and immune cells, all of which are affected by stress hormones,” says Dr. Dossett. As a result, stress can cause acid reflux and exacerbate symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome and inflammatory bowel disease — not to mention that it can create butterflies in your stomach.

Lowered Immunity A number of studies have shown that stress lowers immunity, which may be why you’re likely to come down with a cold after a crunch time at school or work — right on the first day of your vacation.

 “Patients with autoimmune disorders often tell me  they get flare-ups during or after stressful events or that their condition began after a particularly stressful event,” says Dossett.

Changes in Brain Function “Brain scans of people with post-traumatic stress disorder show more activity in the amygdala, a region of the brain associated with fear and emotion,” says Haythe. But even everyday kinds of stress can affect how the brain processes information.

“We see actual structural, functional, and connectivity-related brain changes in people who are under chronic stress,” adds Gupta. All of these can affect cognition and attention. Cognitive function depends on the interplay between multiple body systems, and increasingly researchers are examining the vital role the gut microbiome plays as it interacts with the neuroendocrine systems that respond to stress.

Chronic stress can also lead to brain fog, the sensation of reduced cognitive function.

Increased Pain Stress makes us more sensitive to pain, and it can also cause pain due to muscular tension.

 When muscles tighten and stay that way for long periods of time, it can lead to chronic pain. Stress has been linked to musculoskeletal pain in the lower back. Additionally, tension headaches as well as migraine are connected with chronic muscle tension in the shoulders, neck, and head.

 “People under stress also tend to perceive pain differently,” says Gupta. 

Poor Sleep They’re also less apt to sleep well, which doesn’t help matters. “Sleep is so important in terms of helping to prevent every disease,” adds Haythe. “It helps reboot the immune system and prevents depression, irritability, and exhaustion.”

Sexual Desire and Dysfunction In women, chronic stress may reduce sexual desire. And in men, chronic stress can affect testosterone production, resulting in a decline in sex drive or libido, and can cause erectile dysfunction or impotence.

Reproductive Health High stress levels may be associated with irregular menstrual cycles, more painful periods, or changes in the length of cycles. Stress can also negatively impact not only the ability to conceive, but also health during and after pregnancy. Too much stress increases the risk of depression and anxiety during this time. In men, chronic stress can negatively impact sperm production and maturation, resulting in difficulties when trying to conceive.

Obesity Stress and obesity are interconnected in several ways. Stress can lead to poor behavioral choices when it comes to diet and increases hormones and peptides that have to do with appetite and metabolism. Research shows that psychological distress and elevated cortisol levels promote abdominal fat, a feature of the metabolic syndrome.

Can Stress Cause Cancer?

The evidence on whether chronic stress can directly cause cancer is contradictory. One study found an association between workplace stress and prostate cancer risk, but a similar study didn’t find that association. One meta-analysis found an association between work stress and risk of lung, colorectal, and esophageal cancers, but another meta-analysis found no link between work stress and the risk of lung, colorectal, breast, or prostate cancers.

Chronic stress, however, could have an indirect connection to cancer risk; it can lead to unhealthy behaviors like smoking, drinking, and overeating, which have been associated with increased risks of some cancers.

 An estimated “40 percent of cancers are preventable with changes in lifestyle,” notes Dossett.

How to Manage Stress

Not all stress is bad, nor are the hormones that the body produces in response to stress. Their levels actually fluctuate throughout the day as you adapt to challenges like waking up, getting stuck in traffic, or being surprised on your birthday. Cortisol levels generally peak in the morning just before you wake up, suggesting this hormone plays a significant role in the initiation of wakefulness.

It’s also possible to manage stress by doing small things that can help short-circuit the body’s fight-or-flight response, stopping the flood of stress hormones from revving up your blood pressure and heart rate.

When you’re feeling stressed, try the following:

  • Physical activity can boost feel-good endorphins, while focusing on your body’s movements can take your mind off whatever is stressing you. Do something active, whether that’s taking a walk, going for a bike ride, or hitting the gym.
  • Eat well and avoid unhealthy dietary habits like drinking too much alcohol or caffeine.
  • Mind-body therapies like meditation can refocus you and calm you down. Deep-breathing and yoga — hatha yoga, in particular — can also ease stress.
  • Quality sleep is necessary to keep stress in check, even though stress may have you tossing and turning. Try to avoid the cycle of stress and poor sleep by developing effective sleep habits, such as keeping your bedroom dark and quiet, avoiding screens before bed, and sticking to a schedule.
  • Seek out friends and social connections who can provide emotional support, perspective, and distraction.
  • Keep a journal of your thoughts to provide an outlet for your feelings.

If self-care approaches aren’t relieving your stress, especially if stress is affecting your ability to function in daily life, consider therapy. A therapist can help you examine the sources of your stress and provide you with coping strategies.

The Takeaway

  • Stress can have short-term and long-term effects on your physical health. 
  • While symptoms of acute stress — muscle tension, headache, racing heart, shortness of breath — typically go away when the stress does, chronic, lasting stress can lead to serious health issues, including heart disease, depression, and heightened pain sensitivity. It can also negatively impact sleep, reproductive health, and cognitive functions. 
  • To help manage stress, stay physically active and engage in mindful practices like meditation. Also maintain your social connections and get enough sleep.
  • If stress begins to adversely affect your health or disrupt daily life, consider seeing a therapist who can offer effective stress-management strategies.

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Angela D. Harper, MD

Medical Reviewer
Castle Connolly Top Doctor

Angela D. Harper, MD, is in private practice at Columbia Psychiatric Associates in South Carolina, where she provides evaluations, medication management, and psychotherapy for adults.  

A distinguished fellow of the American Psychiatric Association, Dr. Harper has worked as a psychiatrist throughout her career, serving a large number of patients in various settings, including a psychiatric hospital on the inpatient psychiatric and addiction units, a community mental health center, and a 350-bed nursing home and rehab facility. She has provided legal case consultation for a number of attorneys.

Harper graduated magna cum laude from Furman University with a bachelor's degree and cum laude from the University of South Carolina School of Medicine, where she also completed her residency in adult psychiatry. During residency, she won numerous awards, including the Laughlin Fellowship from the American College of Psychiatrists, the Ginsberg Fellowship from the American Association of Directors of Psychiatric Residency Training, and resident of the year and resident medical student teacher of the year. She was also the member-in-training trustee to the American Psychiatric Association board of trustees during her last two years of residency training.

Harper volunteered for a five-year term on her medical school's admission committee, has given numerous presentations, and has taught medical students and residents. She currently supervises a nurse practitioner. She is passionate about volunteering for the state medical board's medical disciplinary commission, on which she has served since 2015.

She and her husband are avid travelers and have been to over 55 countries and territories.

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Paula Derrow

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Paula Derrow is a writer and editor in New York City who specializes in health, psychology, sexuality, relationships, and the personal essay. She was the articles director at Self magazine for 12 years, and has worked at many other national magazines, including Glamour, Harper’s Bazaar, and American Health. Her writing has been featured in The New York Times Ties column, its Modern Love column, Refinery29, Real Simple, Tablet, Cosmo, Good Housekeeping, Woman’s Day, and more.

Derrow also covers health for New York Presbyterian/Weill-Cornell Hospital in New York City. She has ghost edited a number of health books and health-related memoirs. She is the editor of the Publisher’s Weekly-starred anthology Behind the Bedroom Door: Getting It, Giving It, Loving It, Missing It.

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