We all know the feeling – the tense muscles, the racing heart, the cloud of worry that won’t go away. Stress is something we all experience to varying degrees. But did you know it can have a big impact on your physical health, too? UT Physicians providers share their knowledge about stress and how it impacts health.
The emotional side of stress
Chermaine L. Tyler, PhD, a psychologist with UT Physicians Family Medicine — Texas Medical Center, describes stress as anything that disrupts our normal way of living and creates emotional or physical strain. It could be the stress of a demanding job, managing a chronic illness, or dealing with a major life change like the loss of a loved one.
“You are one human being: mind, body, and soul. Your emotions don’t know they’re not supposed to care because your leg is broken or you have diabetes,” said Tyler, assistant professor of family medicine at McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston. “All of that lives inside you as one whole human being.”
Tyler focuses on health psychology, which she describes as the intersection of mental and physical health. For example, Tyler said stress can impact how you eat, what you eat, and how people deal with their weight. She examines the circular impact of how it all fits together.
“I help people put strategies in place,” Tyler said. “Often people don’t recognize there are some opportunities to get support they don’t necessarily utilize. Recognizing you have support is often useful to help you lighten your load so you aren’t so stressed about what’s happening.”
The American Psychological Association has been surveying and studying the link between mind and body since 2007 in its annual Stress in America survey. Not only does it measure attitudes and perceptions of stress, but it also shares common behaviors to manage stress.
Moving through our body
Stress doesn’t just stay in our heads. It can take a toll on our bodies, too. Over time, unmanaged stress can contribute to such health issues as heart disease, high blood pressure, and weakened immune function.
Kelly L. Wirfel, MD, an endocrinologist with UT Physicians Multispecialty — Bellaire Station, notices acute and chronic stress in her patients. She sees the greatest impact in patients with diabetes, whose blood glucose levels run higher than usual.
“Physical and mental stress elevates our cortisol levels, which creates varying degrees of the fight or flight response,” said Wirfel, associate professor of endocrinology at McGovern Medical School. “I counsel patients that stress can be harmful and encourage them to find ways to mediate the stressors.”
One of her recommendations is to find counseling if needed. Sometimes, patients need the resources and options to get out of a stressful situation, she said. One of her colleagues told a patient that if she couldn’t fix a bad job, she needed to find another option.
“I also tell many busy working moms to learn to say ‘no’ to better manage their health,” Wirfel said. “Too often, we want to do it all, and we need to learn to draw limits.”
Internalizing stress
Brooks D. Cash, MD, a gastroenterologist at UT Physicians Multispecialty — Bellaire Station, describes stress as a state of worry or mental tension caused by a difficult situation. He said stress is often blamed for the persistence or worsening of symptoms in the field of gastrointestinal disorders. Many patients and clinicians attribute chronic physical symptoms to stress, he said. Cash believes the evidence to support a causal relationship between stress and gastrointestinal symptoms is weak.
“Stress is very much a part of the chronic illness experience, but in most instances doesn’t appear to be the sole causal factor but rather an augmenter of the illness experience impacting, and in some cases, magnifying physical symptoms,” said Cash, who is also chief of gastroenterology, hepatology, and nutrition and the Dan and Lillie Sterling Professor in Clinical Gastroenterology at McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston.
Cash said studies have demonstrated that patients can benefit from addressing stress through a variety of avenues. This can include low doses of antidepressant or antianxiety medications to regulate pain in the peripheral nervous system, psychological therapies, or psychiatric medication. Some of the most effective therapies are nondrug approaches such as cognitive behavioral therapy, mindful meditation, and gut-directed hypnotherapy, he said.
“It’s unclear if symptoms cause stress or stress magnifies symptoms,” Cash said. “It may be a combination of both, so we should not lose sight of the potential impact of stress on our patients’ lives, specific symptoms, and the need to address these issues.”
Taking action
The good news is that there are some simple things we can do to take care of ourselves. Tyler recommends focusing on the basics:
Sleep hygiene – Make sure you’re getting enough quality shut-eye on a regular basis.
Nutrition – Aim to eat a colorful, balanced diet full of whole, unprocessed foods. She said the different nutrients can make a difference. Her favorite tip: Ask yourself what colors of the rainbow you’ve eaten that day. If you find any missing, try to incorporate some of those natural colors into your meals.
Tyler also emphasized the importance of starting small, setting intentions, and taking baby steps.
“Maybe it’s ensuring you go to bed 30 minutes earlier tonight or adding an extra serving of veggies at dinner,” Tyler said. “Those little actions can go a long way in helping your body and mind cope with whatever stressors come your way.”
It’s essential to incorporate simple ways to take care of yourself. Your health is worth the effort.
