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The Many Ways Stress Can Ruin Your Body

The Effects of Stress on the Male Body

A little bit of stress is actually good for you. It helps to keep you motivated and to push you to get things done on time. This form of positive stress is called eustress. However, there’s a fine line between an acceptable and unacceptable amount of stress. Bad stress, which is unhelpful or damaging, is known as distress and can eventually lead to chronic health issues such as adrenal fatigue. 

Stress isn’t always in response to one individual event. It can also occur when day to day life becomes too much to handle. Eventually, severe stress can lead to a variety of different health problems. You may even experience symptoms that are not as obvious as you think — ever feel like you sleep more than the average person? That’s probably because of stress!

Continue reading to learn more about the symptoms of stress, and how it can damage your body in the long-term. 

The Main Types of Stress

Eustress

Again, a small amount of stress is perfectly acceptable. It’s normal to feel eustress before moving or starting a new job, for example. Buying a home, going on vacation, family gatherings and the holiday season, retirement, or receiving a promotion are other examples of positive stress. The key with this type of stress, however, is that it is manageable and short-term. Once your situation changes, you should no longer experience this form of stress. 

Distress

Negative stress is extremely damaging to your physical and mental health and may manifest as acute or chronic. Acute distress, which is short-term, is often caused by negative situations such as the death of a loved one, divorce, personal injury or hospitalization, and unemployment. For most people, their reactions to these situations are relatively short-term and they can eventually work toward getting past these types of situations and reducing their stress surrounding it. 

Chronic distress on the other hand, can be caused by ongoing situations such as a demanding job, conflict with loved ones, illness, poor sleep, financial problems, repetitive thought patterns, and perfectionist tendencies. This form of stress can last weeks, months, or even years and will be apparent day in and day out. This is the form of stress that can result in more permanent health problems, such as adrenal fatigue. 

The Behavioral Symptoms of Stress

You’re likely already aware of how stress can affect you mentally. But can you identify those symptoms when they’re happening to you in the moment? Understanding what the behavioral symptoms of stress looks like will help you keep an eye on your stress levels. 

See these symptoms as an indication that your mind is telling you it’s under too much pressure. 

  • Mood swings
  • Irritability or agitation
  • Loss of control emotionally
  • Racing thoughts
  • Self-isolation
  • Low self-esteem issues
  • Decreased energy levels
  • Insomnia
  • Low sex drive
  • Forgetfulness
  • Changes in appetite
  • Procrastination
  • Depression
  • Anxiety
  • Pessimism
  • Feelings of burnout

The Physical Symptoms of Stress

Physical symptoms can also crop up during times of stress. Dealing with too much at once can eventually manifest itself into physical symptoms that range in severity. These symptoms should also be taken as a sign that your body is telling you that your stress has become too much to handle. 

  • Sexual dysfunction such as premature ejaculation
  • Chest pain
  • Shaking in stressful situations
  • Nervous behaviors like clenching of the jaw, pacing, or nail biting
  • Recurring headaches or migraines
  • Digestive problems like constipation, diarrhea, or nausea
  • Increased heart rate
  • Sweating hands or feet
  • Dry mouth
  • Unexplained muscle aches
  • Weight gain or loss
  • Adrenal Fatigue

How to Manage Your Stress

Learning how to manage stress effectively is the number one thing you can do to stay healthy. Distress can become eustress if not properly managed, while eustress can lessen to distress if managed well. By first identifying your body’s signs of each type of stress in the early and later stages, you can easily stay on top of managing both forms. These are some simple ways to get started: 

1. Exercise

First and foremost, in order to manage your stress you must get into a consistent workout routine. Start hitting the gym or participating in sports or outdoor activities to get into shape. Not only will this burn off any excess energy, which can sometimes lead to or worsen stress, it will improve your mental and physical health in more ways than one. If you are struggling to stay motivated enough to get a workout in each day, you may be experiencing low testosterone levels or some other type of underlying health concern.

2. Take a break

A second way to reduce stress — take a break and step away from it all. If you haven’t yet, take a day off and do something outside of your routine. Hang out with some of your buddies and play a round of golf or tennis. Take your partner on a romantic date and have some fun together. Whatever you decide to do, just enjoy yourself and do your best to stop worrying in that moment. 

3. Get good sleep

How are you sleeping? If you wake up groggy and feeling like you want to go back to bed, your sleep quality is probably poor. Stress and sleep are sort of like the chicken and the egg scenario, they both play a major role in a vicious cycle that you don’t want to get caught up in. Focus on managing your sleep and seeing if that helps you feel more rested and energized in the mornings.

4. Balance your testosterone levels

When was the last time you had your hormones checked? An imbalance in hormones can lead to tons of unwanted health problems that then lead to stress. All in all, low testosterone can greatly impact your mood, weight loss efforts, and sexual performance. By getting checked out and taking the necessary treatment steps to correct Low T, you can improve all of these symptoms and stay proactive against the unwanted effects of stress. 

Is it Low T? Take our Quiz to find out.

5. Get checked out for Adrenal Fatigue

During times of stress your body produces cortisol, another type of hormone that must be balanced for optimal health. Cortisol is produced by the adrenal glands to fuel your body during fight-or-flight mode. When cortisol levels are too high, they can burn out your adrenal glands and cause a severe and chronic form of adrenal fatigue. This can lead to body aches, low blood pressure, lightheadedness, poor sleep, anxiety, cravings, and stomach problems. 

Combating Stress and Adrenal Fatigue with Lowcountry Male

You never have to live with stress long-term. We can help you stop the cycle of stress and get your health back in check with a combination of male-focused wellness treatments. 

  1. If weight gain is the source of your stress — or is causing you stress — we offer an extensive medical weight loss program that can guarantee you lose stubborn fat.
  2. Our testosterone treatments can also guarantee balanced hormone levels via one of our therapies. What’s more, if you would like consistent services, you can choose from two comprehensive testosterone and peptide therapy concierge plans that offer monthly treatments and access to our doctors.
  3. Adrenal fatigue can also be reversed by using a combination of nutrient supplements and implementing a nutrient-rich diet, specifically prescribed by one of our medical providers.

Don’t let distress destroy your body for one minute longer. You deserve to live the good life as a Lowcountry Male. Contact us below for more information about our suite of services for men’s health and get started on reducing your levels of stress.

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