Can you die from stress?
Generally, stress on its own is not a direct cause of death. However, prolonged stress can cause conditions and diseases that can lead to death.
Stress-related diseases are linked with an increased risk of death [1]. For example, ischemic heart disease caused by stress can be fatal [1].
Stress is a natural phenomenon that, during evolution, helped humans survive. In danger, stress worked and still does work as a booster to get us ready to run or to defend ourselves.
However, from a long-term perspective, chronic stress is not a natural phenomenon and leads to bad changes in the physiological processes in the body.
Also, chronic stress can lead to behavioral changes that are not healthy. For instance, drinking alcohol, smoking, and taking drugs only potentiate the bad influence chronic stress has on the human body.
What is stress?
In normal conditions, stress is a natural response of the brain to specific situations. For example, in overwhelming situations or those that you see as dangerous, you will feel stressed [2]. Stress can also be caused by your thoughts.
Stress is controlled by hormones. There are multiple physiological processes through which hormones make changes in your body.
The state of stress aims to increase awareness and the physical readiness to fight or run away from danger.
The two most crucial hormones to prepare you for this are cortisol and epinephrine.
The action of those two stress mediators leads to:
- focused vision and dilated pupils,
- faster breathing and heartbeat,
- blood pressure increase,
- diversion of the blood from non-important organs like the gastrointestinal tract to the brain muscles and lungs,
- increase in blood glucose levels.
In nature, stress is a short-term state. The changes it causes in the body are not meant to last long. However, in modern society, it has changed. Nowadays, you can also experience stress in a long-term, chronic form [3, 2].
Chronic, long-term stress can have adverse effects on you. It can decrease your well-being and make you tired and less focused on your daily activities and work. Eventually, chronic stress can lead to the development of serious health conditions [3].
What are the causes of stress?
There are many stress triggers. Some of them are personal, while others are general.
One of the common and general causes of stress is work. It is connected with the fear of consequences when not performing well.
Also, stress can be triggered in cases where you have a strong sense of duty. In situations where you are not able to keep up with your work, you can stress yourself with your thoughts.
It is estimated that six out of ten Americans suffer from stress at work [4].
Other popular causes of stress are financial and existence concerns, interpersonal conflicts, and the loss of loved ones.
About 75% of Americans experience financial-related stress [4].
Also, getting a diagnosis of a serious disease or an unsafe living environment can trigger stress [4].
Students can also suffer from stress. When there is too much to study or when the teacher discriminates against a child, the pupil can experience stress [5].
What disease can stress cause?
Chronic stress can contribute to the development of various health conditions.
In the modern world, stress can indirectly lead to development of
- depression [6],
- cancer [7],
- automimmune diseases, like multiple sclerosis, systemic lupus erythematosus [8],
- cardiovascular diseases [9],
- neurogenerative diseases, for example, Alzheimer's or Parkinson’s diseases [10, 11],
- respiratory diseases [9],
- metabolic disorders [12],
- dermatological conditions [12].
What can I do against stress?
Chronic stress is a common problem. One of the first things that can be done to manage stress better is to make lifestyle changes. Among the most important things you can change are exercising, sleeping more, and eating healthier [13].
Prevention is always better than dealing with stress. At work or in school, stress often results from an overload of work. To prevent stressful situations, you can start using time management methods. For example, you can use a to-do list or apps that will remind you of the things you have to do daily [14, 15].
To avoid stress, you also have to say “no”. It is a crucial step in controlling internal peace. When you can say “no”, you don’t do things that overwhelm you. By saying “no” you respect your internal feelings.
Many relaxation techniques can help you with stress. Popular are meditation and breathing exercises. In both, you try to focus on your internal state and calm down [16].
Also, sharing stressful experiences and feelings can be helpful. When you talk with your closest environment about how you feel, you share the burden. Additionally, perhaps the people you talk to might have tips for you that will make you less stressed [16, 2].