Medically reviewed by Rachael Wallace, LCSW-C.*
What Is Long-Term Stress?
Stress is your body’s way of responding to perceived threats or chronic pressures. When you feel stressed, your body releases hormones like cortisol and adrenaline. These hormones prepare your “fight or flight” reaction to a threat. While this response is helpful in short bursts, long-term stress keeps your body in overdrive. Over time, this constant state of alertness can wear you down.
Stress becomes long-term, or chronic, when you face ongoing challenges without enough time to relax or recover, and can make you feel overwhelmed. Examples might include pressures from a demanding job, financial worries or health problems in your family or yourself. Unlike short-term stress, which goes away after the problem is solved, chronic stress lasts for weeks, months or even years, leading to symptoms that can have a systemic effect across multiple body systems.
6 Ways Long-Term Stress Impacts Your Body
1. Changes in Your Brain and Mood
Your brain is one of the first parts of your body to feel the effects of chronic stress. Stress hormones like cortisol can disrupt how your brain works and may cause problems like:
- Poor memory. Stress can make it harder to concentrate and remember things.
- Increased anxiety and depression. Long-term stress can lead to feelings of sadness or worry that don’t go away.
- Trouble sleeping. Stress often makes it harder to fall or stay asleep, leaving you tired the next day. Poor sleep can also negatively contribute to compromised physical health and worsening anxiety symptoms.
Over time, chronic stress can even shrink parts of your brain, including those that control learning and emotional balance.
2. Effects on Your Heart and Blood Pressure
Long-term stress puts pressure on your heart and circulatory system. When your body is constantly in “fight or flight” mode, your heart rate increases and your heart has to work harder, which can contribute to:
- High blood pressure. Stress raises your blood pressure, which can damage your arteries if it’s not controlled.
- Increased risk of heart problems. Chronic stress has been linked to heart disease, heart attacks and strokes.
Regular relaxation and self-care are important for keeping your heart healthy.
3. Gut and Digestive Issues
Your stomach and gut are closely connected to your brain and stress. When you experience chronic stress, it is not unusual to experience digestive symptoms like:
- Upset stomach and nausea. Stress can make digestion slower or more sensitive, leading to stomachaches or bloating.
- Changes in appetite. Some people eat more when they’re stressed, while others eat less, which can lead to unhealthy weight gain or weight loss.
- Irritable bowel problems. Long-term stress has been linked to issues like irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) or more frequent stomach discomfort.
The “gut-brain connection” represents a complex network connecting your brain and your gastrointestinal system, and it illustrates how your mental health can affect your digestive and overall health.
4. Weakening Your Immune System
Another effect of long-term stress is that it weakens your body’s immune system. This makes it harder for your body to fight off illnesses like colds or infections. You may notice that you get sick more often when you’re under a lot of stress, or that it takes longer to recover.
When you’re stressed, your body focuses on survival rather than healing or protecting itself, leaving you vulnerable.
5. Impact on Muscles and Joints
Stress causes your muscles to tighten, preparing your body to respond to threats. If stress is constant, this tension can turn into:
- Muscle pain or stiffness. You might feel soreness in your neck, shoulders, or back.
- Headaches or migraines. Stress is one of the leading causes of tension headaches.
Stretching, exercise or relaxation techniques like deep breathing can help relieve muscle tension.
The Emotional Toll of Stress
While stress affects your physical health, it also takes a toll on your emotions and relationships. Chronic stress can make you feel:
- Irritable or angry. You might lose patience more easily with friends or loved ones.
- Overwhelmed. Long-term stress can make simple tasks seem impossible.
- Withdrawn. Some people isolate themselves because they don’t have the energy to interact or might struggle to watch life happening around them.
These emotional effects can grow worse if stress is ignored. Researchers have linked stress and sustained high levels of cortisol (a hormone your body releases during stress) to major depressive disorder — also known as depression — which can cause a chronically sad mood that can last for weeks or months.
It’s helpful to pay attention to signs from your body and useful to build a support system of friends, family or healthcare professionals in order to reach out for extra help when you might need it.
Ways to Reduce Long-Term Stress
Dealing with stress may not happen overnight, but small changes can make a big difference. Try some of these tips to help manage and reduce long-term stress.
1. Take Care of Your Body
Exercising regularly is a great way to handle stress because it helps release tension and makes you feel happier. Eating healthy foods is also important because a balanced diet gives your body the nutrients it needs to fight stress. Make sure you get enough sleep, too, since rest is crucial for your body and brain to recover and stay healthy. Regular physical activity, eating right and sleeping well each contribute to effective stress management and feeling better overall.
2. Practice Relaxation Techniques
Conscious breathing is a simple way to calm both your body and your mind when you’re feeling stressed. Deliberately taking slow, deep breaths tells your brain to relax. Meditation, yoga and mindfulness practices can also help by teaching you to focus your thoughts and find a sense of peace. Spending time on hobbies you enjoy, or exploring possible new ones like reading, painting, hiking, learning an instrument or even just being outdoors, are additional ways to relax and take your mind off of stress. By deliberately focusing on taking care of yourself in these ways, you can feel more balanced and in control.
3. Connect With Others
Talking to friends, family or even a therapist about your worries can make a big difference in reducing the emotional burden that you may otherwise feel like you are carrying alone. Close friends or family members may offer valuable support or be a sounding board for what you are experiencing, while therapists can provide a private and safe space to help process or understand your feelings and teach you helpful ways to cope. Having someone to talk to, whether loved ones or a professional, can help lessen a burden or offer perspectives that can reduce the intensity of going through stressful times alone.
Recognize and React to Manage Stress
Long-term stress affects everything from your brain and heart to your muscles and immune system. It can also impact your mood, relationships and overall quality of life. The good news is that by recognizing the signs of chronic stress, you can take steps to manage it before it takes a bigger toll. Remember that the mind-body connection is powerful, and taking care of your mental health is just as important as caring for your physical health. Starting small today – even if you are not currently stressed – will help build healthy habits that will pay off over time and prepare you to manage stress any time you are faced with it. In maintaining healthy habits over time, you’ll likely notice a big difference in how you feel.
*Rachael Wallace, LCSW-C, is a faculty member, psychotherapist and clinical director of the Department of Psychiatry’s Faculty Practice. She is available to personally assist in facilitating connections to care and can be reached at 410-328-5881.