Effects of Stress on Your Immune System
Our daily lives are filled with stress. Stress comes in all possible sizes and shapes. Even everyday interactions can be stressful. We, the modern people are so adapted to our stressful environment, that we do not even notice it. Meanwhile, the effects of stress on your immune system accumulates...until your body begins to cave in under the stress.
A human body relies on the immune system to protect itself. If your immune system is functioning optimally, your risk of developing infections, allergies, and autoimmune diseases will be much less.
On the other hand, a weak or abnormally functioning immune system can make you prone to suffering from recurrent infections and even increase your risk of immunological disorders.
Several factors including stress, lack of a nutritious diet, and your genetical make-up are responsible for affecting your immune system. The effects of stress on your immune system can be widespread. Stress is also responsible for weakening the functions of your immune system. Let me reveal some of the dangerous effects mental stress can have on your immune system and overall health.
Effects of stress on your immune system
When you are stressed, your body produces a higher amount of a stress hormone called cortisol. The function of this hormone is to prepare your body to escape from the threatening situation it thinks you are facing. To achieve this, cortisol suppresses your immune system by lowering the number of proteins needed for signaling the immune cells. This, in turn, reduces the efficiency of your immune system and affects its various functions including protecting the body against foreign invaders and supporting the healing and repair of damaged tissue.Increased risk of infection
The immune system defends your body against any foreign invaders including bacteria, viruses, and even cancerous cells. The immune cells such as B cells and T cells produce antibodies that attack and destroy any infective agent entering your body. When you are under stress, the production of corticosteroids by the adrenal glands is reduced. This can lower the production of B cells and T cells due to which your ability to fight infections is reduced.Autoimmune disease
Research has proven that chronic mental stress due to factors such as social conflicts can lead to the dysregulation of the immune system. This can increase your vulnerability to autoimmune diseases. Stress can change the way your immune system responds to certain stimuli. Its ability to differentiate between the body’s own cells and the foreign bodies is hampered. Stress alters the normal hormonal levels in the body. As a result, the immune cells mistake the healthy cells as foreign bodies and attack them. This results in considerable damage to the organs and tissues causing autoimmune disorders. Thus, the effects of stress on your immune system also includes an increased risk of autoimmune diseases such as eczema, systemic lupus erythematosus and rheumatoid arthritis.Chronic Inflammation
Cortisol released as a result of stress is needed to reduce acute inflammation in your body. However, this beneficial effect of cortisol can turn detrimental to your health when you experience mental stress over a longer duration. The effects of stress on your immune system can lead to a high production of cortisol over long periods of time. As chronic stress causes the cortisol levels to rise continuously, over time, it becomes less effective in controlling inflammation. This occurs due to the reduced sensitivity of the immune cells to cortisol. As a result, the body’s ability to control inflammation is affected thus setting in runaway inflammation. The unabated inflammation can increase your risk of autoimmune conditions as well as cancer, cardiac disorders, inflammatory bowel diseases and so on.