These hormones increase your heart rate and, in turn, your cardiac output. You’re then able to fight or run from danger. Adds Dr. Wright, \u201cYour hypothalamus cannot tell the difference between perceived threats or real threats.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
But what is cortisol, and why is it important to our health? <\/strong>Says Dr. Wright, \u201cIt is our own built-in anti-inflammatory agent.\u201d Sounds perfect, right? Unfortunately, the old saying, \u201cToo much of a good thing,\u201d really holds true here. \u201cOne of the ways cortisol cools the body down is by dampening the immune system. Too much cortisol can leave our immune systems vulnerable<\/a> to pathogens. Our bodies do their absolute best to correct all these issues internally. Chronic stress leading to low cortisol can leave you exhausted and never rested.\u201d<\/p>\n Here are 16 serious health conditions linked directly to constantly being stressed out:1. Dry eyes<\/p>\n Stress may be linked directly to dry eyes. According to\u00a0Dr. Leigh Plowman<\/a>, an optometrist and founder of\u00a0Dry Eye Directory,\u00a0\u201cA Korean study<\/a> found that dry eye disease was more prevalent with increased stress.\u201d<\/p>\n Why? This may be due to increased awareness of pain, increased\u00a0systemic inflammation in the body<\/a> due to stress\u00a0or depression, which can increase the risk of dry eyes.<\/p>\n Adds Dr. Plowman, \u201cPeople with poorer sleep quality tend to have a higher risk<\/a> for\u00a0dry eyes. Sleep deprivation<\/a> can reduce the quality of the\u00a0tear film<\/a>.\u201d Stress may also interrupt the normal blink frequency and quality, leading to increased evaporation and poorer tear quality.\u00a0<\/p>\n RELATED: 11 Tiny Signs You’re Way More Stressed Out Than You Even Realize <\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n 2. Heart disease<\/p>\n Heart disease is no joke, and stress can directly impact our hearts in a few ways. \u201cStress can directly increase heart rate and blood flow, and causes the release of cholesterol and triglycerides into the bloodstream,\u201d warns Dr. Chris Norris, a chartered physiotherapist and neurologist with board certification in sleep medicine.<\/p>\n It’s also possible that stress is related to other problems \u2014 an increased likelihood of smoking, or obesity \u2014 that indirectly increase heart risks. Emotional stress can be a trigger for serious cardiac problems, including heart attacks.<\/p>\n 3. Sleep disorders<\/p>\n Chronic stress can interfere with sleep, leading to restless nights<\/a> and decreasing the\u00a0quality of rest.<\/p>\n \u201c[Stress] leads to either a continually elevated cortisol level, or a continually suppressed level,\u201d says\u00a0Dr. Bonnie Gasquet, medical director of Wellness Jar Medical Spa. \u201cEither way, your cortisol levels never ‘reset’ under chronic stress. The natural course of life is that when we go to sleep, cortisol is lowered and melatonin rises to promote sleep. As you can see, the cascade being disrupted, even in this one area, can start you on the path to poor sleep by default.”<\/p>\n 4. Asthma<\/p>\n Stress can worsen asthma symptoms. These symptoms include<\/a> shortness of breath, coughing, and wheezing. These symptoms can also indicate several common illnesses. Therefore, the last thing you want is to exhibit symptoms of one illness, misinterpret it as another, while the underlying cause is simply stress.<\/p>\n \u201cStress triggers the immune system and aggravates the release of certain hormones. This can result in inflammation within the airways of the lungs, triggering an asthma attack,\u201d Dr. Norris reveals.<\/p>\n RELATED: 5 Subtle Ways Stress Completely Screws Up Your Life<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n 5. Hair loss<\/p>\n Ever say you’re so stressed by something that you begin to tear out your hair? Well, that can be true in a non-literal way.<\/p>\n Says board-certified dermatologist,\u00a0Dr. Michelle Henry<\/a>, \u201cHair loss usually occurs within three months of a stressful event\u00a0\u2014 in this case, the pandemic\u00a0\u2014 so we are right around the time where you may start to notice increased hair loss<\/a>. Of course, we need to check for other potential triggers before making a diagnosis, but I\u2019ve seen more and more patients looking for solutions for hair loss right now.\u201d<\/p>\n 6. Skin breakouts\u00a0<\/p>\n Your oil glands are directly affected by cortisol, which is your body\u2019s stress hormone. Research reveals<\/a> that when you\u2019re stressed, your sebum production may go out of balance.<\/p>\n \u201cAn imbalance of oil production is often an underlying cause of breakouts. The problem is that people often try to remedy the oil imbalance without considering what\u2019s causing it:\u00a0stress,\u201d asserts Caleb Backe, health and wellness expert for\u00a0Maple Holistics<\/a>.<\/p>\n 7. Gum disease<\/p>\n Stress can exacerbate periodontal (gum) disease<\/a>. This is not typically a hot topic, especially compared to heart disease, but it’s an extremely important one to keep in mind.<\/p>\n \u201cThe mouth is the gateway to our bodies, and the bacteria located there have a prime opportunity to travel throughout the body and increase inflammation,\u201d says Elliot\u00a0Reimers<\/a>, certified nutrition coach at Rave Reviews.<\/p>\n \u201cInflammation is a fancy word for specialized white blood cells that help fight infection and clean up dangerous debris (think: plaque in the arteries). Out-of-control inflammation is an exaggerated immune response that is disproportionate to the provoking mechanism. It’s this out-of-control inflammation that damages gum tissue and bone levels around the teeth that we see with periodontal disease (and consequently damages arteries to promote plaque formation),\u201d Reimers adds.<\/p>\n Normal cortisol levels help to regulate the inflammatory response to keep it in check. Excess chronic levels of cortisol fail to regulate this response.<\/p>\n 8. Obesity<\/p>\n Chronic stress leads to \u201ccomfort eating,\u201d which often involves the overeating of foods<\/a> that are high in fat, sugar, and calories. This,\u00a0in turn, can lead to weight gain. “Chronic stress increases the release of a stress hormone called cortisol, and that seems to increase the amount of fat that’s deposited in the abdomen,\u201d Dr. Norris says.<\/p>\n While it’s hard to undo our mental association between eating and comfort, trying to comfort eat with healthy veggies and whole grains is always a better move than ice cream and chips.<\/p>\n 9. Diabetes<\/p>\n Stress is a potential contributor to chronic hyperglycemia in diabetes. As Dr. Norris describes, \u201cStress also results in unhealthy eating and drinking that raises the glucose level in people with type 2 diabetes<\/a>. People who are stressed may have higher levels of certain hormones that can affect how insulin works<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n When you’re feeling stressed, your\u00a0body releases stress hormones, such as<\/a>\u00a0cortisol\u00a0and adrenaline<\/a>. This should give you an energy boost for a “fight or flight” response. However, the hormones make it harder for insulin to work correctly, a condition known as\u00a0insulin\u00a0resistance<\/a>.<\/p>\n “When\u00a0stressed,\u00a0the\u00a0body prepares itself by ensuring that enough sugar or energy is readily available.\u00a0Insulin levels\u00a0fall, glucagon and epinephrine (adrenaline) levels\u00a0rise,\u00a0and more glucose is released from\u00a0the\u00a0liver,” says Dr. Norris. Some people with type 2\u00a0diabetes\u00a0are very sensitive to\u00a0stress. It causes the body to produce especially high\u00a0levels\u00a0of\u00a0stress\u00a0hormones, which drive\u00a0blood sugar levels\u00a0up.<\/p>\n 10. Headaches<\/p>\n Anxiety is known to cause excessive worrying<\/a>, irritability, and restlessness.\u00a0Anxiety headaches are another physical symptom that cannot be ignored, as headaches have the power to be debilitating and get in the way of our ability to function.<\/p>\n \u201cHeadaches are more likely to occur<\/a> when you’re anxious and stressed<\/a>. Stress is a common trigger of tension-type headaches and migraines, and can trigger other types of headaches or make them worse,\u201d warns Dr. Norris.\u00a0<\/p>\n RELATED: 5 Sneaky Reasons You’re Unhappy And Stressed Out, According To Clinical Psychologist <\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n 11. Depression and anxiety<\/p>\n Chronic stress is connected with higher rates of depression and anxiety. \u201cSustained or chronic stress, in particular, leads to elevated hormones such as cortisol, the ‘stress hormone,’ and reduced serotonin and other neurotransmitters in the brain, including dopamine, which has been linked to depression<\/a>,\u201d said Dr. Norris.\u00a0<\/p>\n As depression and anxiety can have extreme results, it’s something that needs to be managed by a medical professional, just as any other health problem would be.<\/p>\n 12. Gastrointestinal problems<\/p>\n Sometimes we talk about how anxiety or stress is so severe, it’s making us sick to our stomachs<\/a>. This is actually a real phenomenon!<\/p>\n \u201cStress may cause a decrease in blood flow and oxygen<\/a> to the stomach, which could lead to cramping, inflammation, or an imbalance of gut bacteria,\u201d Dr. Norris explains. Furthermore, stress can also worsen gastrointestinal issues<\/a>, such as chronic heartburn (or gastroesophageal reflux disease, GERD) and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).<\/p>\n 13. Alzheimer’s disease<\/p>\n Stress might worsen Alzheimer’s Disease, causing its brain lesions to form<\/a> more quickly. As this is a devastating diagnosis, it’s important to avoid the symptoms as long as possible.<\/p>\n Dr. Norris adds, \u201cSome researchers speculate that reducing stress has the potential to slow down the progression of the disease.\u201d<\/p>\n 14. Accelerated aging<\/p>\n You know how presidents always look older at the end of their term? Or, how people look visibly older after an illness or a traumatic life event? There’s actually evidence that stress can affect how you age<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cPeople who suffer from chronic stress have chromosomes altered that show the effects of accelerated aging. Stress seems to accelerate aging about 9 to 17 additional years,\u201d says Dr. Norris.<\/p>\n 15. Premature death<\/p>\n There are a number of ways chronic stress can kill you, from heart disease to high blood pressure to obesity and so much more. None are very pleasant, and all are avoidable.<\/p>\n \u201dThat includes increased levels of cortisol, often referred to as the stress hormone. Elevated cortisol levels interfere with learning and memory, lower immune function and bone density, and increase blood pressure, cholesterol and heart disease. Individuals who perceived that stress affects their health<\/a> and reported a large amount of stress had an increased risk of premature death<\/a>,\u201d said Dr. Norris.\u00a0<\/p>\n![\"man](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/serious-health-conditions-linked-directly-constantly-being-stressed-out-heart-disease.png\" "\\"serious")
Anatoliy Cherkas \/ Shutterstock<\/p>\n![\"woman](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/serious-health-conditions-linked-directly-constantly-being-stressed-out-gastrointestinal-problems.pn.jpeg\" "\\"serious")
Perfect Wave \/ Shutterstock<\/p>\n