Many people live in a constant state of being under a lot of pressure. The world is a busy place, seemingly becoming busier all the time, and everyone is trying to do all they possibly can to be successful and happy. The problem is that this can lead to people finding they are under a lot of stress in their daily lives because they are trying to do too much. 

It’s good to be ambitious, and it’s good to want more out of life, but if it leads to stress, it isn’t worth it, especially when you consider the health problems that stress can bring about. Read on to find out what some of them are, and you might decide that it’s time to take a step back and think about what is actually important in your life instead of what is causing you so much stress. 

Stress Makes You Look Older

If you’re concerned about the way you look, as most people tend to be, even a little, then you’ll want to know what too much stress can make you age prematurely. This isn’t just something that might happen; it is a physical change in the body, and it causes wrinkles, gray hair, weakened muscles, and worsening eyesight. Although there are some surgeries such as cataract lenses and some cosmetic procedures such as dying your hair that can help with some of these issues, the underlying cause should always be addressed, and de-stressing is advised. 

So why does stress cause the body to age more quickly? It’s all down to your cells. The cell ends, called telomeres, become shorter when too much cortisol (the stress hormone) is introduced to the body, and the shorter the telomeres, the weaker the cells, and the older we will look. 

Teeth And Gums

Everyone’s stress is going to be a little different from someone else’s, which is why it can be a hard thing to diagnose at first. For some, one of the symptoms is grinding teeth which can be done in an entirely unconscious way – sometimes literally as it happens during sleep a lot of the time. The problem is that teeth grinding can cause wear in the teeth, which might lead to tooth loss, as well as issues in the jaw. 

Stop for a moment and focus on your jaw area. Is it very tense? If so, you might be stressed, and you could be prone to grinding your teeth. This is a hard habit to break since it is often done without realizing it, so you might need to wear a mouthguard to prevent it.  

Heart Problems

It’s crucial to keep your heart healthy; any problems with your heart can shorten your life, or can make it difficult to do any kind of physical activity and keep up with your hobbies even if you can manage the condition will medication. Since stress plays a big part in the damage that can be done to your heart, this is yet another reason to reduce your stress levels as much as possible.  

Again, this issue is down to cortisol. The more cortisol that is produced, the harder your heart works as the body is effectively telling it that you will have to run or fight. This means the blood vessels become restricted, and when this is a chronic issue your heart can sustain serious damage.