How Stress Affects The Quality Of Life

Daisy’s fingers are aching, her heart is racing, and her eyes keep on alternating from the clock to the eclass discussion opened up on her desktop. Abruptly, “Don’t you have to go to sleep, it’s almost midnight,” yells Daisy’s mother. The anxiety and stress from the urge to finish her assignment on time and the pressure from her mother, puts Daisy in a difficult dilemma. Daisy has many commitments that she has made, just not enough time to complete them. Stress is a common predicament in America today that directly impacts our quality of life. Thankfully, there are many practical strategies that will help to improve our levels of stress. The word “stress” can be applied to many situations a person faces or even feels. “The Effects …show more content…
Sleep is the body’s way of renewing itself, and getting enough sleep will help us cope with stress better (Waters). When we are stressed, our minds race with thoughts instead of shutting down at night, inhibiting important functions involved in memory, muscle repair, and mood (Huffington Post). Stress may not just negatively affect some of our sleep; it may rob our sleep entirely. Those who experience stress are more susceptible to insomnia. Many people may suffer insomnia and not even realize it. There are times when we feel fatigued and restless, due to the lack of sleep; however we do not acknowledge the cause of lack of sleep. The tensions of unresolved stress frequently cause insomnia, which prevents stressed people from sleeping or causes them to awaken in the middle of the night or even early in the morning. While there is no magic number of sleep hours we should log per night, research suggests that Americans would be happier and healthier overall if they at least got an extra sixty to ninety minutes per night (Huffington Post). When we are stressed, we may have difficulty sleeping at night, but we have to do our best to get at least eight hours of sleep each night. Lack of sleep, on the other hand, lowers our immunity and makes us more susceptible to physical illness. It is a stressor, which in turn can leave us vulnerable to other stressors (Bodger). Not only is …show more content…
Cortisol suppresses inflammation during a response to stress, which results in our body developing resistance and not responding properly (Hansen). When left to do what it wants, the immune system often begins attacking healthy invaders and you can develop inflammatory diseases like arthritis or tendinitis (LiveStrong). According to “How Does Stress Affect the Immune System”, an article released by The Mayo Clinic, reports that when the levels of stress hormone(cortisol) drop, other body processes such as heart rate and immune function return to normal (LiveStrong). The immune system also receives signals to slow down while cortisol does its job. But, with chronic stress, the immune system stays in low gear, leaving the body vulnerable to infection and disease (LiveStrong). On the other hand, too much of cortisol can cause decreased immunity. The immune system has to be balanced and be able to function evenly. Too little or even too much of something may harm the immune system. We have to be very cautious, due to the fact that even stress can negatively affect our immune system. When we are overwhelmed, we may not feel as hungry as we should or we may not feel hungry at all. Our metabolism is interrupted by stress, which then negatively impacts our immune system. The immune system is