Saturday, November 22, 2008

How Stress Affect Energy - Stress Management

By PL Chang on Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Filed Under: Energy Health & Tips

Stress is a big problem for many of us because it is everywhere and is hard to control. Stress can affect us physically and mentally, and is one of the main reasons why we get fatigue. Chronic stress is one of the worst types of stress and seems never-ending, examples of these types of stress are bad marriages, debt crisis, sleeping disorders, drug and alcohol addictions, eating disorders, etc.

When you are stressed out, your body goes through a chemical change and can cause you to feel tense, exhausted, fatigue, depress and agitated. Stress has been known to cause changes in people’s eating habits by disrupting their digestive system and restricting their bodies’ ability to absorb vital nutrients. With less nutrients, the body has a harder time replenishing itself which may lead to certain health problems.

Eating disorders are a big problem when it comes to chronic stress, if left undone it can deprived you of energy and destroy your health. Anorexia and Bulimia is two of the biggest stress-related eating disorders because many of these individuals adopt disordered eating behaviors as a way to help them cope with stress.

Anorexia disrupts the body’s energy by taking away its main source of fuel which is food. With less food the body starts to rely on stored fat for energy, once the stored fat are gone the body turns to muscle for energy. At this point organs will start to malfunction and the risk of organ failure increases dramatically. Anorexia also damage bones, the reproductive system and the immune system, it is a life-threatening disorder and should be taken very seriously.

Bulimia deprives the body’s energy by uncontrolled or binge eating followed by vomiting, misuse of diet pills and excessive exercise or fasting. Since many individuals with bulimia use vomiting to expel food, loss of potassium, inflammation of the esophagus, erosion of tooth enamel and electrolyte imbalance are common. People who are anorexic or bulimic suffer from obsessive-compulsive disorder, depression, anxiety, fatigue and other psychiatric illnesses.

Another big problem related to stress that will drain you of energy are sleep disorders such as, insomnia, sleep apnea and narcolepsy. On average, a healthy adult needs about 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep every night. By not getting enough sleep, your body cannot rejuvenate itself with the energy needed to preform at maximum efficiency. The lack of sleep may cause fatigue, depression, anxiety, moodiness, and lowers your mental and physical performance.

Common symptoms of stress