The stress, a silent disease

The stress is a silent disease that would cause a lot of health problems in our lives. At least 322 million people in the world suffer from depression, and another 264 million suffer from anxiety disorders, an increase of 15% compared to ten years ago, according to data revealed by the World Health Organization1. Stress is the fifth chronic disease, which has been growing in recent years, especially affecting women, but it is present in all ages, including boys and girls.

Stress is a chronic disease, which causes many diseases such as hypertension, cancer, and depression. If this disease is not controlled, it can decompose people's lives, cause family, couple and work-related problems, making any task more difficult. Experts have warned in recent years that stress also increases cortisol levels and this in turn alters people's metabolism. So if someone lives stressed, not only the relationship with the external environment is affected but also at the body system, for example, greater glucose absorption is generated, leading to greater overweight and in it turn to the appearance of other cardiovascular diseases, cancer and even the death.

This condition is a precursor of problems on a physical and mental health in all ages. It is given the socio-environmental conditions, weak family networks, high workload2, and the absence of healthy habits such as low level of exercise, not have enough sleep hours and self-care behaviors and practices, it is growing and it is silently responsible for many health and life quality problems.

The most important characteristic of this public health disease is that it can be prevented3 or avoided. The solutions are easy to do, it would be possible if we were aware of this problem that affects our family, school and community environment.

#stress #Lifestyles

References:

1. World Health Organization. Work organization and stress. Consulted: 07.06.2020. https://www.who.int/occupational_health/publications/pwh3rev.pdf?ua=1

2. Van de Weijer-Bergsma, E., Langenberg, G., Brandsma, R., Oort, F. J., & Bögels, S. M. (2014). The effectiveness of a school-based mindfulness training as a program to prevent stress in elementary school children. Mindfulness, 5(3), 238-248.

3. Cox, T., Kuk, G., & Leiter, M. P. (1993). Burnout, health, work stress, and organizational healthiness.

4. Infographic: By Michael Nicols in https://anxietypanichealth.com/2019/08/01/the-negative-health-impact-of-stress/.