Stress And The Immune System
Studies have shown that stress debilitates the immune system. Researchers report that hormones (e.g. cortisol) that weaken the immune system are produced during stressful experiences. Worse yet, if your stress levels remain high over a long period of time, you may be prone to some pretty serious physical and emotional illnesses (cancer, diabetes, high blood pressure, chronic pain, anxiety, depression, panic).
The good news is that the amount of damage stress can impart depends on the response or coping skills that an individual uses when stressed. In other words, it’s not the stress that you experience that is damaging, but the way you handle it.
Your ability to relax in the midst of stressful situations is important in determining how stress will impact your immune system.
Mood also moderates the influence stress has on the immune system. Studies have shown that the more positive the mood of the person, the better able they will be in fighting off disease. And, the more positive the mood, the more successfully the person will handle stressors.
Social support is another moderator for the impact of stress on the immune system. The more social support you have the better able you are to combat any difficulty in life, including stress.
Lastly, the more you bottle up your emotions, the greater your vulnerability to physical and emotional illness.
How can you limit the influence of stress on your immune system? With pleasure. Most pleasurable activities help you relax and feel good. Engaging in pleasure regularly will increase the feeling of well being and happiness. In addition, many pleasurable activities encourage connection to others. Most people list hanging out with friends as one of their most pleasurable activities. Lastly, engaging in pleasure encourages expression of self and expression of emotion. Relaxation, feeling good, social support, and expression of emotion have all been noted as important items in combating the effect stress has on the immune system. So, go pleasure it up!
Guided Imagery is one helpful exercise in combating stress that is frequently mentioned in the stress literature.
The following video is a good overview of how stress impacts the immune system.
References
Leary, A. (1990). Stress, emotion, and human immune function. Psychological Bulletin, 108, 363-382.
Kivimaki, M., Leino-Arjas, P., Luukkonen, R., Riihimaki, H., Vahtera, J., & Kirjonen, J. (2002). Work stress and risk of cardiovascular mortality: Prospective cohort study of industrial employees. British Medical Journal, 325, 857-861.
Jones, J. (2003). Stress responses, pressure ulcer development and adaptation. British Journal of Nursing, 12, 17-23
Segerstrom, S. & Miller, G. (2004). Psychological Stress and the Human Immune System: A Meta-Analytic Study of 30 Years of Inquiry. Psychol Bull. 130(4): 601–630.
Connor, T. (2008). Don’t Stress Out Your Immune System – Just Relax. Brain, Behavior, and Immunity, 22, 1128-1129.
Possibly Related Posts:
- Dealing With Stress
- Stress Management Exercises Can Be Bad For You
- Beware! Stress Signs
- A Stress Diary: Understand the Stress in Your Life
- LOWER STRESS BY KNOWING WHAT PLEASURES YOU
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