<\/span>What Happens to Your Body When You Are Stressed?<\/span><\/h2>\nStress is the body’s physical and emotional response to a challenge or perceived threat. In a stressful situation, the body activates its \u201cfight-or-flight\u201d response. Heart rate and breathing can increase, muscles tense, and hormones involved in the stress response are released.<\/p>\n
This response is useful when you need to react quickly. For example, feeling a burst of alertness before an important presentation may help you concentrate.<\/p>\n
The problem can arise when the stress response stays active for too long. Long-lasting stress, often called chronic stress, may contribute to sleep problems, headaches, digestive symptoms, mood changes, and other health concerns.<\/p>\n
Stress also affects people differently. Your response may depend on the source and duration of the stress, your sleep, lifestyle, existing health conditions, medications, social support, and other individual factors.<\/p>\n