We all know how it feels physically to be stressed. Your palms are sweating, your mind is racing, and maybe you're forced to make a last-minute dash to the bathroom before a big meeting.
However, what many of us are not aware of is how stress can wreak havoc on our insides, sometimes leaving our bodies in a bit of a mess in the long run.
Yes, those long hours and thankless tasks could do more than just give you a headache. A new study has found that stress can damage your heart and increase your risk of heart disease.
When you look at how many people experience stress at work, this is a huge problem. According to the Health and Safety Executive, stress is now one of the most common causes of long-term sick leave at work.
Here are some of the ways stress wreaks havoc on your body:
Heart
Being stressed at work can double your risk of developing a potentially fatal irregular heartbeat.
Scientists at Université Laval in Quebec, Canada, found that people who are busy, overworked and don't enjoy their work are more likely to develop atrial fibrillation – commonly known as AF or AFib.
Together, these factors were associated with a 97 percent higher risk of developing AFib compared to workers who were not exposed to stress, reports klix.ba.
Brain
It is obvious that stress in any environment can affect the brain. In fact, a British study found that high-stress jobs make young workers twice as likely to suffer from depression.
Around one in six Britons suffer from depression, and women are twice as likely to have a mental health problem. It is the most common mental health problem in older people, with about 22 percent of men and 28 percent of women aged 65 or older.
Scientists from King's College London have found a significant increase in cases of major depressive disorder among people who perform very demanding jobs, with 14 percent of women and 10 percent of men suffering from it.
Fertility
Stress at work doesn't just ruin your mood, it can also affect your ability to have children. There have been many studies over the years looking at whether stress can affect fertility, with mixed results.
A 2014 study published in the journal Human Reproduction found that women who reported feeling "very stressed" were 29 percent less likely to get pregnant than those who experienced less stress.
Scientists from the University of Ohio pointed out that stress disrupts ovulation in women and affects the quality of sperm in men, potentially making conception more difficult.
Hormones released during stress, such as cortisol, can interfere with the reproductive system, throwing things out of balance.
Immunity
Ever notice how a stressful week at work seems to coincide with a cold? It turns out that stress can make people more susceptible to disease.
A study from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, found that chronic stress can undermine our immune defenses.
This is because when you are stressed, your body releases cortisol – which in small doses can actually help manage stress. However, when stress becomes a long-term problem, these elevated cortisol levels can suppress the effectiveness of the immune system.
This means that your body's ability to fight off infections is compromised, making you more prone to colds, flu or more serious illnesses.
Research published in 2006 found that this effect is linked to stress-induced inflammation. Chronic stress can lead to a state of persistent inflammation, which not only weakens your immune system but also disrupts its normal function.
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