Can Negative Emotions Affect Your Body’s Immune Response?

You’re probably already aware that stress can affect both your mental and physical health. Stress is not necessarily unhealthy – it’s your body’s response to a perceived harmful situation. Whenever you feel threatened, a chemical reaction known as a “fight-or-flight response” occurs within your body to help you react and prevent injury. During a stress response, your breathing accelerates, your muscles tighten, and your blood pressure rises – you’re ready to act and protect yourself against the threat.

Your body is designed to handle stress in small doses. However, chronic stress can manifest itself in a number of physical symptoms, such as headaches, fatigue, muscle tension, nausea, diarrhea, and abdominal pain. The long-term consequences – which can sometimes be serious – include cardiovascular disease, obesity, ulcerative colitis, and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).

What About Bad Moods?

Recent studies suggest that, much like stress, negative emotions such as anger and sadness can also affect your physical health. Specifically, bad moods may alter the function of your immune system by increasing inflammation throughout your body. Inflammation is not always a bad thing – it occurs naturally as your immune system responds to wounds and infections. However, chronic inflammation can eventually harm healthy cells, tissues, and organs. Over time, this can lead to DNA damage, which has been linked to the development of several serious health conditions, including cancer.

Improve Your Health by Improving Your Mood

It’s important to find active ways to manage your stress and improve your mood. While inactive pursuits such as surfing the internet, playing video games, and watching television may seem relaxing, they can actually create more anxiety over time. A better strategy is to exercise regularly and remain physically active. Also, be sure to eat a healthy, balanced diet and get plenty of sleep.

If you’re experiencing physical symptoms of stress or negative emotions, a medical professional at South Tampa Immediate Care can help. Stop by our walk-in clinic in Tampa, FL – no appointment is necessary.