Stress and the Immune System

Chronic stress can have negative effects on the immune system.

Psychoneuroimmunology looks at the connections among psychological factors, the nervous system, and the immune system.

Acute stressors, which are fast acting and one-time life events, can cause immunological changes. Chronic stressors, which are longer lasting, are related to an increasing downturn in the immune system’s response rather than adaptation.

Stressful situations lower the efficiency of the immune system and therefore individuals are more susceptible to diseases. Stress directly causes disease-producing processes. Stressful situations may cause dormant viruses to activate that diminish the individual’s ability to cope with disease. Stress triggered changes in the immune system and hormones might create greater vulnerability to infection.

Could Stress Be Destroying Your Brain

Researchers from Ohio State University taught mice how to find their way out of a maze. After introducing a stressor to the situation (in the form of an aggressive mouse), the mice gradually forgot how to get out of the maze. Scans showed that this new stress had an inflammatory effect on the brain, resulting in memory problems. The next step is to see if these types of reactions to long-term stress are present in the human brain. Read the Science Alert article (Links to an external site.) to learn more about this research.

Stress and Cardiovascular Disease

Chronic emotional stress is related to high blood pressure, heart disease, and early death. Individuals who live in a chronically stressful condition are more likely to start smoking, overeat, and not exercise.

Stress and Cancer

Stress has been related to cancer risk. Stress sets in motion the biological changes that are involved in the autonomic, endocrine, and immune systems.

How stress affects your body - TED-Ed

Our hard-wired stress response is designed to gives us the quick burst of heightened alertness and energy needed to perform our best. But stress isn’t all
good. When activated too long or too often, stress can damage virtually every part of our body. Sharon Horesh Bergquist gives us a look at what goes on inside our body when we are chronically stressed.