For most of us, stress is an unavoidable aspect of daily life. It can even be beneficial in tiny doses since it keeps us aware of what is going on around us and helps us concentrate on whatever work we may have ahead of us. However, after the threat, whatever it was, has gone, we generally return to normal. Or at least, that’s how it should work.
This is not the case for those who are always stressed and are clinically ill as a result. This kind of stress is a mental illness, but it also has physical manifestations such as high blood pressure, cardiac difficulties, and sleeplessness. The skin may suffer as well, as stress can cause significant damage in this area. When this happens, it’s important to make changes in your life. Keep reading to learn more.
Inflammation
Inflammation is known to be triggered by stress. When you are worried for any reason, whether it is financial, a relationship problem, studying for a major test, or whatever else, your digestive process gets slower. The longer people are stressed, the worse their digestion becomes, and when digestion becomes very sluggish, microorganisms in the stomach will be impacted. A healthy balance of bacteria exists in your body, but when digestion is delayed, this equilibrium is disrupted, allowing more harmful germs to develop.
When this happens, a condition known as dysbiosis develops, which causes the stomach lining to become more porous. The ‘bad bacteria’ can then readily move throughout the body, resulting in skin inflammation since the body thinks it is under attack – which, of course, does not improve your stress levels. Using liposomal vitamin C from Abundance & Health can help with this condition, but reducing stress is the best long-term option.
Dry Skin
If we’re stressed, the fight or flight reaction is activated within our bodies, resulting in a significant increase in cortisol and adrenalin levels in our bodies. This is an issue for those who have been under a lot of stress for a long time because when we generate adrenaline, the eccrine (sweat) glands are stimulated, causing us to sweat a lot more. Sweating promotes dehydration, and so when we sweat a lot, we quickly dehydrate.
If you’re unable to replace your fluids fast enough, which many individuals are unable to do for a variety of reasons, your skin will dry up. It will be more obvious if you already have a dry skin problem, such as eczema, but even people with ‘normal’ skin may notice that it becomes dry and itchy. In most instances, though, your skin should start to recover after the stress has subsided.
Oily Skin
Although we have already discussed how stress can cause our skin to become dry, it can also cause our skin to become oily. This is related to the cortisol surge that happens when we activate the fear response.
The higher our cortisol levels, the oilier our skin gets. This is all down to the skin’s sebaceous glands opening up more, resulting in greater oil production. Unfortunately, open glands like these increase the likelihood of acne since more germs and dirt can enter the pores and clog them.
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