Stress Is The Number 1 Health Problem In The United States Today

By Donald Saunders

Stress has been in the news as a health epidemic since the early eighties and this situation continues to worsen as an increasing number of workers say that they are suffering increasing stress in the workplace. Indeed work is now the leading environment for the development of stress in adult Americans. However levels of stress have also been rising for children in the past few years and many people now link this to a loss of religious and family values, isolation, insufficient social support and simple corporate greed.

Stress these days is far more dangerous than it was just ten years ago and seems to be more prevalent and more invasive than before with much greater stress coming from psychological instead of physical threats.

Stress causes a rise in heart rate and increased flow of blood leading in turn to higher blood pressure. Blood sugar levels also increase to provide the body with the added fuel which it requires to fight stress and our body is designed to move blood away from the stomach when under stress to provide additional strength in the legs and arms as part of what is typically referred to as our “flight or fight” response.

Stress also leads to anxiety and chronic depression as well as to skin and gastrointestinal problems and disrupts the working of a number of our main organs. It also causes impairment of the body’s immune system so that it in unable to fight off viral disorders from the not especially serious cold to very serious conditions like cancer and AIDS.

Stress in the workplace directly influences such things as employee absenteeism and productivity and the business climate progressively worsens with competition today at an all-time high. The pressure placed upon employees to produce and the continual concern about job security can produce a number of conditions including neck pain, back pain, stroke, hypertension, diabetes, ulcers and heart attacks.

Many different things can cause stress including just sitting at a computer monitor for eight hours every day or more, meeting deadlines or having someone continually watching you. Here the results are often seen as depression and a host of physical complaints which result in lost working hours.

Taking the necessary steps to manage the stress you have in your life could well be the best gift that you can give yourself and a few fairly simple alterations to your lifestyle can make a huge difference to the way in which you handle stress. For instance, taking a mere 20 minutes out of your day to walk will reduce your stress as will talking to friends and colleagues, prayer and meditation and following a healthy diet. Take the time to learn some relaxation techniques because breathing and relaxation exercises can considerably reduce your stress levels.

Despite the fact that stress is a major health issue for many millions of Americans today there are many ways to relieve stress available and the secret is to find what works best for you.

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