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The strong link between stress and skyrocketing infection
Mental stress is a thief that steals your energy — energy your body needs to do important things like properly digest your food, balance your hormones and fight dangerous pathogens.
Is it any wonder, then, that people under long-term stress see their health fall apart?
They develop a thyroid disorder. Or chronic digestive issues. Or they may even succumb to a serious infection.
The last one is a big one. We’re all exposed to potentially dangerous pathogens every day. But usually, our bodies can keep them in check, so they don’t make us sick. Add severe, ongoing stress to the mix, though, and all bets are off.
Sounds like a recipe disaster for the times we are currently living. Not only are we faced with a contagion that has caused a worldwide pandemic, but the level of stress that more of us are feeling right now is quite literally through the roof.
According to a study from the American Psychological Association, “Although large numbers of people throughout the world will show resilience to the profound loss, stress, and fear associated with COVID-19, the virus will likely exacerbate existing mental health disorders and contribute to the onset of new stress-related disorders for many.” This kind of traumatic experience could lead to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) but could also worsen symptoms for those who already suffer from PTSD.
Adding fuel to the fire is a Danish study that shows that people with this most serious type of stress have a much higher risk of developing all types of dangerous infections.
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People with PTSD are nearly twice as likely to get infections
Researchers from Boston University School of Public Health, Aarhus University Hospital in Denmark, the University of Vermont, and the Emory University Rollins School of Public Health just discovered that people with PTSD have nearly double the infection risk people without PTSD have.
They looked at medical records for Danish citizens diagnosed with PTSD between 1995 and 2011. Here’s what they found…
People with PTSD have a higher risk of developing at least 28 different types of infections.
Their risk of developing any kind of infection was 1.8 times higher than people without PTSD. But they were also:
- 3 times more likely to have meningitis
- 7 times more likely to have influenza
- 7 times as likely to have viral hepatitis
Men with PTSD were much more likely to have skin infections, and women with PTSD were much more likely to have urinary tract infections too.
Slaying stress before it makes you sick
Only seven to eight percent of the population has PTSD. And thank goodness for that. It’s a terrible disease that makes it hard for people to live a happy life.
There are ways to overcome the disorder, of course. Everything from cognitive behavioral therapy to virtual reality exposure therapy to trauma-sensitive yoga to acupuncture can help you find relief from PTSD symptoms. If you have PTSD, find a therapist who can help you set up a treatment plan.
For the rest of us, this study is a reminder of how extreme stress affects our bodies. Many of us don’t have PTSD, but we do allow everyday responsibilities to send us into a stress spiral. And that impairs our ability to fight infections, among other things. (I’m sure we can all remember a time we were under severe stress and caught the flu, developed a UTI or woke up with a sty in our eye.)
My favorite ways to cope with stress are meditation and yoga. When I practice meditation and yoga daily, I’m naturally happier and more resilient to stress. YouTube is a great resource for meditation and yoga videos that can help you get started. Right now, I like Fightmaster Yoga and Yogini Melbourne a lot.
I think practicing mindfulness throughout the day helps too. If you can give your complete attention to what you’re doing in the moment and tune out any thoughts about what you did wrong in the past or what you have to do in the future, you’ll be amazed how quickly stress melts away. Because the fact is, stress rarely has much to do with what’s actually happening around us at any given moment. It’s usually the result of thinking about the past or the future.
There are tons of mindfulness teachers and tutorials out there nowadays. But my secret tool for staying mindful is Eckhart Tolle. Okay, so he’s not much of a secret. He’s a New York Times bestselling author who’s been on Oprah. But his teachings help me stay in that peaceful, stress-free place more often. He has a YouTube channel that offers free teachings on mindfulness. Check it out if you’re ready to slay your stress… and hopefully, your infection risk.
Sources:
How the Coronavirus May Impact or Cause PTSD — Integris
Team finds PTSD nearly doubles infection risk — MedicalXpress
Post-traumatic Stress Disorder and Incident Infections: A Nationwide Cohort Study — Epidemiology
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) — National Institute of Mental Health
How PTSD Is Treated — Verywell Mind
By Jenny Smiechowski
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