10 REASONS TO STAY... STRESS-FREE

1 IT’S THE REASON YOU’RE ALWAYS ILL

The body’s way of dealing with stress is to release a range of hormones. This can be beneficial for a short period, but chronic stress has been linked to a number of issues such as headaches, digestive issues, chest pain and mental-health problems, and research has found that it also affects the immune system. An analysis of 293 studies carried out over 40 years confirmed that long-term or chronic stress causes the immune system to break down, lowering its ability to fight bacteria and viruses.

2 YOU’LL STAVE OFF HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE

The hormones released during a stressful situation – known as a fight-or-flight response – include testosterone, adrenaline and cortisol. Normally, they subside once the situation is over, but for those under constant stress these levels can be raised permanently. Cortisol, for example, controls blood sugar levels and blood pressure.

3 IT WILL STOP YOUR HAIR GOING GREY

Long-term stress causes a build-up of hydrogen peroxide in cells, which has been linked to speeding up the ageing process, and in turn the reduction of melanocytes – colour cells – in both the hair and the skin.

4 IT PROTECTS YOUR HEART

A 2004 study of nearly 25,000 people, 12,000 of whom had suffered heart attacks, found that heart victims were more likely to report having been through longer periods of stress.

5 YOUR MEMORY MAY STAY INTACT

US scientists studied the brains of medical students during a week of final exams and compared it to a week when they did not have tests, and found that assessment stress had a negative effect on the brain’s ability to learn, remember, develop and recover from damage.

6 IT WILL STOP AN ULCER

A 2010 Danish study found that people who considered themselves under high levels of stress were twice as likely to be diagnosed with an ulcer than those who had the lowest levels.

7 YOU’LL AVOID DEPRESSION

A 2013 study of employees in 13 countries revealed that work-related stress increased the risk of suffering depressive episodes in people aged between 50 and 64.

8 YOU’LL SLEEP MORE SOUNDLY

Stressing over a specific event can leave you tossing and turning, and long term, your quality of sleep will be affected. Researchers in Sweden monitored 28 teachers suffering various levels of stress. Those with chronic levels spent a higher percentage of their time awake in bed, and also enjoyed less REM sleep.

9 IT’LL CURB YOUR CRAVINGS

The immediate adrenaline rush of stress can curb appetite – but chronic stress has the opposite effect due to the elevated cortisol levels. The hormone is involved in control of the body’s salt and water balance, and appetite. The reason we crave sugar when stressed could be linked to the effect sugar has on cortisol. American researchers studying the effects of sugar versus artificial sweetener on stress response in women in 2015 found that sugar ‘significantly reduced levels of cortisol’.

10 YOU MAY EVEN LOWER YOUR RISK OF CANCER

Women who experience more than one highly stressful event in their life, such as a personal loss or divorce, are 62 per cent more likely to develop breast cancer, a 2008 Israeli study found.