Stress is a terrible thing – it makes us moody, tired and irritable, and for years we’ve been warned about the damaging effect it can have on our health. However now boffins have done a U-turn on the subject and revealed that low stress levels can also have a negative impact on our bodies.
The Daily Mail reports that low levels of stress can actually raise the risk of a heart attack or a stroke by 20 per cent, according to scientists.
“We found psychological distress was a risk factor for death from all causes, cardiovascular disease, and external causes – the greater the distress, the higher the risk,” said Dr Tom Russ from the University of Edinburgh.
“However, even people with low distress scores were at an increased risk of death. Currently these people – a quarter of the adult population – are unlikely to come to the attention of mental health services due to these symptoms and may not be receiving treatment,” he added.
The study revealed that the risk of illness doubles for people who tend to be highly-stressed, and chronic stress can actually directly impact your immune system, making you more susceptible to developing infections and increased swelling if you injure yourself.
So basically ladies, if we’re too stressed we’re at risk and if we’re not stressed enough we’re at risk. It seems like we can’t bloody win!
That being said though, it is always important to make sure that you know how to relax and unwind (especially after a bad day at the office). What are some of your favourite ways to banish stress? Let us know in the comments section below.
