How Chronic Stress Harms Your Body

We can’t avoid having stress, and that’s not always a bad thing. But if you are dealing with a lot of stress every day, it might cause you physical harm.

Hosted by: Hank Green
----------
----------
Dooblydoo thanks go to the following Patreon supporters:
Kelly Landrum Jones, Sam Lutfi, Kevin Knupp, Nicholas Smith, Inerri, D.A. Noe, alexander wadsworth, سلطان الخليفي, Piya Shedden, KatieMarie Magnone, Scott Satovsky Jr, Bella Nash, Charles Southerland, Bader AlGhamdi, James Harshaw, Patrick Merrithew, Patrick D. Ashmore, Candy, Tim Curwick, charles george, Saul, Mark Terrio-Cameron, Viraansh Bhanushali, Kevin Bealer, Philippe von Bergen, Chris Peters, Justin Lentz
----------
Looking for SciShow elsewhere on the internet?
----------
Sources

Image Sources:

[andrewwright]

This is why our cultural glamourizing of college students' stress is disgusting. It's horribly damaging to people and that needs to change.

[entyropy]

Chronic stress -> bad sleep -> Depression -> more chronic stress ...

[HexIsme]

I think it's also common for people to mistake high self-control for low stress. Just because I'm not *actually* screaming my head off in public doesn't mean I'm not doing it internally. It only takes consistency and persistence to train yourself to not wear stress or internal freakouts on your face. Balling your hands up or gripping something tightly or picking at something with your fingers often goes unnoticed. My teeth are in bad condition because I grind them all the time unconsciously. I have a dependency on muscle relaxers to get to sleep at all because I'm so physically tense all the time.

[RoundPi]

This is my life right now:
- Wake up
- attempt school work
- stress about upcoming due dates, while distracting myself with video games
- take a nap because I'm tired
- repeated last 3 steps until 1AM
- go to bed and check on social media stuff, because I had no time in the day
- sleep at 2 or 3 AM

[Master_Therion]

5:18 "... helps with the YouTube algorithm. *nervous laugh."
I think Hank has chronic stress about YouTube. Relax my friend, we got your back!

[katb]

i'm 24 and already going gray and suffering from chronic tension headaches. i don't even emotionally feel stress, i just physically feel it in my body

[Zanyotaku]

I am shocked I was writing the intro paragraph on an essay for THIS EXACT TOPIC and then BAM a video on it. Thanks a million for the additional sources~
Lessened MY stress by a little bit.

[grimVisionery]

i've had chronic stress with school; i'd know real time how it physically effects you. its not fun. i'd stress vomit.

[GetPsyched]

The physiological reactions we can have from stress are enormous, and at times seriously debilitating! The increase of cortisol, serotonin and spinal fluid have all been empirically verified when stress levels increase. Having effective coping strategies and appropriate means of recognising stress in ourselves is vital if we are to overcome this issues derived from stress. Another great video, thanks for this!

[kylec]

Why did you have to make a video about how stress harms you? That's just going to stress me out more...

[liamlynch]

I’m always suffering despite things being good. Irritable, overwhelmed, stressed about everything: kids, house, work, social interaction. Everything drives me nuts like messes, clutter, everything could use a cleaning but I feel I don’t have the time or energy. My health, fitness, looks are all falling apart. I feel lethargic a lot, a little dizzy, I procrastinate and ruminate.

[Sheeta]

"Which really... helps... with the youtube algorithm." This small laugh at 5:22 was absolute gold xD
And thank you so much for the video, it really fascinating to understand the biological response of chronic stress <3

[abeerahmed]

reading the title made me stress about my chronic stress :)

[Haesslicherblaubarsch]

Stress is the one threat in my daily life I always underestimate, although I feel the effects of it everyday. The fact that even thinking differently about stress loweres our stress levels literally made my heartbeat drop to a relatively normal level so maybe this video might influence me a great deal, at least I hope so.

[agentwashingtub]

I know you only take suggestions from Patreon, but I think it would be cool if you did an episode on abuse and how it can affect people

[amimusic]

I like that you included ways to decrease stress as part of the research you're sharing. Otherwise I'd just leave the video feeling stressed about all the stress D:

[jkm]

I can attest to this. Too much stress can cause an intense pain in your chest. Not like a heart attack more like a contraction

[plainpawesome]

Hank, I've been watching sci show for some years now and although I really enjoy most of your content and the education that comes, I am a profile that doesn't normally comment... However, your honest and humble ask for a like and subscribe in this video got me feeling a debt of gratitude for everything that you have done. Thank you. I was moved to like comment and subscribe (with the bell).

[CarBENbased]

This video is very oddly well timed for me for where I'm at in right now in life. Thank you Hank and Sci show team, i needed this video today.

[kaynexl]

I am going through lots of stress and uncomfortableness, just in these 6 month I have been attacked by gangs twice with knives, my abusive household has never been this much abusive, I have got my privacy taken away, I am scared to leave my room, idk I don’t feel good I am not even focused my mind is always somewhere else, and I cataphraize a lot