Category: Medical and Health >> Health and Work

Common Stress-Related Illnesses


Coping with stress can be a difficult task. Everyday seems to be another challenge in our lives, where we are faced with the pressures of huge workloads. When an individual feels that his abilities are not adequate enough to cope with growing demands of his workspace, such as meeting the work deadlines offered by his employer, or if he is concerned about the problems of his family at home, this could result in inflicting the individual with a lot of physical and emotional stress. Depending on the duration of the stressful environment the individual is exposed to, he will tend to suffer a variety of illnesses.


The most common forms of stress related illnesses are Cardiovascular diseases such as Heart attacks, High blood pressure resulting from hypertension, Obesity, Migraine & severe tension headaches, Insomnia, Anxiety Arthritis, Diabetes, Ulcers, Asthma, Chronic stress problems such as sleep disorders, increased fatigue, weight loss, extreme sweating, anxiety problems, tension and pain in the muscle, severe depression, back problems, eye problems, Travel sickness, the common cold or flu, severe pain in the body joints, Immune system diseases and the many forms of cancer. For some cases the illness may prove to be fatal to the individual resulting in possible death.

Listed below is a detailed review of few of the above most common stress related illnesses.


Chronic Fatigue and Sleep Disorder patterns

This a common illness related to individuals working long hours. Exhaustion and unusual sleep patterns are often associated with this illness. Sleep which is essential for the individual's ability to think well can be vital if the individual is lacking his sleep. Due to the monotonous hours and long shift hours put in by the individual, he will suffer a lack of sleep, and therefore will exhibit a lack of concentration on his work. Decision making, and the ability to respond to emergencies, will tend to be slow, on the part of the individual.


Anxiety and other health related problems such as tension

Another health related problem connected with stress is Anxiety. Anxiety is an illness in which the individual tends to worry a lot about himself, and about the issues concerning his family, while working. At times he may even worry when nothing seems to be the matter. A person suffering from anxiety can be considered to be a pessimist who always sees the bad side of things. A person working long hours will worry practically 90% of the time, about whether he will be able to cover certain assignments within a deadline offered by his boss. Moreover he suffers a lack of sleep. Other problems connected with anxiety include severe migraine and headaches, diarrhea, constipation, constant urination and severe paints in the body joints. A person with anxiety, can't relax, and feels tense most of the time. People suffering from anxiety have the weakness of reverting to drug and alcohol abuse, to help release the pressure and tension they face at their workplace.


Severe Depression

Stress at work can result in an individual, feeling out of sorts. Due to the monotony of his or her work at his workplace, he may feel totally dejected and depressed. Depression is such an illness that it is difficult to shrug off once the individual is affected by it. It may take weeks, months or even years to get rid of it. A depressed individual may suffer disorderly sleep patterns, tiredness, and a lack of interest in the activities revolving around his private life. He may show a lack of interest in listening to the problems; his children are facing at school. Due to his stressed out life, he will develop a craving to consume extra amounts of food, having no worry what so ever about losing weight. This could make him a bit lazy and immobile. Moreover his ability and tendency to make effective and creative decisions at work will decrease with time. This in turn could make the individual less productive at work.