How Does Stress Affect Your Immune System

Your body’s stress response can trigger several physiological changes, which can affect immune function. Why you’re stressed and how long you’re stressed can impact how your immune system responds.
When you feel stressed, your body undergoes several changes to help you survive and overcome perceived threats and obstacles.
Your body also has an immune response during your stress reaction. The exact effects depend on your stressor and how long you’re exposed. It can contribute to a variety of short and long-term health effects.

What is the link?
Your immune system is an intricate part of your stress reaction. In fact, your stress reaction primarily involvesTrusted Source your nervous, endocrine, and immune systems.
When stress first occurs, your body initiates the acute stress phase, sometimes called the “alarm” phase.
At this stage, specialized immune cells are transported through the bloodstream and into areas of the body most likely to encounter bacteria, viruses, and fungi, like the skin. This helps boost immunity so the body can respond to an immediate immune threat.
When stress persists too long, becoming prolonged or chronic, your immune function declines.

Over time, your body has to find ways to counteract the persistent inflammatory processes caused by unrelenting stress. It starts releasing anti-inflammatory cytokines, which are intended to cancel the stress reaction once a perceived threat is no longer present.
When the stressors don’t go away, your body can become caught in a cycle of pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory processes, which can contributeTrusted Source to what’s known as “sickness behavior,” a group of symptoms including fatigue and cognitive impairment.
Ultimately, prolonged stress exposure can weaken your overall immunity.

Symptoms of stress
Stress can have body-wide effects and can impact both your mental and physical health.
Common symptoms of stress include:
•rapid heartbeat
•increased respiration
•sweating
•shortness of breath
•elevated blood pressure
•chest pain
•muscle aches and pains
•headaches
•nausea or vomiting
•bowel changes
•loss of appetite
•overeating
•fatigue
•sleep disturbances
•skin changes
•anxiety
•depression
•mood shifts
•irritability
•burnout
•low concentration

When it comes to your immune system, specifically, symptoms of stress can include:
•increased rate of infections
•delayed wound healing
•frequent colds or cold-like illnesses
•chronic inflammatory conditions
•new or worsening autoimmune conditions
•new or worsening allergies