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Clinical resource

How Stress Affects the Body

Learn how chronic stress affects the body and can lead to burnout.

Written by THE BALANCE

Medically reviewed byDr. Sarah Boss, MD
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Quick Summary

  • Stress activates the sympathetic nervous system, releasing hormones that raise heart rate, blood pressure, and energy supplies in response to perceived threats.
  • When stress becomes chronic, it can affect cardiovascular, digestive, muscular, and immune function, while burnout may involve exhaustion, detachment, and reduced performance.
  • THE BALANCE describes an individualized, multidisciplinary approach combining assessment, biochemical testing, nutrition planning, psychotherapy, psychiatry, mindfulness, and physical practices.

Stress is often called the health epidemic of the 21st century. It’s one of the leading issues across the globe, causing multiple mental and physical health crises. There are an estimated 17 million work days lost each year due to the ill-health caused by stress, anxiety and depression. The levels of stress have steadily increased over the past few years, and continue to go up. While certain levels of stress are to be expected in the workforce, the issue is not meant to hinder life. When stress becomes chronic, and there are no healthy outlets to manage it, that’s when the trouble starts to show up. In this blog, we discuss the science of stress, its affects on the body, and hear from our leading doctor and nutritionist, Dr. Indhira Ghyssaert, on how we approach stress at THE BALANCE.

Stress is the body’s response to any demand or threat. When you perceive a situation as challenging or dangerous, your body undergoes a series of biochemical and physiological changes, known as the stress response. The first part of this process is when the amygdala (the area of the brain responsible for emotional processing) detects the threat and sends a signal of distress to the hypothalamus. This part of the brain is our command center, and communicates with the rest of the body through the autonomic nervous system.

When something stressful happens, the sympathetic nervous system is activated – triggering our fight, flight, or freeze response. The SNS sends signals to the adrenal glands to release adrenaline, noradrenaline, and cortisol. These hormones increase heart rate, elevate blood pressure, and boost energy supplies. When stress becomes chronic, this chain reaction in the body can cause issues in the cardiovascular, digestive, muscular, and immune system.

The leading doctor at THE BALANCE, Dr. Med. Indhira Ghyssaert, works with patients who are experiencing physical symptoms from stress almost every day. The most common internal issues she sees from stress and burnout within the body are “hormonal imbalance, magnesium and vitamin B deficiencies, liver inflammation, gastritis and even IBS.” The symptoms are your body’s cry for help – a signal that it’s time to slow down, reassess, and regenerate.

When stress builds up, the body breaks down. But when does stress turn into a burnout? The World Health Organization (WHO) defines burnout in three distinct steps. First is an overwhelming sense of exhaustion or energy depletion, followed by mental distance or cynicism about the job, and ultimately an inability to perform at a certain level anymore.

A burnout is when stress symptoms become critical. The adverse effects of it spill into every area of life leading to behavioral changes, a fear of failure or self-doubt, and loss of motivation. Productivity can decrease significantly, and the person may feel overwhelmingly exhausted —emotionally, physically, and mentally. It’s important to look for the signs before work related stress becomes unbearable. If not treated, it can lead to serious health issues. Burnouts can become chronic as well if the pattern is not completely stopped and an individual does not find their balance.

At THE BALANCE, we know that the body needs to be brought back to a state of safety before it can heal. The first step for our clients is an-depth assessment process that looks at the microbiome, biochemistry, and background of each individual. Dr. Ghyssaert notes: “When I treat stress and burnouts, I do a full biochemical restoration. We do in-depth blood tests and build the body back to a place of strength from inside. We create a supplement and food plan. For stress,  I often use ashwaghanda and gaba + which helps the nervous system process information and emotions better.”

“From there, we treat it as a team. I work with the psychiatrists and psychotherapists, we build a mindfulness program and introduce sports like yoga and chi gong. No part of the care is isolated. So clients don’t have to guess who they should see, they see everyone,” says Dr. Ghyssaert. The team at THE BALANCE have integrated all aspects of healthcare to tackle mental health struggles holistically. They work with affluent individuals to redefine the work-life balance, and treat the root cause of physical symptoms that can emerge from stress.

While the stress response is essential for survival, chronic stress can lead to significant health problems. It can affect our cardiovascular, digestive, muscular, and immune system. If symptoms continue without any change, chronic stress can lead to burnout. It’s important to catch early signs before the burnout can becomes a pattern in work life. THE BALANCE team knows that the solution lies not just in treating symptoms but in addressing the underlying cause of the stress. They are committed to guiding each individual through their unique health journey, providing the tools and support needed to transform stress into a manageable aspect of a balanced, healthy life.

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Editorial evidence

Evidence & sources

Selected clinical guidelines, peer-reviewed research, and public-health sources used in this article.

01American Psychological Association. (n.d.). Stress effects on the body.View source
02National Center for Biotechnology Information. (n.d.). Physiology, Stress Reaction – StatPearls – NCBI Bookshelf.
03Cochrane Work. (2021). Interventions to prevent and reduce stress and burnout in healthcare workers. Cochrane.
View all 11 sourcesShow fewer sources
04National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. (2022). Depression in adults: Treatment and management. National Institute for Health and Care Excellence.
05McEwen, B. S. (2007). Physiology and neurobiology of stress and adaptation: Central role of the brain. Physiological Reviews.
06Ashwagandha: Usefulness and Safety | NCCIH. (nccih.nih.gov).
07National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. (n.d.). Generalised anxiety disorder and panic disorder in adults: Management.View source
09World Health Organization. (2019). Burn-out an u201coccupational phenomenonu201d: International Classification of Diseases.View source
10MedlinePlus. (n.d.). Stress and your health. National Library of Medicine.View source
11Cohen, S., Janicki-Deverts, D., & Miller, G. E. (2007). Psychological stress and disease. JAMA.View source
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Clear information is framed around complex and co-occurring presentations.

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Jil MooreClient Relations Director
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