Stress and Your Health

I am ill again. Last year in October, my menstrual cycle was a few days late, 4 days I think. I usually have it 4-5 days earlier than the date in the month before. When I was late, I was scared of course! My friends all came to a conclusion: stress. I chose to believe them.

This month, just before I fell sick again, I had my period 11 days EARLIER than last month. Again, I was scared. Shocked even! What's more frightening, I had it continuously flowing for 9 days, having 4 days excessive flow but a few during the rest of the period. That still left me puzzling. I never had my menses that long.

My worries didn't stop there. 2 days later, I had my period again: yesterday to be exact. And today, it gives me the stomach cramp, like I had never had it before this month. So I surfed the net, trying to find out what's behind all these.

Of all the info that I read through, these are more related to my condition now .. so as I thought it is ..

====================================================================

What is Stress Doing to Your Health?

By Tracee Cornforth, About.com

Updated: October 14, 2007

About.com Health's Disease and Condition content is reviewed by the Medical Review Board

Look around. One of ten people you see at work, at the store, and wherever you go in your daily life is over stressed at any given moment. Scientists agree that stress causes actual chemical changes in the brain, and these changes can influence the state of your health.

What is Stress?

Stress is any change in your normal routine or health. Stress occurs when bad things happen, as well as happy things. Getting a raise or promotion is stress, just as getting fired from your job is stress.

Speculative changes cause just as much stress as veritable changes. Pensiveness or anguish about whether you will get that new job is stress the same as being offered a new position is stress.

What Causes Stress?

Women are particularly susceptible to stress caused by hormonal changes. During puberty, your menstrual cycle, pregnancy, and menopause, your hormone levels fluctuate consistently and cause stress.

Emotional and physical changes that happen in your life, illnesses, and environmental components such as extreme heat, cold, or altitude, and toxins cause stress. Pushing your body too hard at work or at play will soon deplete your body of the energy it needs to restore itself and result in your becoming over stressed.

Stress Related Illness

Science is constantly learning about the impact that stress has on your overall health. Stress is or may be a contributing factor in everything from backaches and insomnia to cancer and chronic fatigue syndrome (many people believe that CFS and fibromyalgia are the same illness).

Stress is often a key factor when women experience either absence of menstruation or abnormal bleeding. Hormonal imbalances caused by stress may proliferate the symptoms of fibroid tumors and endometriosis, as well as make pregnancy difficult to achieve for couples with fertility problems.

Heart disease is the number one killer of American women. High blood pressure, heart attacks, heart palpitations, and stroke may be stress related cardiovascular conditions. Some women experience changes in their sexuality and encounter various sexual dysfunctions such as loss of desire and vaginal dryness as a result of stress.

Often people feel the effects of stress as fatigue, various aches and pains, headaches, or as emotional disorders such as anxiety, depression, and sleep disturbances. Stress affects others by causing gastrointestinal disorders such as ulcers, lower abdominal cramps, colitis, and irritable bowel syndrome.

Frequently people under the effects of over stress will have more colds and infections due to lowered immune system responses. Stress can initiate dermatological conditions such as itchy skin and rashes.

Steps to Reducing Stress and Improving Your Health...

Eliminating stress completely from your life is impossible. However, implementing some stress management techniques can subdue some of its' harmful effects. Stress management includes following a healthy diet, getting regular exercise, and making time for uninterrupted relaxation.

====================================================================

I do hope it is just the stress that causes all these abnormal cycle. I don't welcome anymore illnesses. No more ..

PS: If you have the same problem as mine, and have found the answers whatsoever, please let me know. I'm worried sick now girls :(