Effects of stress on your emotional and
physical health may be worse than you thought.
Although
female sex hormones and
brain chemistry offer some protection from stress, women are more deeply
affected by the physical and emotional effects of stress than men.
Women’s
reactions to stress are rooted in their body chemistry. Men have higher
androgen levels, while women have higher estrogen levels, says Paul J. Rosch, MD, FACP,
president of the American Institute of Stress (AIS).
. “Women
tend to react to stress differently than men.
This helps women more than men,
Rosch says. And nurturing activities boost oxytocin levels in women.
For example, Rosch explains, women
are more negatively affected when they’re not touched, and also feel more
stress than men in relationships.
According to the American Academy of
Family Physicians (AAFP), stress is an expression of the body’s natural
instinct to protect itself. While this may warn a woman of immediate danger,
like a fast-approaching car, prolonged stress
effects can negatively affect your physical and emotional
health.
“Our stress response was exquisitely
honed over millions of years as a protective mechanism,” said Rosch. “