Health & Fitness

How Anger Affects Your Health: Understanding How Chronic Anger Takes a Toll on Your Health

Uncover the intricate ways chronic anger affects your health, from physiological responses to potential long-term consequences. Gain insights into understanding the toll chronic anger may take on your overall health.

Anger vs Chronic Anger

Anger is a normal emotional response, chronic anger, on the other hand, is persistent and can have adverse effects on physical and mental health.

Why is it important to know how anger affects our health?

So that we can proactively preserve our well-being and adopt effective coping strategies.

How Anger affects your body

Physiologically, anger can lead to increased heart rate, muscle tension, and elevated blood pressure, which contributes to conditions like cardiovascular issues, muscle strain, and a weakened immune system.

Psychologically, anger can strain your mental well-being by contributing to heightened stress, impaired decision-making, and a potential negative impact on mood, affecting your overall well-being.

Why is Prolonged Anger Dangerous?

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In case you did not know already, anger triggers the body's stress response, leading to the release of stress hormones such as cortisol.

Short bursts of anger, in and of themselves, are normal and inherently not dangerous;

Prolonged exposure to high levels of stress, however, can have numerous negative effects on health.

Negative effects, as mentioned below.

THE ADVERSE EFFECTS OF ANGER

Susceptible to Cardiovascular Difficulties

What being angry does to your cardiovascular system

Being angry causes a rapid increase in blood pressure, which is a major risk factor for a stoke.
Narrows blood vessels, which increases the likelihood of forming blood clots, leading to serious complications such as heart attacks or strokes.
Increases the risk of blood clot formation, which may lead to heart attacks and strokes.
Etc.

Being angry alone may not cause a stroke or other cardiovascular difficulties.

However, if combined with other health risk factors such as drug abuse, obesity, smoking, etc., then you are much more likely to develop or worsen existing cardiovascular difficulties.

Digestive Problems

Intense or prolonged anger may contribute to digestive issues such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), acid reflux, and other gastrointestinal problems.

This is because when your body is in “fight or flight” mode, your body directs blood flow away from non-essential functions, including digestion.

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When someone is angry, their body may react as if it is facing a threat, even if the threat is not physical. This causes the body’s fight or flight response.

Difficulty in Sleeping

Thanks to the body’s “fight or flight” response and the release of stress hormones, a person fueled with anger will have trouble sleeping.

This typically results to abnormal sleep patterns, which leads to insomnia or poor-quality sleep.

It is recommended to seek healthy outlets for anger; failure to do so can worsen chronic stress, as persistent poor-quality sleep is associated with various other health problems.

Mental Health Issues

Anger may contribute to the development or worsening of mental health problems, such as anxiety and depression.

There are several reasons for this, perhaps due to the simple fact that anger causes disruptions in neurochemical balance, chronic stress, and negative thought patterns.

Or it could be due to strained relationships and maladaptive behaviors resulting from anger.

Premature Aging

While anger itself does not directly cause premature aging, the chronic stress associated with anger may contribute to certain health issues that can accelerate the aging process.

Anger’s contribution to premature aging:

Shortening of Telomeres: Chronic stress has been linked to accelerated shortening of telomeres; and shortened telomeres are associated with cellular aging and an increased risk of age-related diseases.
Cortisol and Adrenaline: Prolonged exposure to these hormones can lead to hormonal imbalances in the body.
Elevated Blood Pressure: Elevated blood pressure leads to cardiovascular diseases, which may contribute to premature aging of the cardiovascular system.
Etc.

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“Severe and chronic stress can lead to both telomere shortening and depression, contributing to their observed relationships.”

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“Further, the timing of stress exposure also determines effects; pregnancy and early childhood are critical periods when toxic stress can create what has been called biological embedding of a lifelong risk for telomere shortness and psychiatric disorders.”

Source: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7039047/

Tension Headaches

How can anger and stress lead to headaches?

The stress hormones associated with anger, like cortisol, can lead to the development of a headache.

How can cortisol and other stress hormones result in headaches?

These stress hormones reduces blood flow to the head and neck, due to the constriction of blood vessels;
Causes muscle tension in the neck, shoulders, and scalp, which may result in tension headaches when prolonged long enough;
Etc.

Something to keep note is that the clenching of the jaw, grinding of teeth, etc., may also contribute to the development of tension headaches and dental problems.

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While it is a common response when feeling angry, excessive or chronic clenching and grinding can have negative consequences; it is advisable to keep it to a minimum or avoid it altogether.

Skin Breakout

Anger-induced stress elevates cortisol levels, prompt inflammation, and compromise the immune system, which may cause skin issues and leading to skin flare-ups and breakouts.

Weakened Immune System

Chronic anger may suppress the immune system through prolonged exposure to stress hormones, such as cortisol;

This can suppress the immune system, making individuals more susceptible to illnesses and infections.

This prolonged stress response can also lead to a decrease in the production of immune cells, which impairs the immune system's ability to respond effectively to pathogens; resulting in an increase in susceptibility to illnesses and infections.

Cognitive Impairment

When experiencing anger, the release and influence of stress hormones may impair cognitive function, affecting memory, decision-making, and problem-solving skills.

Increased Risk of Substance Abuse

Some individuals may turn to substances such as alcohol or drugs as a way to cope with anger, leading to an increased risk of substance abuse issues.