Читать книгу Anxiety For Dummies - W. Doyle Gentry, Laura L. Smith - Страница 48

A significant body of research spanning decades of work has linked stress and susceptibility to infections. This finding appears to be due to reductions in immune response and increased inflammation in highly stressed individuals. A recent study reported in the British Medical Journal looked at large groups of people with stress disorders, their siblings, and a group of people without stress disorders from the general population of Sweden.

After following the subjects for over 25 years, researchers found that people with stress disorders were significantly more prone to infections, including life-threatening infections. The study controlled for economic factors, family background, prior medical history, and a host of other variables.

The study may have implications for new viral infections as they inevitably arise. People with high levels of stress may be more susceptible to becoming infected as well as have a more difficult time recovering than those with lower stress levels. Furthermore, some research suggests that people with high levels of stress may not benefit as much as others from vaccinations. Thus, managing stress and anxiety may improve important health outcomes. These findings may ultimately prove to be especially important during times of pandemics.

As these neurotransmitters pulse through your brain, the brain circuitry involved in fear and anxiety lights up. Your body then responds with a full-system alert known as the fight-or-flight response.