You are already late for an important meeting when you are suddenly at a standstill in traffic. You sit there, watching the clock on your dashboard as the minutes tick away and there's absolutely nothing you can do about it.

This is about the time that your brain sends out the stress hormones. Your heart rate rises, you get short of breath and your muscles are ready for action. Of course, this action is to punch the steering wheel in pure frustration.

The fight or flight response is totally natural and designed to protect your body in an emergency by preparing you to act quickly. But when you have this response day after day after day, it could put your health in serious risk.

Ameriden, your source for Rhodiola Rosea, offers the effects of stress on your body.

Cravings

Studies have linked cortisol, the hormone released when you are stressed, to carvings for fat and sugar. Experts believe that cortisol binds to receptors that control your food intake. If you already happen to be a bit overweight, you are even more susceptible to these cravings.

Heart Problems

The relationship between a heart attack and stress is still rather unclear, but there is more and more evidence that there definitely is one. A recent study found that people who have stressful jobs are nearly 25 percent more likely to have a heart attack than people with less job-related stress.

Insomnia

Stress causes a biological state in which you just don't feel sleepy. In many situations, once the stress has subsided, you will go to sleep like normal. However, chronic stress leads to night after night of sleep struggles.

Headaches

The cortisol that is released into your body when suffering stress can lead to tension headaches. Stress also makes your muscles tense, which makes these headaches even more painful.

Memory

When you have too much cortisol released into your body over a period of time, it can interfere with your ability to form new memories. The hormone also interferes with neurotransmitters, the chemical your brain uses to communicate with each other.

Blood Sugar

It is well-documented that stress is known to raise blood sugar.

Digestion

Chronic stress can wreak havoc on your digestive system in the form of stomach cramping, heartburn and diarrhea. It is thought that irritable bowel syndrome is fueled by stress.

Blood Pressure

You probably know that a stressful situation will raise your blood pressure and speed up your heart rate. Of course, these effects disappear when the stress is gone. It is not entirely clear what effect chronic stress has on blood pressure.

Sex Appeal

There is a study that showed women were less attracted to men who had high levels of cortisol. This might be because low levels of cortisol suggest health and strength.

Premature Aging

Chronic stress causes your cells to age faster. The good news is that exercising seems to counteract the effect.

Ameriden encourages you to browse our selection of health supplements today.