The norm is reasonable anger, but when a person experiences
it and or is unable to control it, then this can have detrimental effects to
the person's health. Though anger as a reaction to irritating circumstances is
quite natural, constant or high intensity anger causes different health
problems that may harm your health. In this article, you learn the five ways in
which anger can impact your health to underscore the need to tame it.
1. Cardiovascular Health: Anger Can Hurt The Heart
Higher Odds Of Development Of Heart Disease
Perhaps the most profound impact of anger on your health is
that it raises your likelihood of heart disease. Whenever you find yourself
getting angry, the hormone adrenaline is released into your body and cortisol which prepares you for an event of ‘fight or flight’. This response results in
an increase of the rate of heartbeat, blood pressure and constriction of the
blood vessels. With time, anger will result in stress on the cardiovascular
system leading to high blood pressure, build-up of fatty materials in the blood
vessels and even heart attack.
Elevated Blood Pressure
Prolonged experience of fury is capable of making the blood
pressure level rise to a new high, which in turn might result in hypertension
as a standard feature of the person. High blood pressure is also a significant
source of concern for people with heart disease, stroke and other heart related
issues. People are at higher risk of getting these conditions if they often
feel and express very high levels of anger, and therefore anger should be well
managed to safeguard heart health.
2. Immune System Suppression: Yelling Smashes The Immune System Of Your Body
Reduced Immune Function
Prolonged anger will lead to weakening of the body immune
system, hence making the body vulnerable to diseases and illnesses. Anger
related stress hormones tend to disrupt the manufacture and activity of white
blood fighting bodies which are a key constituent of the immune system. It
causes the immune system to have a weak response to diseases such as the colds,
flu, and other types of infections and also to take a long time before it is
able to heal you when you are sick or injured.
Increased Susceptibility To Illness
That is why, due to often anger, the immune defense weakens,
and the body becomes less able to fight off infection – causing pathogens. This
results in more frequent illnesses and that they persist for a longer duration
thus leading to a weakened immune system altogether. Anger management through
practicing relaxation, exercise, and other proper methods assist in offering an
effective fighting immune system.
View More: A Dangerous Manifestation of Tuberculosis
3. Mental Health: What A Burst Of Anger Does To Your Emotional Health
Increased Anxiety And Depression
It is well understood that anger is associated with the
disorders of mental health like anxiety and depression. All these cognitive and
affective changes show that when anger becomes a central feeling it results in
hopelessness, frustration and irritability. The result is that such feelings
may turn to chronic anxiety or depression if the anger is not resolved. Stress
and continuously frequent anger will combat the balance of neurotransmitters
hence causing mood disorders.
Negative Impact On Relationships
Frustration can also lead to the breakdown of relationships,
thereby leading to loneliness that worsens mental health. Anger-based conflicts
become cyclical because the failure to manage anger means that the anger
results in added stress and suffering. This in turn can reveal feelings of
depression and anxiety and thus lead to more usage of the substance which forms
a cycle that is hard to cut short.
4. Digestive Issues: Ways That Anger Affects The Digestive System
Gastrointestinal Distress
An effect that anger has on your gastrointestinal tract is
that it can trigger gastrointestinal problems like stomach ache, heartburn, or
IBS. Stress hormones provoked by anger may progressively affect the digestion
tract in a way that its muscles tighten causing disorders. These problems can
be made worse by chronic anger and can cause continuing digestion difficulties
which interfere with your life.
Increased Risk Of Ulcers
Anger and stress, when experienced in the long run, also
lead to ulcers. Some hormones are released in the body as a result of
anger, such as stress hormones that may lead to the secretion of acid in the
stomach responsible for irritation of the stomach lining and thus the formation
of ulcers. By utilizing stress management including anger management through
stress busters like deep breathing, meditation, and a balanced diet, the
digestive system will not be at the losing end.
5. Sleep Disruption: Impact Of Anger For Sound Sleep
Difficulty Falling Asleep
Rage also has the potential of disrupting your stochastic
process of sleep; that is, getting to sleep and constantly waking up at
different times in the middle of the night. Anger serves to increase the level
of arousal which thereby inhibits the ability to calm down and go to bed. This
can result in either insomnia or a condition whereby one only dozes off at
night, which if continued for some time leads to fatigue, irritability and low
brain power.
Poor Sleep Quality
If you do fall asleep, anger does interfere with the quality
of your rest so severely that you wake up with images of the situation that
made you angry still fresh in your mind. Uncontrolled angry cognitions or
ongoing conflicts lead to awakenings during the night or poorer quality sleep
during the night. Lack of quality sleep not only harms your physical state but
also the mental facet of a person which makes him more vulnerable to suddenly
changing emotions, irritation, and next episodes of anger.
To Wrap Up!
Anger is therefore dead serious as far as one’s overall
health is concerned since it directly influences the well-being of the heart,
the immune system, the brain, the digestive system among others. Prolonged
anger is dangerous since it affects the overall health of the individuals
including their; cardiovascular systems, immune systems, mental well-being,
digestion, and sleeping patterns. But the sad thing is that if you fail to
notice signs of unhealthy anger and how it compromises your health, you will be
allowing it to dictate how you live your life.
Please book an appointment with the best Psychologist in Lahore, Karachi, Islamabad, and all major cities of Pakistan through InstaCare, or call our helpline at 03171777509 to find a verified doctor for your disease.