What are the Signs & Costs of Money Stress?

---

1. The Nervous System reacts to sudden stressors in several ways. Stress can cause your heart rate to increase, raise your blood pressure, change your digestive process and even increase your blood glucose level.
2. Hormones can be affected. The brain sends signals to the hypothalamus that cause “stress hormones” to be released.
3. Muscles will tense up which can cause headaches, migraines and various muscle conditions. 
4. Breathing can become more rapid which can lead to hyperventilation. 
5. The Heart reacts to sudden stress by increasing the heart rate. If you have repeated stress, heart disease can occur. This could lead to a heart attack.
6. The Digestive System: Stress can cause you to eat more or less which may lead to heartburn (acid reflux). Your stomach can react with “butterflies,” nausea and pain, which can lead to vomiting. Food can move through your body quickly causing diarrhea or slowly causing constipation.
7. Reproduction: Men - Normal functioning can be affected when under stress. If stress is on-going, there can be impairment with testosterone and sperm production as well as impotence. Women - Stress can cause absent or irregular menstrual cycles and can reduce sexual desire.

Resources:
www.webmd.com; www.stress.org; www.apa.org; www.americanheart.org

"When I run after what I think I want, my days are a furnace of stress and anxiety; if I sit in my own place of patience, what I need flows to me, and without pain. From this I understand that what I want also wants me, is looking for me and attracting me. There is a great secret here for anyone who can grasp it."

-Rumi