Last week I discussed how a lack of sleep can negatively affect your health. This week I want to focus on stress and how too much stress can negatively affect your health. First, let's define stress. Stress is your body's reaction to a challenge or to a dangerous situation. The body responds to stressors by activating the nervous system and releasing more adrenaline and cortisol into the bloodstream. These hormones speed up heart rate, breathing rate, blood pressure, and increase blood sugar.

In small doses, stress can be good for you because it makes you more alert and gives you a burst of energy. For instance, when a ball or other flying object is heading your way, the stress response help you to react more quickly. When you move in response to a situation, the movement helps to dissipate the stress reaction in your body.

However, when stress is not in response to a physical situation, but rather emotional stress, it can take a toll on your mental and physical health, especially if the stress goes on for weeks or months. According to Stanford neurology professor Robert Sapolsky, frequent stress weakens the body and causes problems. In his book, Why Zebras Don't Get Ulcers, Third Edition, he states that chronic physiological stress is a potential disaster.

Research into the negative effects of stress on the body includes:

• A study published in Diabetes Care that found psychological stress is a risk factor for low-grade inflammation which is closely associated with development of type 2 diabetes.
• In the Yale University School of Medicine Heart Book, Dr. Matthew M. Burg discusses how a person's reaction to stress plays a key role in the development of atherosclerotic heart disease, primarily through reduced blood flow to the coronary arteries and damage to the lining of the arteries caused by stress hormones.
• A study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine found that patients who received cognitive behavioral therapy for stress management after suffering a coronary heart disease event had a 41% lower rate of a second fatal or nonfatal coronary heart disease event.
• Researchers in Japan found that men with occupational stress (determined by high job demand and low job control) were twice as likely to have a stroke as men with low job demand and high job control.
• A study published in the Public Library of Science found that wounds take longer to heal when the patient is experiencing stress.

According to Nim Tottenham, an assistant professor of psychology at UCLA, "It's thought that when the stress system turns on and off, on and off, on and off repeatedly, controls eventually break down." His findings suggest that at first, someone may overreact to a stressful event, but eventually the person's systems may be so overwhelmed that they can't respond adequately.

I realize that adding another "thing to do" -- besides eating well, exercising and getting enough sleep -- may be the cause of more stress, but consider this: exercise is an excellent stress reliever. Yes, one more reason to exercise! As John J. Ratey, MD states in, Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain, "When we exercise in response to stress, we're doing what human beings have evolved to do over the past several million years."

In conjunction with exercising you might try the "nip it in the bud" approach to reduce stress. You can do this by being aware of your thought patterns. Especially if you have ANTs - Automatic Negative Thoughts that cause you to overreact to people and situations. The best way to deal with ANTs is to be aware of what you are thinking. When you begin to feel yourself becoming stressed, take a deep breath and clear your mind of thoughts. With practice you will find that you can intercept and diffuse negative thoughts before your body creates large amounts of stress hormones. A terrific TED talk that will help give you a deeper perspective is Brene Brown's The Power of Vulnerability.

As you reduce your stress levels, you may also find that your diet improves. The cravings for comfort foods begin to subside. You become aware that foods containing large amounts of sugar leave you feeling tired, hungry and irritable after the surge wears off, while complex carbohydrates such as Dr. Grandma's pancakes and muffins have a calming effect. Eating nutritious foods can make a huge difference. Start today. Begin taking care of yourself by eating well, exercising, getting enough sleep, and reducing your stress. The path to a healthy, vital life begins with these steps.