Studies show that various stress affect health by suppressing your immune system

There is proof that emotional stress affect health issues

because of the complex relationship between the immune system

and the brain, and how the brain is affected by emotions.

Psychoneuroimmunology was coined in 1975 by Robert Ader and

Nicholas Cohen after their study on the immune system of rats

concluded that after conditioning, a stimuli (taste) alone

could suppress the immune system. This proved that something

unrelated to the immune system could have an affect on it.

• "In 1985, research by neuropharmacologist Candace Pert

  revealed that neuropeptide-specific receptors are present on

  the cell walls of both the brain and the immune system. The

  discovery by Pert et al. that neuropeptides and

  neurotransmitters act directly upon the immune system shows

  their close association with emotions and suggests mechanisms

  through which emotions and immunology are deeply

  interdependent. Showing that the immune and endocrine

  systems are modulated not only by the brain but also by the

  central nervous system itself has had an enormous impact on

  how we understand emotions, as well as disease." [1]

People suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder are more likely to have risky health behaviors too

behavior.

"Alcohol abuse affects 52% of men with PTSD and 28% of women

while drug abuse is seen in 35% of men and 27% of women with

PTSD."[2]

Their emotional problems cause them to seek stimulants or

suppressants commonly available and they find it difficult to

cope without them as well as having difficulty coping with the

other symptoms of PTSD.

"Individuals with the disorder may have an increased risk of

impulsive behavior or suicide. Victims of sexual assault are at

especially high risk for developing mental health problems and

committing suicide."[3]

When these risky health behaviors of people with chronic stress

are added to the increased possibility of suppressed immune

systems due to stress then the answer to the question "Does

stress affect health?" is a definite YES.

Not all stress affect health negatively

it is for short periods, but chronic stress has the opposite

affect. Chronic stress can elevate your heart rate and blood

pressure if your levels of cortisol are insufficient. Under

sudden stress adrenaline is released into the body which

raises your heart rate and blood pressure, but the cortisol is

supposed to drop it again after the stress has subsided.

Chronic stress interferes with the release of Cortisol which

can eventually cause heart disease.

Chronic stress has been implicated in many diseases of the

body for a long time. Victims of severe stress or trauma

throughout the ages have often been observed to have a reduced

capacity to fight sickness and shorter life span than the

general population.

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[1]Psychoneuroimmunology from Wikipedia

[2]Author: Stephen R Paige, PhD, Visiting Professor of psychology, University of Nebraska at Omaha

[3]Author: T Allen Gore, MD, MBA, CMCM, DFAPA, Assistant Professor, Department of Psychiatry, Howard University School of Medicine; Associate Director of Medical Affairs, Saint Elizabeth's Hospital, District of Columbia Department of Mental Health