Did You Know That Your Anger Can Hinder Your Health?

Few people consider anger to be a positive emotion, as it’s often accompanied by such unpleasant feelings. We start to think we should avoid expressing at all costs for fear of ‘blowing up’.

But sometimes anger is a healthy emotion, as bottling it up will only make matters worse. It’s about controlling it to ensure your anger doesn’t spiral out of control.

Problems arise when it’s expressed inappropriately, or you can’t control it at all. Physical symptoms of rage such as your body tensing, your fists or teeth clenching and feeling ‘ready to burst’ are triggers associated with many health issues. Here’s what you need to know about the importance of controlling your anger.

Long-Term Physical Effects Of Anger

• One of the main physical effects of anger is that it puts the body into ‘fight or flight’ mode. This is when the adrenal glands open the floodgates, letting stress hormones (adrenaline and cortisol) flood the body. Your heart rate, blood pressure and body temperature dramatically spike, narrowing your blood vessels and increasing perspiration.

• The physical effects of unmanaged anger (the release of stress chemicals and metabolic changes) can lead to health problems that, in the long term, damage certain systems in the body. The wide range of health problems that can be caused by anger includes increased anxiety, insomnia, a weakened immune system, high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease and stroke.

• People with repressed anger are twice as likely to develop a coronary disease as those who found healthy ways to express it. Researchers from the University of Sydney concluded in one study that the period of increased risk of heart attack was of a two-hour duration following an intense, angry outburst.

• Those who are easily prone to anger are more likely to get sick more often. Harvard University researchers discovered that simply remembering an angry experience resulted in a six-hour reduction in Immunoglobulin A levels – the cell’s top defence system against infection.

As you can see, losing your temper or bottling it up are both equally dangerous. Don’t put your health at risk. If you or someone you know needs to learn healthy anger management techniques to stay calm or express themselves better, speak to one of the experienced therapists at Psylegal. We offer practical guidance with a compassionate approach.