How Stress Might Make Your Body Attack Itself
Chronic Stress and Autoimmunity: The Role of HPA Axis and Cortisol Dysregulation
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
People with stress disorders have a higher risk of autoimmune disease — up to 1.49x for autoimmune thyroid disease — despite often having high cortisol levels.
Most assume high cortisol suppresses immunity, but here it’s linked to *more* inflammation and autoimmunity due to receptor resistance.
Practical Takeaways
Practice consistent stress management (e.g., mindfulness, sleep hygiene, therapy) to support healthy HPA axis function and reduce inflammation.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
People with stress disorders have a higher risk of autoimmune disease — up to 1.49x for autoimmune thyroid disease — despite often having high cortisol levels.
Most assume high cortisol suppresses immunity, but here it’s linked to *more* inflammation and autoimmunity due to receptor resistance.
Practical Takeaways
Practice consistent stress management (e.g., mindfulness, sleep hygiene, therapy) to support healthy HPA axis function and reduce inflammation.
Publication
Journal
International Journal of Molecular Sciences
Year
2025
Authors
Sergio Gutierrez Nunez, Sara Peixoto Rabelo, Nikola Subotić, J. Caruso, N. Knezevic
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Claims (5)
Long-term stress might mess with your body's hormone system, lower key hormones and weaken your gut's immune defenses, which could make thyroid problems worse or even trigger them.
People with stress-related disorders might be more likely to develop autoimmune diseases like thyroid problems or rheumatoid arthritis, according to a large study.
Long-term stress can mess with your body's stress control system, making it harder to calm down and causing ongoing inflammation that might lead to health problems.
When people are under long-term stress—like caregivers for cancer patients—their immune cells may stop responding well to the body's natural calming signals from cortisol. This can lead to more inflammation and less control over it, throwing the immune system out of balance.
Long-term stress might throw your immune system out of balance, turning up inflammation and turning down protection, which could lead to autoimmune problems — especially in those who are already at risk — and this has been seen in mice prone to lupus when they're stressed by the smell of predators.