Did you know that there are certain diseases triggered by stress that can impact your working life? For many, the business world is very toxic and, in most instances, can be detrimental to a person’s health, negatively impacting their professional performance.

As a result, certain complications could be caused, from psychological diseases to cardiovascular diseases.

Therefore, if you want to maintain the success of your company, it is important to take care of the well-being of your employees from now on. Want to learn more about this topic? Continue reading below:

What are illnesses caused by stress in the workplace?

Workplace stress illnesses refer to physical and mental ailments that occur due to pressure and overload, and a negative or unsupportive work environment. They can occur when stress is more than what a person can handle regarding job demands.

7 diseases caused by stress in the workplace

Stress in the workplace can lead to a variety of physical and mental illnesses. Here are seven of them:

1. Insomnia

Insomnia is one of the main illnesses caused by stress. When faced with a large accumulation of tasks, long working hours and a lot of pressure at work, the individual will become extremely stressed, thus altering the quality of their sleep.

Unfortunately, this scenario has the same result: without proper sleep, employees will be even more tired and, the next day, will not have enough energy to perform their activities. This situation can also affect their metabolism and even their mood.

To avoid this scenario, it is important to manage the projects that are being carried out by the employee, optimizing their workday and promoting short breaks throughout the day. In addition, other practices are excellent for getting around the problem and can be integrated into the company, such as physical exercise or meditation classes. It’s worth it!

2. Burnout Syndrome

A type of emotional, mental, and physical fatigue produced primarily by work overload and persistent pressure. In other words, the individual becomes fatigued and unable to complete their normal tasks or interact healthily with others.

Clearly, this situation will have a direct impact on your work routine, as the worker will get stressed out, cranky, and will even display symptoms of paranoia, persecution, and indifference towards issues that seemed interesting before.

Initially, the condition can be mistaken for depression, because the signs are the same. A doctor will be the only one to offer the proper diagnosis and send the patient to the best treatment.

Complications such as Burnout Syndrome show the need for an interdisciplinary team in the workplace. By hiring professionals who are specialists in the area, it will be easier to identify changes in the health of employees and, subsequently, provide appropriate monitoring.

3. Panic syndrome

Panic Syndrome is another of the illnesses induced by work pressure. It is an anxiety disorder that causes people to survive panic attacks, which are seconds of extreme fear without any understandable reason.

To put you in perspective, victims of such attacks normally believe that they are being persecuted or that they will die.

Without a shadow of doubt, it is an ailment that can ruin the well-being of the person, not to mention the people who are around them. As things deteriorate, the professional is not even brave enough to step outside the house or undertake their daily routines, such as going to the workplace or holding meetings.

4. Depression

Chronic stress on the job can lead to the onset of depression, where one feels sad all the time and lacks energy. Referred to as the disease of the century, it is a complication that mostly happens because of hormonal imbalances.

If left unattended, depression leads to procrastination , discouragement, withdrawal, irritability and even more severe conditions, like suicide. Hence, it is advisable that firms arrange for awareness drives and suggest employees get medical treatment.

5. Eating disorders

When experiencing very stressful situations, professionals can develop very serious eating disorders. Among these diseases caused by stress are anorexia and bulimia. Anorexia, for example, is an eating disorder that causes the person to not eat properly, skipping meals or going the whole day without eating.

Bulimia is characterized by excessive food intake and, subsequently, the individual induces vomiting or continuously uses laxatives. Both situations contribute to nutrient deficiencies in the body, causing the person to feel weak, discouraged or develop anemia and other worrying diseases.

It is important to emphasize that, in many cases, such disorders arise to alleviate some internal dissatisfaction, which may be directly linked to the professional environment.

6. Cardiovascular problems

Creating social spaces in the workplace, promoting team motivation, and developing awareness campaigns about the need of keeping a healthy lifestyle can help prevent this issue and improve employee health.

7. Skin problems

Many people don’t realize it, but skin diseases can also be caused by excessive stress. Examples of this? The famous acne, or pimples, psoriasis — a chronic problem that causes red spots on the skin, and also emotional allergies .

Typically, these spots flake, itch and appear on the hands or feet. This is further proof that stress can affect health and compromise an individual’s self-esteem.

Stress in the workplace

Illnesses caused by stress at work, such as anxiety, burnout and hypertension, impact both the health of employees and the performance of companies. This stress leads to absenteeism, low productivity and high turnover, generating significant costs.

To mitigate these effects, many companies are investing in wellness programs and healthier environments, promoting mental health and balance, which improves satisfaction and productivity in the long term.

How to combat stress in the workplace?

Combating stress in the workplace involves practical strategies that improve well-being and increase productivity. Here are some effective tips:

• Promote regular breaks;
• Develop clear and assertive communication;
• Provide mental and physical support resources;
• Adjust workloads;
• Encourage a culture of constructive feedback;
• Create spaces for decompression;