More often than not, stress stems from an emotional root. However, there is another, more sinister cause to it. Researchers have established that a poor AQI contributes to stress. Additionally, it has been found that long-term stress makes your body more vulnerable to the negative impacts of air pollution.
When discussing the detrimental impacts of air pollution, most emphasis is centered on the
physical ailments that result from pollutant exposure. But did you realize that air pollution has an impact on your mental health as well?
High AQI elevates stress hormone levels, which explains why chronic exposure to pollution is linked to heart disease, diabetes & shortened life span. Over the past decade, researchers have learned that a bad AQI may harm children's cognitive development, raise the risk of cognitive ageing in adults, and even cause depression.
Findings reveal a correlation between exposure to ambient air pollution and depression amongst youngsters. Nevertheless, experts are paying more attention to the association between high AQI and stress, particularly because stress is thought to be a prelude to other, more severe mental health problems.
Since we are all susceptible to the hazards of air pollution, simple measures taken at personal levels, like keeping tab on the AQI of your neighborhood & using air purifiers, can significantly minimize high AQI exposure and help mitigate negative health consequences.
Even though air pollution is not the sole cause of mental health illnesses, its impact cannot be discounted.
- Article contributed by Anisha Srinivas