Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsStress and MSManaging StressOther MS TriggersFrequently Asked Questions
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Stress and MS
Managing Stress
Other MS Triggers
Frequently Asked Questions
Stress has been linked to a long list of chronic health conditions, includingmultiple sclerosis(MS). Though evidence is mixed, some research suggests stress could increase the risk of MS and triggerrelapses(also called flare-ups ad exacerbations).
While it’s known that living with MS can contribute to stress, the specific effects of stress on MS remain unclear. This article will explore the various connections between stress and MS, and why study results may not align. In addition, you’ll learn about strategies to help manage stress when living with MS.
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Results from studies examining whether stress may make a person vulnerable to developing MS are mixed. Different study designs and how stress is defined in each study may help explain the inconsistent findings. Coping strategies, stress perception, and lifestyle habits (e.g., smoking or having a support system in place) might also play a role.
Personality type and how the person responds to stress may be more influential than the stress itself, with those who perceive stress positively having better health outcomes than those who view stress negatively (even if they have less stress).
The relationship between stress and MS can be considered with respect to whether stress contributes to the development of MS, to MS flares, and whether MS causes stress.
Links between stress and MS
Does Stress Cause MS?
MS is a chronic autoimmune disorder that affects the nervous system. While stress is known to interfere with the immune system, it isn’t clear what severity or duration of stress ultimately leads to lasting effects, and it likely varies depending on many contributing factors. And there is no explanation for why immune dysfunction would specifically target the nervous system.
The following are two studies suggesting that stress could be a risk factor for MS onset:
The following are two studies that did not find stress to be a risk factor for MS onset:
How Stress Can Increase Your Risk of Heart Disease
Does Stress Increase the Risk of Relapses?
There is research suggesting that long-term stressors (those lasting more than 48 hours) increase your risk for relapses while acute stressors do not. Other research suggests that a higher number of stressors, as opposed to stress severity, increases relapse risk.
One study even found that while major negative stressful events (e.g., assault or partner affair) increased a person’s risk for lesions, positive stressful events decreased their risk.
The scientific evidence examining whether stress is a risk factor for the development of MS or for relapses is inconclusive. Further investigation is needed.
Can MS Cause Stress?
Evidence suggests stress is more common among people with MS than in the general population.
In addition to the typical day-to-day stress common to everyone, stressors for people with MS include:
Stress management can be beneficial for people with MS. Some studies even suggest thatstress managementmay be able to slow down the development of new MS lesions and help a person have fewer flare-ups.
There are several different ways to manage stress.
Don’t Be Too Hard On Yourself
Exercise
For people with MS, yoga has been found to have many benefits, such as easing pain, fatigue, anxiety, and depression, and improving balance, mobility, and leg/arm strength. It is also effective for reducing stress.
Practice Relaxation and Mindfulness
Trymindfulnesstechniques such as:
Sleep and Rest
Talk to Others
Use Daily Coping Strategies
Practical Tips
Getting HelpThe National Multiple Sclerosis Society offers aresource guide and search toolthat can help you connect with healthcare professionals, financial assistance, emotional support, home care, housing, and more.
Getting Help
The National Multiple Sclerosis Society offers aresource guide and search toolthat can help you connect with healthcare professionals, financial assistance, emotional support, home care, housing, and more.
MS Symptom Triggers
Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Support Groups
Summary
MS can cause stress due to the nature of the condition, its symptoms, and its impact on daily life. Evidence is mixed on whether stress can cause or worsen MS. There is more evidence to support prolonged stress triggering flare-ups in people who already have MS than there is for MS triggering the onset of MS.
Stress management techniques, such asdaily coping skills, planning ahead, healthy lifestyle habits, mindfulness, and seeking support, may help prevent MS flare-ups.
A Word From Verywell
Having MS is stressful, and, unfortunately, prolonged stress may exacerbate MS. It may feel like a vicious cycle, but there are ways to break it. If you have MS and are struggling with stress, talk to a healthcare provider or mental health professional. They can offer resources to help.
Frequently Asked QuestionsThe evidence on whether or not stress can cause more MS lesions is mixed. Some studies suggest that stress management may slow down new areas of MS lesions.MS flare-ups can have a wide variety of symptoms, including:Vision changesNumbnessMuscle spasms or tremorsDifficulty walking or keeping balanceFatigue or weaknessDifficulty speakingMemory or attention problemsLearn MoreStaying ahead of MS attacksWhile not every study has found this result, there is evidence to support prolonged stress having the potential to trigger an MS flare-up.People exhibit their stress in different ways. With high levels of stress, you may experience physical symptoms like tight muscles or frequent headaches, or you may become more irritable, distracted, or have difficulty making everyday decisions.Talking about your stress with loved ones and engaging in various relaxation strategies (e.g., deep breathing, meditation) can help ease your symptoms.
The evidence on whether or not stress can cause more MS lesions is mixed. Some studies suggest that stress management may slow down new areas of MS lesions.
MS flare-ups can have a wide variety of symptoms, including:Vision changesNumbnessMuscle spasms or tremorsDifficulty walking or keeping balanceFatigue or weaknessDifficulty speakingMemory or attention problemsLearn MoreStaying ahead of MS attacks
MS flare-ups can have a wide variety of symptoms, including:Vision changesNumbnessMuscle spasms or tremorsDifficulty walking or keeping balanceFatigue or weaknessDifficulty speakingMemory or attention problems
MS flare-ups can have a wide variety of symptoms, including:
Learn MoreStaying ahead of MS attacks
While not every study has found this result, there is evidence to support prolonged stress having the potential to trigger an MS flare-up.
People exhibit their stress in different ways. With high levels of stress, you may experience physical symptoms like tight muscles or frequent headaches, or you may become more irritable, distracted, or have difficulty making everyday decisions.Talking about your stress with loved ones and engaging in various relaxation strategies (e.g., deep breathing, meditation) can help ease your symptoms.
People exhibit their stress in different ways. With high levels of stress, you may experience physical symptoms like tight muscles or frequent headaches, or you may become more irritable, distracted, or have difficulty making everyday decisions.
Talking about your stress with loved ones and engaging in various relaxation strategies (e.g., deep breathing, meditation) can help ease your symptoms.
16 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Kotas R, Nowakowska-Kotas M, Budrewicz S, Pokryszko-Dragan A.The level of stress and coping strategies in patients with multiple sclerosis and their relationships with the disease course.J Clin Med. 2021;10(17):3916. doi:10.3390/jcm10173916Multiple Sclerosis Trust.Stress.Overcoming Multiple Sclerosis.Stress and MS.Jiang X, Olsson T, Hillert J, Kockum I, Alfredsson L.Stressful life events are associated with the risk of multiple sclerosis.Eur J Neurology2020;27(12):2539-2548. doi:10.1111/ene.14458Nielsen NM, Pedersen BV, Stenager E, Koch-Henriksen N, Frisch M.Stressful life-events in childhood and risk of multiple sclerosis: a Danish nationwide cohort study.Mult Scler2014;20(12):1609-15. doi:10.1177/1352458514528761Abdollahpour I, Nedjat S, Mansournia MA, Eckert S, Weinstock-Guttman B.Stress-full life events and multiple sclerosis: A population-based incident case-control study.Mult Scler Relat Disord. 2018;26:168-172. doi:10.1016/j.msard.2018.09.026Alsharie AM, Rafiee F, Rezaeimanesh N, Moghadasi AN, Sahraian MA, Eskandarieh S.Stressful life events and the risk of primary progressive multiple sclerosis: a population-based case-control study.Mult Scler Relat Disord2021;51:102937. doi:10.1016/j.msard.2021.102937Oveisgharan S, Hosseini SS, Arbabi M, Nafissi S.Stress differently predicts multiple sclerosis relapses.Neurology Asia.2014;19(1):53-8BurnsMN, Nawacki E, Kwasny MJ, Pelletier D, Mohr DC.Do positive or negative stressful events predict the development of new brain lesions in people with multiple sclerosis?Psychol Med.2014;44(2):349-359. doi:10.1017/S0033291713000755Kołtuniuk A, Kazimierska-Zając M, Cisek K, Chojdak-Łukasiewicz J.The role of stress perception and coping with stress and the quality of life among multiple sclerosis patients.PRBM. 2021;14:805-815. doi:10.2147/PRBM.S310664Multiple Sclerosis Society.Stress and anxiety.National Multiple Sclerosis Society.Taming stress in multiple sclerosis.Thakur P, Mohammad A, Rastogi YR, Saini RV, Sainib AK.Yoga as an intervention to manage multiple sclerosis symptoms.J Ayurveda Integr Med.2020;11(2):114–117. doi:10.1016/j.jaim.2019.04.005Multiple Sclerosis Trust.Managing relapses.Kamel FO.Factors involved in relapse of multiple sclerosis.J Microsc Ultrastruct. 2019;7(3):103-108. doi:10.4103/JMAU.JMAU_59_18Multiple Sclerosis Association of America.MS relapse toolkit.
16 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Kotas R, Nowakowska-Kotas M, Budrewicz S, Pokryszko-Dragan A.The level of stress and coping strategies in patients with multiple sclerosis and their relationships with the disease course.J Clin Med. 2021;10(17):3916. doi:10.3390/jcm10173916Multiple Sclerosis Trust.Stress.Overcoming Multiple Sclerosis.Stress and MS.Jiang X, Olsson T, Hillert J, Kockum I, Alfredsson L.Stressful life events are associated with the risk of multiple sclerosis.Eur J Neurology2020;27(12):2539-2548. doi:10.1111/ene.14458Nielsen NM, Pedersen BV, Stenager E, Koch-Henriksen N, Frisch M.Stressful life-events in childhood and risk of multiple sclerosis: a Danish nationwide cohort study.Mult Scler2014;20(12):1609-15. doi:10.1177/1352458514528761Abdollahpour I, Nedjat S, Mansournia MA, Eckert S, Weinstock-Guttman B.Stress-full life events and multiple sclerosis: A population-based incident case-control study.Mult Scler Relat Disord. 2018;26:168-172. doi:10.1016/j.msard.2018.09.026Alsharie AM, Rafiee F, Rezaeimanesh N, Moghadasi AN, Sahraian MA, Eskandarieh S.Stressful life events and the risk of primary progressive multiple sclerosis: a population-based case-control study.Mult Scler Relat Disord2021;51:102937. doi:10.1016/j.msard.2021.102937Oveisgharan S, Hosseini SS, Arbabi M, Nafissi S.Stress differently predicts multiple sclerosis relapses.Neurology Asia.2014;19(1):53-8BurnsMN, Nawacki E, Kwasny MJ, Pelletier D, Mohr DC.Do positive or negative stressful events predict the development of new brain lesions in people with multiple sclerosis?Psychol Med.2014;44(2):349-359. doi:10.1017/S0033291713000755Kołtuniuk A, Kazimierska-Zając M, Cisek K, Chojdak-Łukasiewicz J.The role of stress perception and coping with stress and the quality of life among multiple sclerosis patients.PRBM. 2021;14:805-815. doi:10.2147/PRBM.S310664Multiple Sclerosis Society.Stress and anxiety.National Multiple Sclerosis Society.Taming stress in multiple sclerosis.Thakur P, Mohammad A, Rastogi YR, Saini RV, Sainib AK.Yoga as an intervention to manage multiple sclerosis symptoms.J Ayurveda Integr Med.2020;11(2):114–117. doi:10.1016/j.jaim.2019.04.005Multiple Sclerosis Trust.Managing relapses.Kamel FO.Factors involved in relapse of multiple sclerosis.J Microsc Ultrastruct. 2019;7(3):103-108. doi:10.4103/JMAU.JMAU_59_18Multiple Sclerosis Association of America.MS relapse toolkit.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Kotas R, Nowakowska-Kotas M, Budrewicz S, Pokryszko-Dragan A.The level of stress and coping strategies in patients with multiple sclerosis and their relationships with the disease course.J Clin Med. 2021;10(17):3916. doi:10.3390/jcm10173916Multiple Sclerosis Trust.Stress.Overcoming Multiple Sclerosis.Stress and MS.Jiang X, Olsson T, Hillert J, Kockum I, Alfredsson L.Stressful life events are associated with the risk of multiple sclerosis.Eur J Neurology2020;27(12):2539-2548. doi:10.1111/ene.14458Nielsen NM, Pedersen BV, Stenager E, Koch-Henriksen N, Frisch M.Stressful life-events in childhood and risk of multiple sclerosis: a Danish nationwide cohort study.Mult Scler2014;20(12):1609-15. doi:10.1177/1352458514528761Abdollahpour I, Nedjat S, Mansournia MA, Eckert S, Weinstock-Guttman B.Stress-full life events and multiple sclerosis: A population-based incident case-control study.Mult Scler Relat Disord. 2018;26:168-172. doi:10.1016/j.msard.2018.09.026Alsharie AM, Rafiee F, Rezaeimanesh N, Moghadasi AN, Sahraian MA, Eskandarieh S.Stressful life events and the risk of primary progressive multiple sclerosis: a population-based case-control study.Mult Scler Relat Disord2021;51:102937. doi:10.1016/j.msard.2021.102937Oveisgharan S, Hosseini SS, Arbabi M, Nafissi S.Stress differently predicts multiple sclerosis relapses.Neurology Asia.2014;19(1):53-8BurnsMN, Nawacki E, Kwasny MJ, Pelletier D, Mohr DC.Do positive or negative stressful events predict the development of new brain lesions in people with multiple sclerosis?Psychol Med.2014;44(2):349-359. doi:10.1017/S0033291713000755Kołtuniuk A, Kazimierska-Zając M, Cisek K, Chojdak-Łukasiewicz J.The role of stress perception and coping with stress and the quality of life among multiple sclerosis patients.PRBM. 2021;14:805-815. doi:10.2147/PRBM.S310664Multiple Sclerosis Society.Stress and anxiety.National Multiple Sclerosis Society.Taming stress in multiple sclerosis.Thakur P, Mohammad A, Rastogi YR, Saini RV, Sainib AK.Yoga as an intervention to manage multiple sclerosis symptoms.J Ayurveda Integr Med.2020;11(2):114–117. doi:10.1016/j.jaim.2019.04.005Multiple Sclerosis Trust.Managing relapses.Kamel FO.Factors involved in relapse of multiple sclerosis.J Microsc Ultrastruct. 2019;7(3):103-108. doi:10.4103/JMAU.JMAU_59_18Multiple Sclerosis Association of America.MS relapse toolkit.
Kotas R, Nowakowska-Kotas M, Budrewicz S, Pokryszko-Dragan A.The level of stress and coping strategies in patients with multiple sclerosis and their relationships with the disease course.J Clin Med. 2021;10(17):3916. doi:10.3390/jcm10173916
Multiple Sclerosis Trust.Stress.
Overcoming Multiple Sclerosis.Stress and MS.
Jiang X, Olsson T, Hillert J, Kockum I, Alfredsson L.Stressful life events are associated with the risk of multiple sclerosis.Eur J Neurology2020;27(12):2539-2548. doi:10.1111/ene.14458
Nielsen NM, Pedersen BV, Stenager E, Koch-Henriksen N, Frisch M.Stressful life-events in childhood and risk of multiple sclerosis: a Danish nationwide cohort study.Mult Scler2014;20(12):1609-15. doi:10.1177/1352458514528761
Abdollahpour I, Nedjat S, Mansournia MA, Eckert S, Weinstock-Guttman B.Stress-full life events and multiple sclerosis: A population-based incident case-control study.Mult Scler Relat Disord. 2018;26:168-172. doi:10.1016/j.msard.2018.09.026
Alsharie AM, Rafiee F, Rezaeimanesh N, Moghadasi AN, Sahraian MA, Eskandarieh S.Stressful life events and the risk of primary progressive multiple sclerosis: a population-based case-control study.Mult Scler Relat Disord2021;51:102937. doi:10.1016/j.msard.2021.102937
Oveisgharan S, Hosseini SS, Arbabi M, Nafissi S.Stress differently predicts multiple sclerosis relapses.Neurology Asia.2014;19(1):53-8
BurnsMN, Nawacki E, Kwasny MJ, Pelletier D, Mohr DC.Do positive or negative stressful events predict the development of new brain lesions in people with multiple sclerosis?Psychol Med.2014;44(2):349-359. doi:10.1017/S0033291713000755
Kołtuniuk A, Kazimierska-Zając M, Cisek K, Chojdak-Łukasiewicz J.The role of stress perception and coping with stress and the quality of life among multiple sclerosis patients.PRBM. 2021;14:805-815. doi:10.2147/PRBM.S310664
Multiple Sclerosis Society.Stress and anxiety.
National Multiple Sclerosis Society.Taming stress in multiple sclerosis.
Thakur P, Mohammad A, Rastogi YR, Saini RV, Sainib AK.Yoga as an intervention to manage multiple sclerosis symptoms.J Ayurveda Integr Med.2020;11(2):114–117. doi:10.1016/j.jaim.2019.04.005
Multiple Sclerosis Trust.Managing relapses.
Kamel FO.Factors involved in relapse of multiple sclerosis.J Microsc Ultrastruct. 2019;7(3):103-108. doi:10.4103/JMAU.JMAU_59_18
Multiple Sclerosis Association of America.MS relapse toolkit.
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