What Happens to Your Body When You Have Inflammation

If you've ever stubbed your toe on the corner of your bed and immediately had that burning "I think I broke my toe" feeling, then you've experienced a form of inflammation. You may have noticed it turn red, then slowly fade over time as your toe heals. This form of inflammation, known as acute inflammation, is actually beneficial. But there's another form of inflammation that is harmful—the kind that you've likely heard is associated with heart disease, diabetes, cancer and other conditions. It's called chronic inflammation.

In this article, we'll explore exactly what happens to your body when you experience both acute and chronic inflammation, as well as some common causes and symptoms, and how to avoid the harmful, long-haul kind of inflammation.

What's the Difference Between Acute and Chronic Inflammation?

Inflammation is your body's protective response to what it perceives as a foreign invader. Whether it's a bug bite, cold or bacterial infection, your body will send its internal defense system, or immune cells, to the injured area and provide support. Immune cells then release inflammatory mediators, like the hormones bradykinin and histamine, that cause your blood vessels to widen and allow for more blood (and more immune cells) to flow in and out to help with healing.

This process helps protect you from infection and, when working properly, halts inflammation from progressing. The increase in blood flow and fluid is also why you may experience a burning sensation or increased redness to the area that has been injured. You may notice an increase in pain, as well, because the hormones released can irritate nerve cells, signaling your body to protect the injured area—a natural defense mechanism. Over time, the swelling will decrease as your immune cells do their job and fluid is taken away from the injured area.

Generally, this type of acute inflammation is a good thing. Think of it in terms of recovering from a bee sting or fighting off a cold. The sting heals, your sniffles clear up and you feel like yourself again. However, this is not always the case. Sometimes the body mistakes its own cells for foreign invaders and begins to fight itself, and then inflammation can become chronic. While the underlying mechanisms may be similar, the risks of acute and chronic inflammation are quite different.

Acute inflammation tends to be short-lived, and it subsides with rest, medical care and proper nutrition, says Rahaf Al Bochi, RDN, LD, founder of Olive Tree Nutrition and a media spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

On the other hand, inflammation that attacks and affects healthy tissues over a long time period can be very harmful. This is known as chronic inflammation, and unfortunately, it can occur without you even knowing. "Chronic inflammation is when your body is in a constant state of sending off inflammatory cells without ever reaching the point of healing," says Al Bochi. "This long-term inflammatory state can have a detrimental effect on your body's tissues and organs, and plays a role in chronic conditions like cancer, diabetes, heart disease or arthritis."

Causes of Chronic Inflammation

According to a 2019 article published in Nature Medicine, chronic inflammatory diseases contribute to more than half of all deaths worldwide. So what causes it? Per the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, some of the factors include:

• Developmental origins, such as childhood obesity, prenatal conditions and early-infancy microbe exposures
• Poor diet quality
• Environmental chemicals
• Microbiome imbalances
• Obesity
• Psychological stress
• Poor sleep quality

While this list is not exhaustive, it shows you the wide variety of physical, social and emotional factors that can contribute to chronic inflammation.

Read more: Does Inflammation Cause High Blood Pressure? Here's What You Need to Know

What Happens to Your Body When You Have Inflammation

Even though chronic inflammation is not always easy to spot, there are some signs to watch out for.

You May Have Lower Energy Levels

Do you feel like you're running on empty most of the time? Then you may be experiencing the result of chronic inflammation. Research has found that fatigue is a common symptom associated with many conditions related to chronic inflammation.

Every minute of every day, your body is completing hundreds of actions—like keeping your heart beating, muscles pumping and brain functioning—that allow you to function at your best. So when inflammation starts in one area of your body (think of inflammation in the heart, like plaque buildup with atherosclerosis), it may affect multiple other areas as well. Imagine a hamster on a wheel that never stops turning. That's essentially what is happening when your body experiences chronic inflammation: It never stops trying to fight off the perceived invader, and that takes up an extreme amount of energy. This can only last so long until you feel constantly tired and fatigued.

You Could Experience Nagging Aches and Pains

Arthritis is a common condition associated with chronic inflammation. If you find that your muscles and joints are in a constant state of pain, you may be experiencing a side effect of chronic inflammation. Researchers in a 2015 article published in Arthritis Research & Therapy noted that pain and fatigue are synchronous with each other among people with diseases like arthritis who are constantly experiencing an influx of pain. (Remember, the hormones involved in the immune response for inflammation aggravate nerves that send off pain signals.) The researchers suggested that because of this, the body may develop a pattern of feeling aches, pain and tiredness all at once over time.

You May Have an Impaired Immune System

A diet that is high in added sugars and refined grains and low in fruits, vegetables and whole grains is likely to cause an imbalance in your microbiome—allowing "bad" gut bacteria to overrun the kind that are beneficial to your health. Research published in 2019 in Nature Medicine found that this type of diet can not only lead to micronutrient deficiencies but also can affect your immune system (which, in case you didn't know, is largely housed in your gut). If you find yourself struggling to have consistent bowel movements, or are constantly sick, you may want to reevaluate your diet and aim to up the amount of fruits and vegetables you consume.

Your GI System Could Be in Distress

It's important to understand that conditions such as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)—including Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis—begin with an inflammatory process. According to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, one cause of Crohn's disease is believed to be a reaction in which the bacteria in the gut mistakenly trigger your immune system to attack healthy cells. This constant fight-or-flight state causes inflammation, in turn leading to Crohn's disease. While this isn't the only factor (genes and lifestyle factors like smoking also play a role), it's important to take a proactive approach with your medical team to find the medication and treatment plan that works for your individual needs if you struggle with a disease that affects your bowels.

You May Have Difficulty Sleeping

A 2020 study published in Frontiers in Neurology found that poor sleep quality was associated with biomarkers of inflammation, such as an increase in inflammatory cytokines that appeared with disrupted sleep patterns The study found that women tended to experience inflammatory dysfunction as a result of inconsistent sleep more than men did, which the researchers hypothesize is related to biological differences between genders—such as fluctuating hormones during menstruation, pregnancy and menopause—and socioeconomic factors. These findings demonstrate the need for more studies in this area to dig deeper into gender and socioeconomic differences in sleep patterns.

You Could Suffer from Depression

People who have a chronic disease with debilitating symptoms that affect their quality of life and productivity may also experience depression. Research has found a common link between pain, fatigue and depression. A 2019 paper published in Frontiers in Immunology, for example, concluded that although many factors are involved in depression, an increase in inflammatory markers (like cytokines) of the immune system are present in individuals who struggle with chronic conditions. The researchers noted that if treatments were designed to help target immune-system pathways for these patients, they might experience a decrease in their depression. While more research is needed, scientists are exploring targeted immune therapies (think anti-inflammatory prescriptions) that may help treat depression and fatigue.

The Bottom Line

The type of inflammation you experience plays a role in your overall health. While acute inflammation can be beneficial and acts as your body's natural defense system, chronic inflammation is concerning. It's important to seek medical attention if you find yourself experiencing symptoms of chronic inflammation, as it may be a sign of an underlying condition that needs to be addressed. Working with a registered dietitian nutritionist on diet and lifestyle habits to reduce your symptoms is a great way to improve your inflammation and invest in your health for the long haul.