M5 · Clinical Practice
M5
Slide 4
CONTENT
2. Chronic Stress as a Biological Condition
Living without stable housing creates continuous stress exposure:

Uncertainty about sleep and safety

Noise and environmental chaos

Food insecurity

Constant vigilance

Fear of theft or violence

Exposure to weather extremes

Chronic stress activates the body's stress response repeatedly. Over time, this produces what is known as allostatic load — the cumulative physiological burden of chronic stress.
This contributes to:
Hypertension
Cardiovascular disease
Metabolic dysregulation
Increased inflammation
Weakened immune response
Sleep disruption
Impaired concentration
Mental and physical health begin to deteriorate together.