5 Physical Signs of Stress and How to Deal with Them
Stress is a normal part of our lives, it’s how our body reacts when changes occur. However, some situations can be too much to manage for some and at times, people don’t even know they’re experiencing stress.
Now, with the COVID-19 crisis on top of everything else, more and more people are experiencing immense stress.
The potential long-term effects of persistent stress can be serious as it can lead to anxiety, depression, and physical problems like skin conditions, heart disease, and more.
You need to know the signs of stress to quickly act on it.
Here are five physical signs you’re experiencing stress.
Contents
1. Body Pains
Chronic pains and aches are common symptoms of high levels of stress. When you’re stressed, your muscles are tenser, and they tend to spasm which causes stiffness and can result in increased pain. At times, this can cause inflammation and pain.
Difficulty managing stress can lead to a difficult time managing your pain as well and this can influence your mood. You can feel frustrated, irritable, or depressed.
2. You’re Having Trouble Sleeping
Stressful events can cause insomnia and long-lasting stress can result in chronic insomnia.
Sleep is a vital part of a healthy and quality lifestyle. Having insomnia can lead to poor performance at work or school, slow reaction times, and increased risk of long-term diseases like high blood pressure and heart disease.
Studies found that work-related stress was connected to insomnia and a decrease in energy levels. There are other factors that influence low energy levels such as poor diet, dehydration, or low blood sugar.
3. Hair Fall
Increased stress causes large numbers of hair follicles to undergo a resting phase. After a few months, affected hairs could suddenly fall out. Hair loss or hair fall from stress typically lasts as long as you’re stressed. Hair will grow back after at least six months. You can use products like an anti-hair loss shampoo or an herbal conditioner for hair fall to revive your hair, but you must learn how to manage your stress first.
4. High Blood Pressure
High blood pressure is when you have blood pressure that’s higher than the normal range. Symptoms can include chest pain, headaches, difficulty breathing, vision problems, fatigue, and discharge of blood in the urine.
High blood pressure can lead to a heart attack or stroke if not properly managed.
Any stressful situation could cause your blood pressure to fluctuate and spike as a surge of hormones is released by the body when you’re under a stressful situation or you react to a stressful situation in an unhealthy way.
There are many factors that could cause high blood pressure and there’s no proven study that stress directly causes it, but it could lead to elevated levels of blood pressure. Also, some people deal with stress negatively, like drinking, smoking, and consuming unhealthy food, all of which impact blood pressure.
5. Muscle Tension or Jaw Clenching
When stressed, a person may grind their teeth or clench their jaw real hard and over time, this could cause the muscles to tighten up and hurt. There are two emotions that are held in the jaw which are anxiety and fear. When stressed some people tend to clench their jaw and grind their teeth as they sleep. By the time they wake up, they experience sore facial muscles and headaches.
Learning how to manage these two can keep you from repeating the same habits. If stress is affecting your lifestyle, we’ve included some methods below to help you manage your stress.
How to Deal With Stress
Learning how to manage stress will help reduce these physical pains.
Here are some changes you can make to take control of stress and improve your way of life.
- Exercise. Staying active and increasing physical activity reduces muscle stiffness and releases endorphins that boost your mood. You don’t need to do high-intensity workouts. Instead, you can start by doing low-impact activities like yoga, walking, and biking.
- Get Quality Sleep. Sleep is very important as it helps your mind process information it has absorbed throughout the day and it helps your body recover from the day’s activities.
Develop good sleeping habits by going to bed at the same time every night. Also, avoid caffeinated beverages six hours before you go to sleep. - Find a Hobby. Find an outlet for stress. A hobby that can take your mind of things that stress you out. You could turn to Netflix, learn a new skill, or talk to your loved ones. Make time for activities you love doing to combat stress.
- Breathe. Learn how to relax in between your day. Taking deep slow breaths in stressful situations can help clear your mind and improve your reaction to stress.
- Manage Your Schedule. Plan your schedule every day and simplify it. Take a few minutes to review your to-do lists so you will feel more on top of things.
Stress is a normal part of our lives. However, letting it control your life is detrimental to your health and it can affect people around you.
If the pain is getting worse, then it’s best to schedule an appointment with your doctor. It’s better to consult a physician than deal with it on your own.
In any case, to live a healthier lifestyle you need to take control of your stress. Be open-minded and be willing to experiment with activities that let you handle stress in a healthy way so that you can discover methods that work for you.
Read Also:
- How To Maintain a Healthy Heart
- A Complete Guide to Thai Yoga Massage – Why Choose It?
- How To Alleviate Nurse Burnout