Most of us deal with some level of stress in our days, whether it’s a high-pressure job, worries about family, or anxiety about living through a pandemic. A certain amount of stress is normal, but too much of it can damage both your physical and mental health. To help you assess where you’re at, here are common signs that you’re too stressed out.
1. Headaches
Headaches are a common symptom of stress, with pain in the head and neck. This pain can worsen if you’re clenching or grinding your teeth, a common habit of tense people.
Grinding your teeth can also lead to other kinds of pain in the head, such as in the lower jaw. In this case, you may need TMJ pain treatment to help alleviate the issue.
Headaches are something stress can trigger, but also they can happen when you don’t get enough sleep or have a lot of alcohol or caffeine. Unfortunately, not sleeping well, compensating with coffee, and drinking too much liquor are all coping mechanisms people often use when stressed out.
2. Acne as a sign you’re stressed
Stress can lead to problems with acne. When we are worrying, we often touch our faces more often, which transfers bacteria to our faces. Those germs can lead to acne.
The fact that stress often sends us toward alcohol and junk food for comfort doesn’t help either. That’s similar to headaches.
3. Insomnia
Not being able to sleep is a classic symptom of an abundance of stress. If you’re in bed awake at night worrying about something, that is a clear sign that it’s time to do something about the amount of stress in your life.
Not sleeping can be very damaging to your health, contributing to everything from weight gain to a weaker immune system. On the flip side, stress can also make you want to sleep more than usual. If you find you’re always tired even though you’re sleeping well at night, the reason could be that your stress level is high.
4. Appetite changes can be a sign of too much stress
Like sleep, stress can impact your appetite in both directions. If you constantly worry about something, you might find that your appetite shrinks. The opposite might also be happening where you always turn to food for comfort.
Some people report digestive issues when they excessively worry, which would definitely make you feel as though you don’t want to eat much. On the other hand, if you need some comfort, stress eating is not unusual.
The foods people eat when stressed are often different than the usual routine too. Perhaps you want more sweet or starchy foods than normal.
These changes in appetite can also cause your weight to fluctuate. So, if you notice that you’ve gained or lost a significant amount of weight, the cause could be stress.
5. Frequent illness
Stress can lower your immune system too. That makes you likely to get ill more often.
If you find that you’re catching colds all the time, this could be related to stress. Or, you may have caught a cold and can’t seem to shake it no matter what you do.
If you think your stress level is high, reach out to your doctor for help to lower it. You don’t have to let the pressure rule your life.
Top photo by RODNAE Productions from Pexels
The list is wonderful, Christy! I had made my own experiences, this way. Best wishes, Michael
I got head aches most of the times. I frequently on medications on migraines for past 25 years. I felt stressed while in head ache or vice versa; can’t find a solution till now.
This is a good list, Christy. I suffer from the first one. All my stress sits in my neck and shoulders and I get a lot of pain. My husband suffers from insomnia [which is worse in my opinion] and my oldest son has had some problems with acne especially over the lockdown period.
I can definitely tell when I am stressed. This list describes me at times. :-)