10 Signs Your Body Is Under Too Much Stress

Stress is part of the human condition, and it’s hard to get through life without a little stress. That said, the rates of stress today have never been higher — 75% of American adults report physical and emotional symptoms related to stress.

These unsustainable levels of stress in today’s complex world are wreaking havoc on our collective mental health, and they often lead to full-blown anxiety disorders, as well as physical issues.

If you want to explore whether you should be worried about stress, let the experienced team of healthcare providers at Michigan Avenue Primary Care, which includes mental health specialists, guide you. Here, we look at how stress can affect your body and when to seek help.

What happens to your body when you’re stressed

The reason ongoing stress can have a physical impact is that the stress response is exactly that — a physical response.

The stress response, which is also called the fight-or-flight response, occurs when you face a perceived threat. As such, your stress response is a survival response that’s designed to give you the tools you need to flee or fight the threat.

To initiate the stress response, your body releases stress hormones — cortisol, adrenaline, and norepinephrine. This release leads to physiological changes, such as:

• Diverting blood to your muscles and to your brain
• Pupil dilation
• Faster heart rate and higher blood pressure
• Slower digestion
• Sweating to control body temperature

Once the threat is gone, your parasympathetic system takes over and guides you away from fight-or-flight and over to what we call the rest-and-digest stage.

This stress response was designed for much simpler times, and today’s world of information overload is overwhelming our stress response systems, often keeping people stuck in fight-or-flight mode, which can take a physical toll.

Recognizing the physical signs of stress

Now let’s get into some signs that your chronic state of stress is creating physical health issues, such as:

1. Body aches due to muscle tension, especially in your neck and shoulders
2. Tension and stress headaches, which affect up to 78% of the general population
3. Heart palpitations
4. Jaw clenching and teeth grinding
5. Digestive problems
6. Sleep issues — too much or not enough
7. Sexual dysfunction
8. Extreme fatigue and lack of energy
9. Stress rashes
10. Weight gain or weight loss

Although these are the signs that you might notice, chronic stress can lead to less obvious but more serious health issues. For example, during a stress state, your heart rate and blood pressure rise. Over an extended period, these stress side effects can lead to cardiovascular issues, such as hypertension.

Another behind-the-scenes issue is a decline in immunity as the stress response suppresses this system, which can leave you more vulnerable to illness and disease.

And there are many indirect consequences of stress — if you’re not sleeping well due to stress, for example, you might experience daytime fatigue, which can affect how well you function.

Given the myriad ways that stress can impact your health, it’s little wonder that many experts are referring to stress as the new smoking — it can be that bad for your health.

Getting help for your stress

If you’d like to get back to a more peaceful and healthy state, it’s important to de-stress as much as possible. Some great techniques include:

• Taking medications, such as antidepressants, to help with mood regulation
• Practicing mindfulness and meditation
• Practicing deep breathing
• Turning off screens
• Getting enough exercise, which is a great stress buster

We’re happy to sit down with you to review your stress and its effects on your health, and come up with a more personalized plan to help you keep stress to a minimum.

For help with your chronic stress, we invite you to contact our clinic in The Loop, Chicago, Illinois, today to schedule a consultation.