Many illnesses such as heart disease and high blood pressure can be brought on or exacerbated by stress. If you'd like to manage your stress levels, get to know some of the symptoms associated with this incredibly unhealthy state.
1. Frequent headaches. If you get a headache once or twice a week, and they're not increasing in severity or coming on suddenly, there's a good chance they could be stress (aka 'tension') headaches. Consult your doctor to be sure, and be aware that they could be relieved with acupuncture or massage therapy.
2. Jaw pain or teeth grinding. We often hold stress in our jaws, so be aware of this as frequent grinding of your teeth can lead to dental issues.
3. Neck and/or back pain. Poor posture certainly makes this type of pain worse, and relieving stress can make a major difference in your neck and your back as well.
4. Dizziness and/or fainting. Sometimes the only way our bodies can tell us to 'slow down' is for stress levels to get so high that we feel like we're going to pass out! This symptom often gets confused with poor diet choices, which can certainly contribute to, but may not be the source of the problem.
5. Frequent colds. Stress can lower your immune system, making you more susceptible to picking up cold viruses and other nasty bugs. Sometimes this can even look like it's allergies, when stress is the real culprit. In addition to lowering stress in your life, make sure that you wash your hands frequently.
6. Abdominal pain and/or discomfort. It's normal to keep your thoughts and feelings to yourself when under stress. Unfortunately, it might be your digestive system that takes it in, leaving you feeling uncomfortable and sometimes worse - constipation, diarrhea and ulcers are just the start.
7. Frequent urination. Abdominal constriction can also lead to pressure on your bladder, which can promote more frequent urination. Holding it in and not going when you need to can lead to urinary tract infection, so be wary.
8. Altered sexual desire or performance. Stress can adversely affect your libido, as your mind usually needs to be relaxed to be aroused. If your sex life is on the back burner, you might be suffering from too much stress in your life.
9. Insomnia or waking without feeling rested. If you have a million things on your plate, your sleep can be affected quite easily. You might not be able to erase those things, but seeking natural medicine can help you cope better.
10. Weight gain or loss without diet changes. When under stress, it's easy to eat more or less without thinking about it. This can have adverse effects on your health, of course, since not eating enough can rob your organs of important nutrients, and eating too much can cause fat buildup that puts a different kind of unhealthy strain on your body.
Note: while this is not an exhaustive list, these are some easy ones to spot. For more information on how stress might be affecting your health, contact us for a free consultation.
By Richard Lobbenberg, Acupuncturist and TCM Practitioner
