Stress is a symptom that should never be ignored. Whilst it in itself is not harmful, excess stress affects your wellbeing over time by leading to other health problems, both mental and physical, such as heart attacks, high blood pressure, depression and stroke. Stress is normal in certain amounts, but it can also act as a warning that you need to pay more attention to your wellness.
There are eight signs of stress and corresponding ways to overcome them, which you can use to your advantage to help you improve your mental health.
The first symptom is having strange or recurring dreams. People who are stressed often find that it manifests itself in their dreams at night, with uncomfortable or unsettling dreams. If you find yourself having a recurring dream, you can use it to your advantage to tackle stress. It may either pinpoint a source of worry, due to the events in the dream (such as failing during a job interview) or it may simply alert you to the fact that you are suffering from stress which is in itself a good start.
Tight muscles are the second symptom of which you should be aware. Although you may not realise you are tensing up, long-term tension can cause muscle spasms and pain.
A twitching eye could be another sign to look out for. There’s no strongly proved link, but people who are tired or stressed often report experiencing a twitching eye.
Fourthly, problems with grinding the teeth in the night is a sure sign that you are stressed. A good dentist will be able to help you rectify this.
Women may also experience changes to their menstrual cycle during times of stress, such as missing periods, irregular cycles or an increase in menstrual cramps.
It’s a classic sign that is often taken as a cliché, but losing your hair or getting grey hair is another symptom of stress. You may already be predisposed to going grey or losing hair, but stressful events can speed up the process of this happening.
In some people, stress can cause gastrointestinal problems such as irritable bowel syndrome.
Finally, stress seems to also lower our immune systems, which can make you more likely to catch a cold or a tummy bug, and leave you feeling generally a bit run down.
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