Effects of Stress on the Body

People who are working and who are burdened with a lot of responsibilities experience a lot of stress. This makes stress a fairly common condition. However, not too many people take stress seriously. They tend to underestimate stress, when in fact stress is a very serious matter. Stress can manifest itself in a number of ways, and those who are affected with these stress symptoms should take immediate action to address their condition.

Here are some of the signs that a person is affected by stress.

Sleep Deprivation

Out of all the stress symptoms, sleep deprivation is one that is most common. People who have a lot of worries often find it difficult to sleep. They have a lot of things on their minds so they can’t turn it all off at the end of the day to take some rest. Even if it is the time to sleep, their brain just goes on and on worrying about unresolved matters. This results in them not getting the amount of sleep that they need.

Hypertension

The heart and the blood pressure are two of the things that are most affected by stress, which makes hypertension one of the common stress symptoms. This is a result of the heart beating at a faster pace than usual. While hypertension is usually a condition that plagues the elderly, more and more young people are experiencing it as a result of the stress that they are exposed to. People undergoing extreme stress may also experience chest pains or even some heart diseases.

Fatigue

Stressed people are usually in a situation where they are overworked. They often feel extremely tired. Physical manifestations of this fatigue are head and muscle aches. This usually translates to pain in the back, neck, and shoulders. They may also feel an unexpected stiffness in their joints. Some people even experience a disturbance in their gastrointestinal system.

Dependency on Addictive Substances

Some people turn to substances like alcohol, cigarettes, or drugs to deal with the stress that they are experiencing. Because of the frequency at which these substances are used, these people tend to become addicted to them.

Change in Eating Habits

People deal with stress in different ways. Some people lose their appetite because of all the issues that they have to deal with. Others look at food as a way to deal with their stress. Either way, stress can cause a drastic change in the appetite and eating habits of the people who are affected.

Mood Changes

Mood changes are among the lesser known stress symptoms (the Danish for that is stress symptomer ). People who are experiencing these changes may not immediately attribute them to the stress that they are under. However, it is possible. Because of all the things that they need to do, people tend to lose their enthusiasm about other things. They can also become irritable, or even depressed. While all these conditions cannot be entirely attributed to the stress itself, they can be caused by other psychological conditions that have been compounded by the stress being experienced.