Stress Related Illness Symptoms – How To Recognise Them?

“I don’t believe it! I wasn’t feeling well lately with headaches and my whole body is aching and I’m feeling tired all the time. But guess what? The doctor couldn’t tell me what’s wrong even with multiple tests done!”

Do this sounds familiar? Well if this is of any comfort to you, you may be glad to know that you are definitely not alone.

Stress statistics show that in most illnesses that bring someone to a doctor, the cause could not be found with the usual medical tests. This is because most of the time, these are physical symptoms of severe stress which may not have leave any physical damage to your body yet. The symptoms however are quite real, and may occur anywhere in the body. They can be mild or severe and may last for years

Stress affect a person in many ways and can cause a wide variety of signs and symptoms.

Here is a list of the most commonly seen Stress related illness symptoms. If you are experiencing any of the following, it could be a sign that you’re being affected by stress:

1) Headaches 

While there are many different types of headaches, the majority is actually “stress headaches”. If you are experiencing more headaches, stress could well be the culprit

2) Sleep problems

Stress usually made a person worry and its common that these people complain of difficulty in falling asleep or they might report frequent nightmares resulting in broken sleep. On the hand, some people under stress may be very lethargic and tend to sleep more often and for longer hours.

3) More Frequent Colds and Flu

The effect of stress on the immune system is often seen as the main cause of many physical illnesses related to stress and the relationship between stress and the immune system is an inverse one. Under prolonged period, stress can weaken our immunity and make us highly vulnerable to many diseases.  Colds and Flu are the most commonly reported.

4) Muscle tension specially in neck, back and jaw

It’s s common complaint for people under pressure and strain to feel muscle ache and muscle twitching especially in the neck or jaw and backache in general

5) Feeling of frustration and depression

Faced with high demands, chances are you will experience more “short-fuse” days or that you become more sensitive, irritable or easily frustrated. On the other hand, stress may also cause depression.

6) Feeling fatigued or exhausted

Fatigue is a common symptom among people under constant pressure or strain. This could also be a result of the lack of quality sleep.

7) Lack of concentration and forgetting things more often

Stress can impact our cognitive functioning leaving us with “fuzzy thinking” and poor memory

8) Stress Weight Gain or Loss

Stress can lead to either a weight gain or weight loss depending on individuals. Some people may overeat when they feel stress while others may lose their appetite.

9) Blood pressure

Blood pressure is usually the first to response to stress and if you are routinely expose to a stressful environment, chances are that you may develop chronic high blood pressure.

10) Stomach aches and gastrointestinal disorders

Stress can cause several digestive problems including episodes of diarrhea, constipation or IBS.

"How Does Stress Affect Health" will give you more details on the negative effects of stress on your body.