5 Surprising Symptoms of Stress

5 Surprising Symptoms of Stress

We all go through very stressful periods, heck you may be going through one right now and you may be down-playing it trying to act all tough and strong.

However, our bodies give signals that we need to slow down and deal with our stress, health experts in this field are screaming at us to take make notice of this!

The problem with ignoring the stress is that after a period of time it takes a toll and leads to a manifestation of health problems. Are you ignoring symptoms that you should be?

Surprising Symptom of Stress #1: Memory Loss

Some forgetfulness is pretty normal especially if you are always busy and on the run. However, have you noticed that your memory is more shot than it normally is? Are you forgetting your keys, birthdays and appointments? Did you ever think that this could be stress related? Let me explain…

Research indicates that the size of our hypothalamus actually shrinks temporarily during times of stress. The hypothalamus is the central core of storing our memories and keeping normal brain function so when it shrinks it negatively affects our memory.

The solution? You MUST schedule an appointment to get in at least 30 minutes of exercise a day. This is critical to your overall health and yes even your memory.

Surprising Symptom of Stress #2: Sleepiness

During times of stress our bodies overproduce the hormone adrenaline which is a response to give us energy to work through the stress. But guess what happens when you don’t deal with the stress? You crash because these hormones also crash.

If you feel like you are eating well and not overdoing the carbs/fats during lunch and still crashing then stress may be the likely cause here. So how do we combat this?

Get more sleep. Sleep is under-rated in terms of how it helps us control our stress. When we wake up well rested and we can focus more on the important things that really matter.

Surprising Symptom of Stress #3: Weight Gain

Another hormone which causes some grief during stress is cortisol. Cortisol just like adrenaline is part of the fight or flight mechanism which means an increase in our blood sugar levels, but what happens when our cortisol levels are high for an extended period of time?

Our body begins to store fat particularly in the lower abdomen area as a source of energy. So if you’re noticing that a good diet and regular exercise is not leading to weight loss then you may want to look at your stress levels and see if you can lower them with an activity such as Yoga or meditation (read my article on Health Benefits of Yoga). But there is another downside of long-term elevated cortisol levels…

Surprising Symptom of Stress #4: Catching a Cold

Our immune system is always working and very active, thus it is actually quite fantastic in how much it protects us. But when we have lots of stress cortisol also leads to a weakened immune system, and minor infections by viruses or bacteria become a much bigger deal. This is one of the reasons why if we don’t rest we simply won’t get better.

Surprising Symptom of Stress #5: Muscle & Eye Spasms

With all these hormones running rampant during our times of stress our muscles get confused and can often spasm repeatedly. Sometimes is can also be your eyelid which is a tell-tale symptom. Don’t ignore these signs, your body is telling you to slow down.

This is when you want to spend a little more time on your stretching and flexibility routine. Leave at least 10 minutes at the end of your workouts to stretch and relax all your muscles. If this is not enough you can even do a little pampering and book yourself an appointment with a registered massage therapist.

Conclusion: 5 Surprising Symptoms of Stress

Wow, what happens if you have more than one or all of these symptoms? Well now you know your body is telling you something you simply must not ignore. It’s time to be proactive and do whatever it takes to relax. You need some personal time, exercise, yoga, massage, do whatever it takes to bring light to positively feeding your body the good hormones you need more of.

Do you have any of these symptoms? How are you going to deal with your stress? Please leave a comment below…