The 7 Symptoms of Stress

When you are feeling stressed either emotionally or physically, your body creates tension to compensate for excessive stress. Where is that tension manifesting itself? Everyone reacts differently, but spotting the signs of stress is an important part of understanding the nervous system’s functionality when it’s under stress and when it is running smoothly.

There are seven (7) major warning signs that your body is currently adversely affected by stress. Some of these may seem common, but remember that anytime you are feeling pain or notice a decrease in function it’s your nervous system signaling an imbalance in the way some area is operating. 

1. Headaches- It may seem too common to be a symptom, but if you suffer from multiple headaches in a month’s time there may be an imbalance in your neck or spine causing the tension felt in your head. Compare a day with no headaches to a day when you feel at your worst. What is affected? Your work productivity, concentration, attitude, or even home life?
    
2. Fatigue- Feeling run down, tired or lacking the energy to accomplish daily tasks is the second most common symptom of stress. Your nervous system is working overtime to compensate for an overworked area of the body. For example, a tension knot in your upper back impedes proper oxygen flow to that area. Increased energy to operate that muscle function can mean decreased energy everywhere else.
    
3. Tension or Pain in the Neck, Shoulders, or Lower Back- Relative to your weight and posture, sitting at a desk, working on a computer puts more stress on your spine than standing. So even if you are not feeling emotionally stressed, physically your body could be feeling spinal pressure resulting in pain in the neck, shoulders, or low back.
    
4. Sleeping Problems- Tossing and turning, trouble falling asleep, frequently waking up during the night could be your body’s response to the stress hormone- cortisol, which when produced at high levels can interrupt healthy sleep patterns.
    
5. Irritability or Mood Swings- If you are feeling any of the four symptoms above, couldn’t that affect your mood and level of agitation? If you find your mood often unpredictable stress could be to blame.
    
6. Digestive Trouble- In response to stress, digestion can be affected if the central nervous system feels interference. Normal digestive function requires communication links between this intrinsic system and the central nervous system. When communication is interrupted it can affect the contractions of your digestive muscles, and decrease secretions needed for digestion.
    
7. Allergies and Sinus Problems- When you're stressed out, your body releases hormones and other chemicals, including histamine, the powerful chemical that leads to allergy symptoms. While stress doesn't actually cause allergies, it can make an allergic reaction worse by increasing the histamine in your bloodstream. Hormonal and chemical releases like this over time can also cause a weakened immune system making you more susceptible to sickness.

Remember that every person copes with excessive stress in different ways. The first step in stress management is to monitor your own reactions to stress and track their effect on your health.  Become conscious of how your body reacts under various stressful conditions.  When there is no interference, your nervous system controls the healthy function of virtually every cell, tissue, organ, and system in your body. You shouldn’t live with stress because you believe it’s normal. Imagine optimum functionality and make that your new normal. 

Back Pain Relief Clinic is always here to help you rebalance your spine which is connected to all of your nervous system functions. We work to find the cause of the pain or where your stress signals are being sent from and treat it through all natural, non-invasive, non-drug care.

This message brought to you by your friends at Back Pain Relief Clinic. Our multi-specialty clinic provides Chiropractic care and Conservative Medicine in West Tennessee. If you have questions or would like to schedule a FREE consultation with one of our providers on relieving stress or pain, email jennifero@backpainreliefclinic.net