Chronic stress can make your body act out in unusual, disruptive ways.
By Georgina Berbari • September 17, 2020
Stress is like a glass of water — everyone holds it from
time to time. However, hold on to it for too long and you’ll start experiencing
distress. And during the current global health crisis,
we’re all holding that glass.
Hold the glass for an hour and your arm will ache; hold it
for a day and your hand might start to feel numb and paralyzed. The longer you
hold the glass of water, the heavier it becomes — this is the same with stress.
If stress is chronic, it can begin quietly affecting your
health. This will probably crop up as your body acting out in unusual,
disruptive ways. We spoke to two doctors to flesh out the quiet signs stress is
affecting your health and what to do about it.
1. You notice increased hair loss
“There are many reasons someone can experience hair loss,”
Drea Burbank, an MD-technologist consulting for high-tech in medicine and the
founder of Empulse tells
Considerable. “But one type of hair loss is called telogen
effluvium, which can be caused by chronic stress.”
Telogen effluvium occurs mostly on the top of the scalp and
includes increased hair shedding, noticeable especially when washing and
brushing the hair. Fortunately, says Burbank, this hair usually grows back when
the stress is gone.
2. Your weight is fluctuating
Unexplained weight gain could be another quiet sign of
stress impacting your health. “Stress changes the levels of cortisol in the
body,” Burbank explains. “One sign of increased cortisol is weight gain around
the belt line, and internal organs called central
adiposity.”
The doctor notes that cortisol in blood and saliva has been
correlated with heart disease and premature death. However, exercise, such as
walking 30 minutes daily while practicing social distancing, is one of the best
ways to combat this, reducing chronic stress.
3. Your sleep patterns are out of whack
“When the body is under strain, people can have difficulty
falling or staying asleep,” says Burbank. “We see this pattern in people
experiencing grief, or under intense work strain.”
The thing is, a good sleep is imperative in reducing stress.
Burbank recommends sleep hygiene —
such as a cool temperature in the bedroom and limiting stimulants like caffeine
before bed — as an important treatment to reduce stress.
4. Your back is flaring up
While many instinctively assume that posture or improper
exercise form is the culprit behind back trouble, often it relates to stress.
“If your back is in pain or causing you discomfort and you
haven’t deliberately injured it, this may be a result of stress,” Jamie
Bacharach, a Licensed Medical Acupuncturist and the Head of Practice at Acupuncture Jerusalem tells
Considerable.
When
stressed, you subconsciously alter your breathing pattern, which can cause
tension, resulting in strain in your back and spine.
According to Bacharach, when stressed, you subconsciously
alter your breathing pattern which can cause tension, resulting in strain in
your back and spine. This sort of stress-related back pain can cause serious,
debilitating injury, especially over an extended period of time.
“If your stress isn’t addressed, not only does the back pain
linger, it will likely get worse and worse until serious medical intervention
is required,” Bacharach says.
Here’s what she suggests: Aside from limiting your stress,
you should be sure to make a conscious effort to breathe normally and
without interruption. Stretching and even performing yoga on
a regular basis can also go a long way towards limiting back trouble.
5. Your appetite is diminished
“If you find that you aren’t as hungry as you should be, or
that you’re skipping meals, it may be a direct result of stress,” Bacharach says.
“When stressed, we don’t necessarily feel up to eating. Our guard is up and our
mind is taken with pressing concerns that distract from this basic biological
need.”
However, the acupuncturist warns that a diminished appetite
can threaten your health directly as your body needs calories in order to
function properly. “In order to help yourself through this problem, set alarms
to remind yourself to eat and drink on a regular basis,” suggests Bacharach.
While it may be difficult to stomach food when stressed, she
says that even a simple meal can make a tremendous difference in your energy
levels throughout the day, helping you remain strong and vital.
6. You’re getting sick more often
Does it seem like you constantly have a cold that’s nearly
impossible to shake? Well, according to a review of 27 studies,
you’re more likely to get frequent colds when you’re under stress.
The sneaky culprit, again, is cortisol: Excess cortisol
makes your immune system more vulnerable to viruses, increasing susceptibility
to common colds.
To avoid a constant case of the sniffles, consider
implementing stress-relieving practices into your routine. These could include
journaling, meditation or really anything that allows you to slow down and take
a deep breath.
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