How Stress Affects Your Health

The kids are screaming. Your husband calls and says he’s working late tonight. You still have a ton of paperwork left over from your day of work that needs to be dealt with. Supper’s on the stove…burning. You’d like nothing more than to pull out your hair or crawl into a hole and hide for the next few hours. Sound familiar?

What do you think all the stress you feel is doing to your body? How do you think it affects your health? I’m betting you could probably list several ways you already know it affects your health. I will share with you the top four ways stress usually affects a person’s health.

HEADACHES

Chronic headaches, usually accompanied by extreme fatigue are almost always a sign of stress. I’ve known people who literally lived on Tylenol and Ibuprofen for years because they constantly had a nagging headache, which was induced by the high amount of stress in their life.

Headaches can range from minor, nagging pain, to full-blown migraines that knock you off your feet for a day or two. Any headache, whether tremendous pain or not, should be a warning sign to you, if you are under a lot of stress.

BACK PAIN

Back pain almost always accompanies stress. One of the reasons for this is because you might not be resting well. Another reason could be if you can’t sleep and are tossing and turning all night, you are probably throwing your back out of alignment.

NECK & SHOULDER PAIN

Most people who are under a great deal of stress complain about having neck and shoulder pain. The most intense pain usually lies directly in the back and upper sides of the neck. The pain then radiates into the shoulder area. This is why most people who are stressed treat themselves to frequent neck and shoulder massages.

WEIGHT GAIN/LOSS

Another health issue caused by stress is sudden change in weight patterns. Someone who has never had a problem with weight might experience a sharp increase in weight gain suddenly when placed under stress. Likewise, a massive spike, resulting in a drastic loss of weight can occur as well. These are symptoms that should be closely monitored, and if it gets out of control, you should talk to your family physician about it.