Physical Symptoms of Anxiety and Stress

Physical Symptoms of Anxiety and Stress

Too much stress can have serious physical symptoms. Have you ever had a horrible day and needed to take some aspirin for a headache once you returned home? A likely cause of that headache is all the stress from earlier in the day. It is very possible you already knew this. The project you were working on wasn’t going well – of course you were stressed out. This may be an isolated incident; perhaps you are usually quite comfortable in your job and have little stress. For those who have much more stress, those headaches can become more numerous, and before you know it, your whole body is starting to react to the stress.

Stress can produce or assist in any number of physical problems. Headaches are only one of them. Migraines can also occur and you may need a physician’s help if they become too painful or interfere with your life. Nausea is also a physical symptom of too much stress or anxiety. Constant stress can lead to sleep disorders, such as insomnia. Without enough sleep, you can become more irritable, tired, and prone to both accidents as well as illnesses. Excessive amounts of stress can affect your weight loss or weight gain. In some people, stress hampers their desire to eat, which can lead to an unhealthy amount of weight loss. Other people tend to eat in their attempt to deal with too much stress, which can cause weight gain. Stress itself is said to cause weight gain through the cortisol hormone that is released with too much anxiety.

There are certain conditions that stress can assist in creating or worsen. Certain skin conditions are almost always worsened when you stress too much, such as psoriasis and eczema. High blood pressure, heart disease, and arthritis can all have stress as a key component. Your anxiety does not even have to be real; as long as you perceive the stressor as being present, even if it irrational, you can stress, which can lead to these physical symptoms and problems.