Most of us deal with some kind of stress a lot of the time, whether it’s worrying about work, family, or your health. A certain amount of stress is normal to have, but too much stress can cause a lot of problems for both your physical and your mental health. But how do you know if you’re too stressed?
Headaches
Headaches are a common sign of stress. If you often have pain in your head and neck, you might have a problem. This pain can be made worse if you clench your jaw or grind your teeth. Both of these are also common habits of people who are stressed out.
Headaches can be caused by the stress itself, but also by things like lack of sleep, or excessive consumption of alcohol or caffeine. Unfortunately, not sleeping well, compensating with coffee, and drinking too much all often go hand in hand with stress. Instead, try combating your stress with exercise, talking to friends, or stress-relievers like CBD in carts from ccell.
Acne
Stress can lead to breakouts of acne. When you worry a lot, it’s common to touch your face more than usual, which transfers bacteria to your face, when then causes acne. It also doesn’t help that feeling stressed out often makes you reach for sugary foods or alcohol too.
Insomnia
Not being able to sleep is a classic side effect of stress. If you find that you often lie awake at night worrying, this is a clear sign that stress is a big problem for you. Not sleeping can be very bad for your health, contributing to everything from weight gain to a weaker immune system.
Stress can also make you want to sleep a lot more than usual too. If you find you’re always tired even if you think you are sleeping well at night, then this could be connected to how stressed you are.
Appetite Changes
Like sleep, stress can affect your appetite to both extremes. If you’re always worried about something, you might find that your appetite disappears, or that you find yourself turning to junk food for comfort.
Some people struggle with digestive issues when they feel anxious, which can make you want to eat less than normal. On the other hand, if you need to feel some comfort, stress eating is very common to turn to. These changes in appetite can also cause your weight to fluctuate, which is not always healthy.
Frequent Illness
Stress can have a negative impact on your immune system, making it more likely that you will get sick more often. If you find that you always catch every cold that’s going around the office, or have caught a cold and can’t seem to get rid of it no matter what you do, then this could be related to stress.
If you’re worried about your stress levels, ask for help, whether through HR at work or your doctor or a therapist. Don’t let stress ruin your life.