Symptoms Which Show That Stress Has Really Taken A Toll On You

Another stress-related symptom that is often overlooked is tooth pain. Quite a number of people grind their teeth in sleep. Grinding of teeth can even make them crack. A number of people often clench their jaws when overstressed. About 5 to 12 percent of people suffer from facial pain and are victims of the tempormandibular joint and muscle disorder which is often related to the grinding of teeth, often resulting from stress.

• Changes in the menstrual cycle: Another common stress-induced symptom is related to changes in the menstrual cycle. Stress causes women to experience late and even missed periods. Severe stress may even result in a condition known as secondary amenorrhea wherein the menstrual cycle completely stops. Stress might even result in extremely painful cramps during periods.

• Hair fall and graying of hair: When you are stressed out, you are more likely to experience hair fall and graying of hair. However, loss of hair is more closely linked to your stress levels. It is believed that traumatic events in your life couples with moments of intense stress may speed up the process of hair fall.

• Upset stomach: Stress is also linked to gastrointestinal problems such as the irritable bowel syndrome. The intestines have nerves that are connected to the brain. During periods of intense stress, these nerves become more active and make the intestines overly sensitive and increase their rate of contraction. Therapy is highly recommended for patients suffering from severe anxiety and depression.

• Heavy breathing due to a running or congested nose: Severe stress tends to lower a person’s immunity thereby making the person vulnerable to frequent colds. As per a recent study, people with higher levels of stress are twice as likely to catch cold. When you are under stress, the hormone, cortisol, commonly known as the stress hormone, is released by the adrenal glands. One of the functions of this hormone is to temporarily dampen the immune system of the body, specifically the inflammatory response of the body. This is done to free up the body’s energy to deal with stress-causing threats.

Ways to Relieve Stress

The best way to relieve stress is by adopting healthy stress coping strategies and tricks. There are various stress coping strategies for relaxing the mind and the body. Some of these common tricks are listed below.

• Relaxing your mind: You can de-stress your mind by indulging yourself in activities such as writing, talking, and meditating. You can spend some time writing about the things that are causing the stress. Alternatively, you could speak to your friends, family, or a counselor and try to find solutions for dealing with your stress. Spending time doing things that you really love is a great stress buster. You can indulge yourself in a hobby such as gardening, caring for pets, or doing something creative. Meditation is another great way of relieving stress. You can even practice guided imagery to feel relaxed. Certain therapies such as self-hypnosis, autogenic training, music, and humor therapy are useful in relaxing your mind.

• Relaxing your body: Exercising is one of the best ways of relieving stress. You can walk or go to a gym to work out. Stretching can also help in relieving the muscle stress. Other forms of workouts for distressing your body include practicing yoga, tai chi, and qi gong. Breathing exercises such as roll breathing are also useful for relieving muscle stress. Various therapies such as massage and aromatherapy are helpful in relaxing your body.
• Avoiding sources of stress: Do not take on more responsibilities than you have to, and lighten your load if you can do so. Avoiding stress in the first place is the best way to deal with stress.

Some people also find herbal supplements such as valerian, gingko, kava, and St.John’s Wort helpful in relieving stress symptoms such as insomnia and anxiety.