Physical symptoms of stress can be varied and unusual. Here are a few ways to find out if you're over the edge.
Photo: stuartpilbrow/Flickr
Did your holiday baking binge cause your hair to start falling out? It
could've if you had a particularly hectic month preparing for winter
festivities. Baking, shopping, wrapping, balancing bank accounts — these
things can really stress us out. Take a few moments to check in with
your body to make sure you're not sacrificing your health and mental
well-being at the expense of a picture-perfect holiday. Physical symptoms of stress,
such as dry heaving, can manifest themselves in weird ways when the
affairs of life get too overwhelming. And sometimes, you may not even
realize that stress is the cause.
1. Vomiting. In his recent book, "On the Brink"
(Business Plus, 2010), former Secretary of the Treasury Henry Paulson
admits to getting so stressed out during the height of the 2008
financial meltdown that he would start to dry heave, sometimes in
private and other times in front of Congressmen and staffers. He's not
alone. Dry-heaving (or retching, in medical terminology) is one way that
stress can rear its ugly head, more often as a sign of anxiety. Stress
and anxiety can also trigger vomiting and a condition called "cyclic
vomiting syndrome," a condition in which people experience nausea and
vomiting over an extended period of time — often, starting at the same
time every day. Dealing with anxiety-induced dry heaves or vomiting
starts with getting plenty of rest and drinking water (vomiting can
cause a loss of electrolytes), and then finding ways to calm down or
eliminate the source of your stress, such as practicing walking meditation.
2. Hair loss. There are multiple reasons that your
hair could be falling out, from genetics to medications. But stress is
one of them. Among the conditions associated with stress-induced hair
loss is alopecia areata, an autoimmune disorder in which white blood
cells attack hair follicles, causing hair to fall out. Another condition
triggered by stress that has even more extreme results is called
telogen effluvium, which is basically characterized by a sudden loss (up
to 70 percent) of hair. This condition can be difficult to link to
stress because the hair loss can occur months after a stressful event,
for instance, a death in the family or childbirth, according to the
American Osteopathic College of Dermatology. However, the organization
notes, it's usually a problem that corrects itself once the stressful
event is over.
3. Nosebleeds. There is some debate as to whether
nosebleeds are triggered by stress, but studies have shown that, in some
cases, patients who experience nosebleeds get them after finding
themselves in stressful situations. A 2001 article in the British
Medical Journal suggests that this could have something to do with the
spikes in blood pressure that are very common when you're stressed out.
Keep your blood pressure in check by drinking hibiscus tea. Simply escaping the daily hubbub for a while to brew it could be enough to lower your stress levels a bit.
4. Memory loss. If you notice you can't seem to
remember the details you just discussed during a stressful meeting, it
could be an effect of your shrunken hippocampus, says Jeffrey Rossman,
PhD, psychologist and director of life management at Canyon Ranch in
Lenox, Mass., and Rodale.com advisor. Chronic stress can expose the
hippocampus, the area of the brain that controls your short-term memory,
to excessive levels of the stress hormone cortisol. And that can
inhibit your brain's ability to remember things. Dealing with the root
cause of your stress is the best way to get your memory back, but until
that happens, write down important bits of information and find other
ways to supercharge your memory.
5. Weakened immunity. Perhaps the most noticeable
effect that stress has on your body is a weakened immune system, and
that happens for a couple of reasons. First, stress triggers the release
of catecholemines, hormones that help regulate your immune system;
prolonged release of these hormones can interfere with their ability to
do that. Second, says Rossman, stress shrinks your thymus gland, the
gland that produces your infection-fighting white blood cells, and it
damages telomeres, which are genes that help those immune cells
reproduce. A good way to deal with stress and boost your immune system
is to exercise; if you're so stressed out that you can't fit in those 30
minutes a day, try these other tricks for boosting immunity.
6. Excessive sweating. Everyone knows that you sweat
more when you're stressed out, but some people suffer from
hyperhidrosis, excessive sweating, particularly of the palms and feet,
says Rossman. Yoga and meditation can help reduce stress-related
sweating, and if you think you might be suffering from hyperhidrosis, find a physician
who specializes in the disorder. You may be helping more than just
yourself. A study published last fall in the journal PLoS One found that
stress sweat can give off certain signals that people around you can
detect, possibly causing them to be stressed out as well, as a result.
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