The occasional manic Monday is a fact of modern life. But if you're under chronic stress—suffering a daily assault of stress hormones from a demanding job or a personal life in turmoil—symptoms may be subtler, says stress and resilience expert Dr Stevan E. Hobfoll.
If you experience any of the signs that follow, take some time out every day, he says, whether it's to go for a walk or simply turn off your phone.
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1. Stress Symptom: Weekend headaches
A sudden drop in stress can prompt migraines, says neurologist Dr Todd Schwedt. Stick closely to your weekday sleeping and eating schedule to minimise other triggers.
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2. Stress Symptom: Awful period cramps
The most stressed-out women are more than twice as likely to experience painful menstrual cramps as those who are less tense, a Harvard study found. Researchers blame a stress-induced imbalance of hormones. Hitting the gym can soothe cramps and stress, research shows, by decreasing sympathetic nervous system activity.
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3. Stress Symptom: An achy mouth
A sore jaw can be a sign of teeth grinding, which usually occurs during sleep and can be worsened when you're stressed out, says dentist Dr Matthew Messina. Ask your dentist about a nighttime mouth guard—up to 70 per cent of people who use one reduce or stop grinding altogether.
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4. Stress Symptom: Odd dreams
Dreams usually get progressively more positive as you sleep, so you wake up in a better mood than you were in when you went to bed, says psychologist Dr Rosalind Cartwright. But when you're stressed, you wake up more often, disrupting this process and allowing unpleasant imagery to recur all night. Good sleep habits can help prevent this; aim for 7 to 8 hours a night, and avoid caffeine and alcohol close to bedtime.
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5. Stress Symptom: Bleeding gums
According to a Brazilian analysis of 14 past studies, stressed-out people have a higher risk of periodontal disease. Chronically elevated levels of the stress hormone cortisol may impair the immune system and allow bacteria to invade the gums, say researchers. If you're working long hours and eating dinner at your desk, keep a toothbrush on hand. And "protect your mouth by exercising and sleeping more, which will help lower stress," says dentist Dr Preston Miller.
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6. Stress Symptom: Out-of-nowhere acne
Stress increases the inflammation that leads to breakouts and adult acne, says dematologist Dr Gil Yosipovitch. Smooth your skin with a lotion containing skin-sloughing salicylic acid or bacteria-busting benzoyl peroxide, plus a noncomedogenic moisturiser so skin won't get too dry. If your stressed-out skin doesn't respond to treatment within a few weeks, see your doctor for more potent meds.
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7. Stress Symptom: A sweet tooth
Don't automatically blame your chocolate cravings on your lady hormones - stress is a more likely trigger. When researchers surveyed pre- and postmenopausal women, they found only a small decrease in the prevalence of chocolate cravings after menopause - smaller than could be explained by just a hormonal link. Study authors say it's likely stress, or other factors that can trigger women's hankering for chocolate.
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8. Stress Symptom: Itchy skin
A Japanese study of more than 2,000 people found that those with chronic itch (known as pruritis) were twice as likely to be stressed out as those without the condition. Although an annoying itch problem can certainly cause stress, experts say it's likely that feeling anxious or tense also aggravates underlying conditions like dermatitis, eczema and psoriasis. "The stress response activates nerve fibres, causing an itchy sensation," explains Yosipovitch.
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9. Stress Symptom: Worse-than-usual allergies
In a 2008 experiment, researchers found that allergy sufferers had more symptoms after they took an anxiety-inducing test, compared with when they performed a task that did not make them tense. Stress hormones may stimulate the production of IgE, a blood protein that causes allergic reactions, says study author Dr Janice Kiecolt-Glaser.
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10. Stress Symptom: Bellyaches
Anxiety and stress can cause stomachaches, along with headaches, backaches and insomnia. One study of 1,953 men and women found that those experiencing the highest levels of stress were more than three times as likely to have abdominal pain as their more-relaxed counterparts. The exact connection is still unclear, but one theory holds that the intestines and the brain share nerve pathways; when the mind reacts to stress, the intestines pick up the same signal. Because of this link, learning to manage stress with the help of a clinical psychologist, meditation or even exercise can usually help relieve tummy trouble too. However, if you have frequent bellyaches, see your doc to rule out food allergies, lactose intolerance, irritable bowel syndrome or an ulcer.
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