Strange Signs You're Under Too Much Stress
By Sara Butler
Stress is everywhere. It can be caused by finances, by work. By shopping or even baking a cake for a birthday party. Just juggling the tasks of everyday life can be stressful for a lot of people. All this stress and anxiety, if not dealt with appropriately, can rear its ugly head in some very strange ways. Here are some signs of stress that are a bit strange that you should be on the lookout for!
Hair Loss
There are many things that can lead to hair loss, but stress is definitely one of them. That’s because some conditions that attack the hair follicles and cause hair to fall out are triggered by stress. Often, the hair loss takes place months after the uptick in stress that caused it, so it can be hard to pinpoint as the reason for hair loss. If you start to experience a noticeable loss of hair, then think about how you can reduce stress in your life. The good news is that this isn’t a condition that will get worse if you work on ways to relieve stress. Your hair can grow back!
Vomiting
No one likes to vomit -- and dry heaving may be even worse. For people in a very stressful situation, then it can cause dry heaving. It’s a sign of high anxiety and that can lead to vomiting, too. Usually, the vomiting will happen at about the same time each day and occur over an extended period of time. If you notice this is starting to happen to you and there’s not another explanation for it, examine how stress is impacting your life. Get plenty of rest and drink water throughout the day so you don’t get even more sick as a result of dehydration.
Getting Sick All the Time
If you find you’re sick a lot, it could be due to stress. Stress has been found to weaken the immune system, making it much more difficult for your body to fight against illness and disease. Stress triggers the release of something called catecholamines. These are hormones that regulate your immune system. Prolonged release of them due to stress can interfere with them, weakening your immune system.
Stress can also shrink your thymus gland. This is a gland that produces white blood cells to help you fight off infection. A great way to keep this from happening is to deal with stress through exercise. It can help give your immune system a boost and keep you healthy, mentally and physically.
Some stress is useful, but too much stress over time will have ramifications on your health.
To learn more about your health and wellness, see your local chiropractor at The Joint Chiropractic in Lynnwood, Wash.
