5 silent symptoms of stress
Some people wear stress on their sleeve. We all have a friend or family member like it – the kind of dedicated soul that bustles around making dinner with the same urgency as a contestant on MasterChef. Stress and its symptoms are different for everyone, but it should never go unnoticed.
Here are five silent symptoms of stress that can let you know when you’re stressed – even when you’re too busy having a meltdown to notice.
1. Bleeding gums
Are you flossing daily but still experiencing 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, causing bleeding.
2. Crazy dreams
Did you know that dreams become more positive the longer you are asleep? As we all know too well, when you’re stressed, you wake up a lot, so your dreams may never become as positive as you would hope them to in the night.
3. Craving sugar
Anytime we are stressed, our body initiates our fight-or-flight response. When stress occurs there are a group of hormones that is released are called glucocorticoids. The glucocorticoids help us replenish energy stores by increasing sugar cravings and even increasing our abdominal fat stores. Researchers at the University of California-Davis also found that sugar can diminish physiological responses normally produced in the brain and body during stressful situations.
4. Bellyaches
Anxiety and stress can cause stomach aches, along with headaches, backaches, and insomnia. 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.
5. More severe allergies
In a 2008 experiment, researchers from Ohio State University College of Medicine found that allergy sufferers had stronger symptoms after they took an anxiety-inducing test. Stress hormones may stimulate the production of IgE, a blood protein that causes allergic reactions.
Related links:
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