13 reasons to take stress seriously!

Did you know frequent acidity, high blood pressure and memory loss could be symptoms of stress?

By: Debjani Arora | | Updated: December 4, 2015 10:14 am

Stress is an inevitable part of life. Unless you are a yogi who has attained nirvana, you cannot really escape it. The best you can do is to avoid triggers or manage it in a way that is less damaging. If not, then you’ll soon develop health issues like hypertension, anxiety or probably high blood sugar. Beware! Don’t do these seven things when you are stressed.

‘At times, stress is a by-product of an unorganised life, too much expectations and trying to multitask when you can’t. When you are stressed, your body gets into fight and flight mode and hormones like cortisol and adrenaline are released. These hormones help you prepare to fight the stressful situation by charging you up. When the stressor subsidies, the hormone levels go down and you are back to normal. But if the levels remain high, stress can show up in various ways,’ says Dr Sandeep Sonawane, general practitioner, Sunrise Hospitals, Mumbai. Read to know if squeezing a stress ball is really helpful.

Here, he speaks about the signs of stress that work as red flags

1. Missing traffic signals: A downside of stress is lack of sleep, which also affects your driving skills. Jumping signals, missing signals or coming to a screeching halt at crossroads are signs that lack of sleep is hindering your judgement, and it is dangerous. This is the first sign that you should put your worries on the backburner and get an eight-hour of shut-eye. Here are four breathing exercises that can help you sleep better.

2. Addiction worsens: Most people turn to their vices when stressed – smoking, drinking, recreational drugs – as they give them a high. However, when this escalates, it ruins vital organs like kidneys, lungs and heart. If you smoke two cigarettes a day or have a glass of wine to wind up and you are exceeding that number because you are overwhelmed — STOP. Breathe and face your problems head-on. Here are five ways to deal with your stress naturally.

3. Headache and anxiety: Chronic stress can lead to these symptoms that go hand-in-hand. Here is why you should not ignore frequent headaches.

4. Insomnia: While we know how sleeplessness can affect you, here is the real reason: The hormones that stay elevated in the blood, disturb sleep, making you more alert at night, hence the insomnia. Did you know nutmeg or jaiphal can help you have a restful sleep.

5. Short attention span: Stress, hormonal imbalances and lack of sleep — everything affects your brain. While your brain tries hard to resist the attack, in case of chronic stress your brain power can weaken and divert the focus from your job at hand. Here are 10 interesting ways to keep your brain active.

6. Depression: Well, if not clinical depression, you can suffer from some symptoms of depression like overeating, loss of appetite, social withdrawal, etc. If you are feeling generally low and know that you have work pressure or family issues that’s bothering you, it’s a sign you need to do something to make your situations better. Here are eight modern-day signs of depression you should know.

7. High blood pressure: During a stress response, your heart starts to work overtime, which means it beats faster to provide oxygen and blood to core body parts. However, the hormones released make the muscles of your heart, arteries and veins constrict, restricting smooth blood flow. Over time, this can lead to hypertension and high blood pressure. If you have pre-existing high blood pressure, this can be disastrous. Here are 10 ways to keep your heart healthy and young.

8. Frequent acidity: The rush of hormones, the restricted blood flow and rapid breathing, everything can make your digestion go for a toss. And you are more likely to suffer from symptoms of heartburn and acid reflux.

9. Muscle rigidity: If you have ever noticed your muscles tend to tighten and stiffen when you are stressed. This is the body’s defence mechanism to save you from injuries and other external stimuli. Chronic stress doesn’t allow your muscles to relax and soothe naturally. This can lead to various kinds of aches and pains like backache, shoulder pain and muscle pain. And if you aren’t into exercising, you might resort to painkillers, that come with their own set of side effects. Here are 25 simple ways to lose weight at home.

10. Lack of sexual interest: At times, physical intimacy can help you deal with the stress better, thanks to the adrenaline rush. But if you are stressed too much and your cortisol level is high, it decreases your libido. Here are seven sure-fire tips to help your libido race.

11. Low immunity: People suffering from chronic stress are more prone to seasonal influenza, cough, cold, etc. This is because the elevated level of cortisol compromise one’s immunity. However, if stress is short-lived, then it boosts one’s immunity to help fight the situation better.

12. Menstrual problems: Women, blame stress for all your menstrual problems. If not entirely, stress in a big way is responsible for your cycles to go haywire due to all the hormonal fluctuations.

13. Erectile Dysfunction: Stress could lead to low testosterone secretion that can give rise to erectile dysfunction or impotence too. Sure, you don’t want to give sex a miss because of the problems in your boardroom, so act now! Here are 10 foods to fight erectile dysfunction.

Image source: Shutterstock

Published : December 3, 2015 1:15 pm | Updated:December 4, 2015 10:14 am

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