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10 Weird Signs You're Stressed Out

10 Weird Signs You're Stressed Out
PeopleImages via Getty Images
PeopleImages via Getty Images

Stress manifests in a multitude of ways. Some of them are emotional symptoms, like moodiness and irritability, and others may mask themselves as physical issues.

The problem with this physiological phenomenon is that you may simply chalk these issues up as something harmless. Not only that, data shows stress is continually on the rise, making the problem more of a byproduct of everyday life rather than a health complication that needs to be controlled. But there are major consequences if you don’t address your stress: It can lead to heart problems, sleep disturbances, depressive symptoms and more.

Needless to say, it’s important to determine whether you’re experiencing issues with your emotional health. Can’t tell if you’re feeling high-strung or not? Here are some of the ways your body may be telling you that you’re stressed:

1. Your muscles are throbbing.

Strained neck? Tight shoulders? It may not be due to that new workout or a poor pillow. You carry a lot of tension in your muscles when you’re stressed out and that can appear as strains or injuries. For men, lower back pain can be a common side effect of stress and women typically experience issues in their upper backs, Reader’s Digest recently reported. Can someone say “massage time?”

2. You have a headache.

Speaking of tension, you can also collect it in your noggin. A stress headache, that dull, aching pain that feels like a band around your head, happens when you’re feeling high strung. Over-the-counter pain relievers, like ibuprofen, may help ease the pain or stress exercises like meditation or yoga may also provide some relief.

3. You’re thirsty.

When you’re feeling anxious, it can cause your adrenal glands ― small glands located at the top of your kidneys ― to pump out stress hormones into your body. That adrenal fatigue may lead to a fluctuation in other hormones, too, including a reduction in compounds that can affect your electrolyte and fluid levels. So if you’re feeling parched, your stress might be to blame.