According to the Mental Health Foundation, 74% of UK adults report feeling stressed at one time or another.
Plus, it typically leads to feelings of ‘overwhelmment’ or being unable to cope. Depending on the individual, stress can manifest itself in different ways and if left untreated or acknowledged, can have a detrimental effect on our mental health and overall lives.
So, we spoke to Jane Ollis, a medical biochemist, environmental scientist, thinker, speaker, and founder of MindSpire, about how to recognise stress, and what causes it.
What is stress and how does it affect your brain?
‘Stress triggers a cascade of reactions in your brain, starting with the amygdala, which senses danger and signals the hypothalamus,’ explains Ollis.
‘This activates your body’s fight-or-flight response, releasing stress hormones like adrenaline and cortisol.’ In the short term, this response is helpful, as it prepares your body to deal with immediate challenges.
However, chronic stress results in a ‘constant release of cortisol’, the expert adds, which can start to have negative effects on your brain and body.
In the brain, ‘excessive cortisol can lead to changes in the hippocampus, the region involved in memory and learning.’
While it doesn’t physically wear down the hippocampus, ‘prolonged cortisol exposure can impair its function and contribute to hippocampal shrinkage over time.’ This basically means that chronic stress may make it harder to learn new things or recall memories.
On the other hand, Ollis notes that the amygdala, which is ‘responsible for processing emotions, especially fear,’ can become overactive under long-term stress.
This can lead to feelings of anxiousness, being on edge, and constantly in a state of alert.
Additionally, Ollis explains that cortisol plays a role in regulating inflammation.
She says: ‘Under normal conditions, cortisol helps to keep inflammation in check, but with chronic stress, the body can become resistant to cortisol’s effects.’ This can allow inflammation to increase, ‘contributing to a range of health problems, including cognitive decline and other stress-related illnesses.’
What are the signs you’re stressed?
Here, Ollis details 7 different signs you’re stressed, along with the effects they can have on your physical and mental health…
1. You’re experiencing irritability and mood swings
We all know that stress can make you more irritable than usual. But why? ‘If you find yourself snapping at small things or feeling like you’re on an emotional rollercoaster, it’s a telltale sign that stress might be creeping into your life,’ states Ollis.
According to the expert, mood swings often come from the strain your brain experiences when it’s constantly processing stressors, ‘leaving you with little bandwidth for emotional regulation.’
2. You’re not sleeping
Stress and good sleep rarely go hand in hand. Ollis explains that stress can cause your mind to race, making it difficult to fall asleep.
Plus, that you may wake up frequently through the night as a consequence. Hands up: when you’ve been stressed, how many of you have woken up during the night going over the issue in your head, working yourself up even more at a time when you can literally do nothing about said problem?
Essentially, without proper rest, your body struggles to recover, ‘creating a cycle where both stress and sleep deprivation feed into each other,’ Ollis details.
3. You’re getting muscle tension and stress headaches
‘Muscle tension, particularly in the neck, shoulders, or jaw, is a common physical symptom of stress,’ Ollis writes.
This tension can lead to frequent headaches – especially tension ones – caused by tight muscles in your head and neck. ‘It’s your body’s way of holding onto the stress, often without you realising it.’
4. Your gut is in a knot
Ollis explains that the brain and gut are closely linked through the gut-brain axis.
This connection means that stress can wreak havoc on your digestive system, and you might experience bloating, indigestion, or sudden changes in bowel movements, such as constipation or diarrhoea.
‘Stress diverts energy from digestion, leaving you with an uneasy gut,’ she adds.
5. Your HRV has taken a dive
‘If you’re using a wearable device that tracks heart rate variability (HRV), you may notice a drop in your HRV when you’re stressed,’ Ollis warns.
For those unfamiliar with this acronym, it basically measures the variation in time between heartbeats, with a lower HRV indicating that your body is in fight-or-flight mode and struggling to recover.
Ollis continues: ‘Chronic stress leads to lower HRV, showing that your autonomic nervous system is out of balance.’ (Fun fact: your HRV can also dip after a night of drinking, so keep an eye on those patterns, the expert adds).
6. You’re catching colds more often
Chronic stress weakens your immune system, making you more susceptible to illness. Ollis points to Sheldon Cohen’s research at Carnegie Mellon University, which has shown that people under chronic stress are ‘more likely to catch colds when exposed to viruses.’
She adds: ‘His studies reveal that stress impairs the body’s ability to regulate inflammation, making it harder for the immune system to fight off common illnesses like colds and the flu.’
This is because stress ‘reduces the efficiency of your immune cells, leaving you more vulnerable to infections.’
7. You’re struggling to focus
As anyone who’s been stressed will know, it doesn’t just affect your body; it also impacts your ability to think clearly.
When you’re stressed, Ollis explains that the brain ‘prioritises survival, leaving you less able to focus, concentrate, or retain information.’
Additionally, you might find that your attention span shrinks, and tasks that were once simple seem overwhelming.
What to do if you’re stressed?
If you find yourself struggling with stress, the first thing to do is take a step back from everything and just breathe.
Often, when you take some time for yourself to gain a clearer perspective, things are never as bad as they seem.
However, if you still feel like you can’t cope, and the stress is consuming your everyday life, the NHS has compiled a list of steps that can help. Some of these include:
- Talk to your friends, family or a health professional about how you’re feeling.
- Other outlets like the Samaritans are available 24/7, too.
- Use calming breathing exercises
- Use time-management techniques to help you take control
- Plan ahead for stressful days or events
- Listen to free mental wellbeing audio guides.
You can access the National Health Service’s full help page for stress here.
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