You might not even realize it, but the symptoms of stress could be affecting your health. You might think that a nagging headache or your frequent insomnia is due to a cold or other illness. You might think your decreased productivity at work is because you have a cold or are suffering allergies. You just fail to make the connection.

Stress can cause issues with your body, including headaches and insomnia, but it can also affect your thoughts and feelings. Being able to recognize symptoms of stress is the first step in taking action to alleviate them. If left ignored, stress can lead to a host of health problems including heart disease, high blood pressure diabetes and obesity.

Ameriden, your source for Rhodiola Rosea, offers this helpful information about stress.

What is Stress?

Short-term stress is the frustration you feel being stuck in a traffic jam. Stress that can last longer can occur during a divorce or the loss of a job. These are examples of stress that will pass with time and usually it is nothing to worry about as your body will recover.

The moment traffic starts flowing again, you immediately feel better. It might take weeks or months, but eventually, you will get through your divorce or find another job and your stress will subside. Again, your body will recover.

Chronic stress is when you suffer stress every day and it doesn't go away. This is the stress you need to worry about, the type of stress you need to deal with or your quality of life and your health will suffer.

Fight or Flight

Our response to stress has evolved over thousands of centuries to help protect us from danger. Our fight or flight response gets our bodies ready for action. When there is a danger, the brain sends a trigger that churns out hormones, raises blood pressure and blood sugar, which is handy should you need to outrun a hungry mountain lion.

Hair

Not only does stress play a role in hair loss, it can also contribute to a disorder known as trichotillomania, the hard-to-resist urge to pull out your own hair. Just like something you would see in a cartoon when a character is under enormous stress.

Digestion

The heartburn, diarrhea and stomach cramps you are suffering may not be due to the fact you had Taco Bell for dinner last night. You might just be suffering another symptom of stress. Though we are quite sure eating at Taco Bell doesn’t help your cause.

Cravings

Studies have connected cortisol, which is released during times of stress, to cravings of sugar and fat. This might explain your frequent trips to Taco Bell.

If you don’t recognize your triggers, your unhealthy diet could continue indefinitely.

Heart Problems

The exact correlation between heart health and stress isn't clear. But there is plenty of evidence that suggests stress does indeed cause heart attacks.

One study conducted in Europe found that people who have stressful jobs are 23 percent more likely to have a heart attack sooner than people who have jobs that are less stressful.

Insomnia

People who suffer chronic stress just don't feel sleepy.

Memory

Stress releases the hormone cortisol, which can interfere with the brain’s ability to form new memories. So stress makes it more difficult for you to think straight and retrieve memories.

Blood Pressure

A stressful situation will raise your blood pressure, constrict your blood vessels and speed up your heart rate as well. In the short term, you will recover, but if you suffer chronic stress, there could be negative consequences.

Skin

Zits are something you thought you outgrew. But studies show that stress can give you acne. One study, in particular, noted that students tended to break out more during exams compared to less stressful time periods in their life.

Sex Appeal

Studies show that women are less attracted to men with high levels of stress.

Premature Aging

Chronic stress causes our cells to age faster. One way to counter this is to get plenty of exercise.

Stroke

Stress has been linked to an increased risk of a stroke.

These are but a few symptoms of chronic stress. Ameridan offers supplements for anxiety and stress, check them out today.