Stress is so built in to our daily lives that half the time we don’t even know we’re feeling the effects. Coming down with a tension headache or sore neck every once in a while is one thing, but if you’re under chronic stress that never really lets up watch for it to manifest itself in much sneakier ways.
- Weird, unpleasant dreams. Dreams are affected twofold by stress. First, dreams usually get more positive as the night goes on, as your brain works to have you wake up happier than you were when you went to sleep. When stressed though, people sleep lighter and wake up more often, which disrupts the process and allows the negative dreams to hang around all night. And second, the brain uses sleep as time to work out problems and find solutions to stresses and fears you experience during the day, so if you have a lot of problems expect a lot of dreams.
- An achy, sore mouth or jaw can be a sign of teeth grinding, which some people do in their sleep when they’re experiencing a lot of tension. Ask your dentist if you suspect you might be grinding your teeth, a mouth guard might be prescribed.
- Headaches on the weekend. When stress levels suddenly drop or a stressor suddenly disappears, it often triggers a headache (I used to get them all the time after big exams in school) or even a migraine. Try sticking as close as possible to your weekend wake-sleep cycle and eating habits to limit the effects.
- Severe period cramps. A study out of Harvard found that women under high levels of stress are 50% more likely to have severe menstrual cramps than those who are relaxed and report low stress levels.
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Stress can also add to overeating which can lead to weight gain and even worse sleep. The less sleep you get, the more stressed you get too. It’s cyclical.