SIGNS OF THE TIMES

As stress levels in the UK continue to rise, we look at the extreme ways it can impact the human body

- JOSIE COPSON

7% of UK adults feel stressed every single day.

Life can be demanding and fraught. In fact, nearly three-quarters of British adults have been so stressed at some point, they felt overwhelmed and unable to cope.

We all know how stress can present itself – an underlying sense of dread, irritableness, and perhaps too many thoughts jostling for our attention. But left unchecked, it’s not just emotionally draining – it can manifest physically in your body, in different ways.

Dr Amos Ogunkoya explains, “Stress is normally due to overproduction of the hormones cortisol and adrenaline.

“They’re released from the adrenal glands and produce the fight or flight response, which can lead to extreme fatigue and exhaustion. If left untreated, we can have extreme reactions that go way beyond the usual headache and racing heart.”

Here, Dr Ogunkoya shares 11 rare but potential physical symptoms of chronic stress to watch out for…

HORMONE IMBALANCE

Stress can lead not just to a surge in cortisol and adrenaline, but can also change the amount of certain hormones we produce, including testosterone, oestrogen and the growth hormone, somatotropin. The increase in cortisol in women can also suppress normal levels of reproductive hormones, which can lead to no ovulation, periods stopping altogether or heavier periods and increased pain.