Does Stress Make You Tired? Five Ways To Combat Stress-induced Fatigue
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Chronic stress and emotional exhaustion are associated with several side effects that may be overlooked because of other challenges. When you don't know what's causing your symptoms, you might ignore them or leave them untreated. However, determining when stress is causing you harm can give you a starting point for finding lasting support. To start, it may be helpful to learn the most common impacts of stress and how to overcome them.
What are the side effects of anxiety and stress?
Stress has many impacts on the body. Specifically, it may uniquely impact your body, energy levels, mood, and behavior. To cope with stress, it can first be essential to identify it in all aspects of your life.
Stress and the body
Emotional exhaustion and stress can impact your body from the inside out. According to the American Psychological Association (APA), ongoing stress causes an increased risk of heart conditions and illness. It may be helpful to speak to your doctor for medical advice on how to reduce stress.
Common physical impacts of stress and emotional exhaustion include the following:
Headaches
Insomnia
Heartburn
High blood pressure
Infertility
Missed menstrual periods
Low sex drive
Stomachaches
Fatigue
Tense muscles
When your body's stress response is turned on, a chemical reaction occurs in the brain that causes it to release various stress hormones. The existence of a stress hormone can compromise your immune system, making it more challenging for your body to fight off illnesses and diseases.
If you are living with high levels of stress, it may be impacting you on a physical level and causing exhaustion. Stress and emotional exhaustion can drain your energy and make it difficult to get enough sleep at night. In this case, you're impacted by multiple challenges simultaneously, which may compound the emotional symptoms of your challenges.
Stress and mood
Stress can also significantly impact mood. When you are experiencing higher levels of stress, you might become more easily overwhelmed and irritable. When you have a problem that you don't know how to manage, it can cause you to lose patience in other areas of your life. For example, a stressful situation at work could cause you to lash out at your family when you get home due to irritability.
Stress can also cause you to lose focus and motivation when attempting to accomplish goals. This loss of motivation may lead to anxiety, which can incite other challenging symptoms.
Stress and behavior
Long-term stress can cause specific action urges to pop up more frequently, potentially leading to unhealthy behavioral choices. For example, long-term irritability might lead to the urge to yell at others, speed while driving, or partake in other risky activities. Some people may also turn to external sources of comfort, such as food, alcohol, or other substances.
Stress can also cause some individuals to withdraw from family and friends. Withdrawal may be a response to being exhausted or overwhelmed and can directly impact energy levels, causing you to stay at home instead of going out and socializing or participating in hobbies or sports. You might also skip exercising due to stress, a lack of energy, or both.
Five healthy ways to overcome stress, pressure, and feeling overwhelmed
Below are five healthy tips for overcoming stress and coping with challenging symptoms.
Focus on self-care and get enough sleep
You may struggle to prioritize self-care when going through a stressful situation. However, self-care may be the ingredient to stress reduction, so pushing through the desire to ignore this coping skill can be the first step to reducing your symptoms. If you're stressed, it may be difficult to sleep. However, to start your self-care routine, partake in regular sleep hygiene practices like reducing screen time before you sleep, drinking herbal tea before bed, and keeping a cool and clean bedroom.
Self-care may also include eating a balanced diet of healthy foods. You might want to turn to snacks and fast foods when confronted with stress. However, these foods don't have the minerals and vitamins to give your body the nourishment it needs. When you're stressed, a balanced diet can give you the energy to cope with challenging situations.
Another part of self-care is exercise. Physical activity can keep your body healthy and boost your mood. When exercising, the endorphins your body releases increase happiness and reduce physical pain. You may experience sore muscles when you first begin exercising, but your muscles can adapt to exercise as you get used to it. If you struggle at first, consider exercising by taking a daily walk or stretching.
Eliminate sources of stress and anxiety
In some cases, people may cause their stress. For example, someone might make an impulsive financial decision that leads to financial stress. In other cases, someone might be aware of the sources of their stress but fail to take action. For example, if you're stressed because of frequent social media notifications, you might benefit from turning off your phone's notifications and setting a pre-determined time during the day to check your messages.
Another area you may be able to improve on is time management skills. If you're constantly procrastinating on doing the work required of you, you may be causing yourself stress. Learning to manage your time effectively may help you avoid unnecessary stress. Although the thought of completing a task might be stressful, you may experience more stress if you put it off to the point that you don't get full credit or lose a job because of procrastination.
Improving organizational skills may also be an area of life under your control. You might experience stress if you're often trying to rush out of the house in the morning and can't find your car keys. To avoid this stress, set alarms, put your essential items in the same place each night, and plan ahead.
If the cause of your stress is romantic, platonic, or familial relationships, you may also be able to avoid stress in this area. If these stressful relationships are with family, consider reducing the amount of time that you spend with them. If you're stressed about a potential relationship, take steps to distance yourself and understand why you put so much emotional value on a connection with someone who might not value your time.
Practice meditation
Practicing mindfulness or meditation can help you target stress's physical and emotional symptoms. Meditation aims to focus on the present moment and let negative thoughts pass. This process may enable you to take the focus off a stressful period in your life.
There are many ways to practice meditation. If you're new to the concept, guided meditation apps may help you get started. Wellness professionals can also guide you through a meditation regime to combat stress and emotional exhaustion. Studies show that meditation and mindfulness significantly reduce chronic stress and anxiety.
Practice deep breathing
Deep breathing is another strategy you can use to overcome your stress. When stressed, you may start to take quick breaths and forget to breathe deeply. Breathing shallowly or hyperventilating can cause a fast heart rate and high blood pressure.
You may prevent these natural reactions by practicing deep breathing when you are stressed. As your body starts to calm, you may also regain control of your mind. One breathing exercise you can try is box breathing, which involves breathing in, holding your breath, breathing out, and holding your breath again. The controlled nature of box breathing allows you to practice mindfulness while controlling your nervous system.
Talk to a therapist if you are experiencing fatigue, exhaustion, burnout, or pressure
If you're experiencing significant stress, it may be helpful to talk to a therapist. You do not have to have a mental illness or severe traumatic experience to talk to a mental health professional. Over 41.7 million US adults see a therapist, and many do so to cope with chronic stress.
However, despite the popularity of therapy, some people may avoid setting up an appointment with an in-person provider due to anxiety about commuting, being on a waitlist, or keeping up with a physical appointment. In this case, online therapy through a platform like BetterHelp may save you time. In addition, some online counseling platforms can match you with a therapist based on your unique preferences for therapy.
Studies also back up the effectiveness of internet-based interventions. A comprehensive meta-analysis of studies shows that online therapy can be as effective as in-person therapy in treating a range of mental health challenges, including stress. The study followed 10,000 clients receiving various types of treatments to come to this conclusion.
Takeaway
Why does stress make you tired and feeling burnout?
When your body's stress response is activated, a chemical reaction occurs in the brain that causes it to release various stress hormones. Stress hormones can compromise your immune system, making it more challenging for your body to fight off illnesses and diseases.
Prolonged stress may be causing you to feel physically and emotionally exhausted. This can drain your energy, make it difficult to get enough sleep at night, and compound the emotional symptoms of severe stress.
What does stress fatigue feel like?
When you feel stressed for an extended period, you may be at increased risk of developing chronic fatigue. Fatigue typically presents as a general feeling of being tired, however, it can also be accompanied by symptoms such as:
- Muscle weakness or aching
- Headache
- Moodiness or irritability
- Inability to concentrate
- Lack of motivation
- Feeling powerless or trapped
For most people, stress-related fatigue builds up slowly over time. If you have reached the point of feeling exhausted by your stress, consider how the stress affects your daily life. If you feel overwhelmed and isolated, you don’t have to navigate these challenges alone. There are steps you can take to reduce emotional exhaustion, including reaching out to a licensed mental health professional for support.
How do I stop stress from making me tired and giving me fatigue?
There are many ways to relieve stress associated with fatigue. First, it can be beneficial to identify the sources of your stress. For example, if your boss is causing stress, it may indicate that it’s time to look for a new job or speak with someone in HR about your situation. If you aren’t sure why you feel stressed, speaking with a therapist can help you uncover what’s going on. Other strategies for managing stress include:
- Relaxation techniques like meditation, breathing exercises, or yoga
- Physical activity like running, walking, or swimming
- Positive lifestyle changes like getting enough sleep and eating a balanced diet
- Support and social connection from friends and family
- Self-care practices such as hobbies, volunteering, and leisure activities
Does stress make you tired and weak?
Research suggests that stress can affect your sleeping patterns, which can sap your energy and, consequentially, make you feel weak. This may happen occasionally during stressful periods without causing adverse effects, but if poor sleep hygiene continues over an extended period, it can lead to negative physical and mental health symptoms.
How can I tell if I'm stressed?
Stress can impact your body, mood, and behavior. Common physical symptoms of stress and emotional exhaustion include the following:
- Headaches
- Insomnia
- Heartburn
- High blood pressure
- Low sex drive
- Stomach aches and irritable bowel syndrome
- Muscle aches
- Weight gain
How to calm yourself down from stress and exhaustion?
The human body’s stress response plays an important function to keep us safe, but it was never meant to be a constant experience. If you’re facing imminent danger, the stress response can save your life by mobilizing your muscles and attention to navigate away from danger. Though the stress response is natural, there are steps you can take to calm yourself down.
- Deep breathing: Stress may cause shallow breathing or hyperventilation. One breathing exercise you can try is box breathing, which involves breathing in, holding your breath, breathing out, and holding your breath again.
- Self-compassion: We’re often our own worst critics, but a good deal of research shows that self-criticism destroys our resilience. Be mindful of your emotions and be kind to yourself.
- Social connection: If you’re experiencing stress, it can be helpful to speak with someone you trust about what you’re going through. This can be a friend, family, or even a mental health professional like a therapist.
Why do I always feel like I want to sleep?
The most common cause of sleepiness is inadequate sleep. This could be due to disorders such as sleep apnea or insomnia, but depression and other mental health conditions can cause sleepiness as well. If you are unable to identify a specific cause for your sleepiness, it may be beneficial to work with a doctor to identify the root cause and begin working toward disease control.
What are some warning signs of stress?
According to the American Psychological Association, there are many ways your body can alert you to the need for extra care and stress management. These warning signs of stress include:
- Headaches, muscle tension, neck, or back pain
- Upset stomach
- Dry mouth
- Chest pains and rapid heartrate
- Sleep disruptions
- Fatigue
- Loss of appetite or overeating
- Lowered immune system
- Difficulty concentrating
- Jitters or irritability
- Short temper
- Anxiety
What is silent stress?
Silent stress is the act of quietly holding your stress within and underreacting to it, as opposed to managing symptoms proactively.
How does stress make you tired and overwhelmed?
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