Stress Management - When to See Your Doctor

Stress is such a common experience and it's important to learn ways to manage your stress effectively. A somewhat confusing thing about stress is that some of the symptoms can be very similar or even identical to symptoms of physical disease, so that it's not easy to tell them apart. However depending on the cause of your symptoms you may need to do very different things to deal with them.

Although you may hesitate to seek help, hoping the problem will go away on its own, it's wise to see your doctor if you experience any of the following symptoms which may be due to stress or some other medical or mental health trouble:

• A change in your sleep pattern, especially early-morning waking or difficulty in getting to sleep because you may have clinical depression or sleep apnoea or it may be your worries which prevent you sleeping adequately.

• Excessive weight loss or weight gain because you may have an overactive or under-active thyroid or diabetes or it may be because you are dealing with stress by comfort eating especially eating too many sweet and fried foods.

• A change in your bowel habits because you may have cancer, irritable bowel or ulcerative colitis or stress itself may be affecting your bowels and making them become more active.

• Constant tiredness because you may be anaemic or have a heart problem or stress may be stopping you sleeping enough hours so you are tired during the daytime.

• Shortness of breath, a chronic cough, or coughing up blood, especially if you smoke because you may have bronchitis, lung cancer or emphysema or if you are smoking as a way to relieve stress then the smoking can cause the symptoms.

• Drinking alcohol throughout the day because you may have become dependent on it or if you are drinking more alcohol as a way to cope with your stress.

Some of these symptoms may be due to the stress itself such as lack of sleep, tiredness or increased bowel action and others from the way you have chosen to deal with the stress, such as smoking more, drinking heavily or eating too much.

Many times it's almost impossible to separate one from the other so even though you may want to try some self help methods initially, if these don't bring about any improvement within a short tie then it's best to visit your doctor for a full examination and appropriate investigations which might include blood test, X-ray ECG or whatever is indicated by your symptoms.