Did you know that 55 percent of Americans are stressed during the day? This means that about one in two people is experiencing regular stress.
Considering the impact that stress has on our bodies, this statistic is more than worrying.
If you feel like stress is taking over your life, you may need a test for stress. By looking for different biomarkers, we can determine whether or not your stress level is making a big impact on your health and wellness.
To learn more about reaching your level of optimal health, keep reading. We're going to cover everything you need to know about testing for stress.
What Is Stress?
Stress is the reaction that your body has when internal or external stimuli place you under pressure. In response to stressful stimuli, your body may elicit you to have a physical, mental, or emotional response.
At some point in their lives, every single person deals with stress. It may have been a death in the family, a lost job, or some other kind of change that caused your body to set off a stress response.
On the other hand, stress doesn't have to be a negative thing. You could have been stressed because of a new job, the birth of a child, a move, or another positive event. These kinds of stressors expand your mind and make you more aware of your surroundings.
Nonetheless, stress does affect our bodies. Whether it's negative or positive, stress can cause our bodily hormones to fall outside normal limits.
Risk Factors for Stress
Everyone is at risk for developing stress. As we mentioned, it's a normal part of life.
With that in mind, researchers and scientists have been looking at the top stressors in patients' lives right now. Here are the top ten stressors that may put you at risk for developing stress-related illness:
- Death of a spouse
- Divorce
- Marriage separation
- Imprisonment
- Death of a close family member
- Injury or illness
- Marriage
- Job loss
- Marriage reconciliation
- Retirement
If you've recently gone through or are currently going through one of these scenarios, you should pay extra attention to the amount of stress you may be accumulating. If you become too stressed out, it could be harmful to your health.
Be sure to watch out for the signs and symptoms of having too much stress. We'll discuss these a little bit later.
Causes of Stress
Everyone experiences stress in different ways. Some people become chronically ill after experiencing one stressor, while others can take on five without any change.
Whatever major life change has happened is the cause of whatever stress you may be feeling. However, the true cause of your stress is your body's response to the change.
When we become stressed, our bodies send out a stress signal, and it travels all over the body to let every cell know that something has happened or is happening.
Each organ system in your body responds to this signal: your cardiovascular system, your nervous system, your endocrine system, your respiratory system, and more. The response for your body has the same changes that we see with the 'flight-or-fight response.'
When you're stressed, your body undergoes a series of chemical reactions. So, the reaction you may have to all of the changes in your life is normal.
Your body is making changes to adjust to the stressor(s), and you're feeling the effects of those changes.
If your body stays in this state for long periods of time, you can experience further symptoms and even develop illnesses.
What Are the Signs and Symptoms of Stress?
Since stress affects all of the organ systems within your body, there are a plethora of symptoms that you may feel if you're stressed:
- Moody behavior
- Feeling overwhelmed
- Difficulty relaxing
- Feeling lonely and/or depressed
- Avoiding friends and family
- Fatigue
- Headaches
- Nausea
- Muscle aches
- Chest pain
- Trouble sleeping
- Frequent illness
- Low libido
- Feeling nervous
- Dry mouth
- Clenched jaw
- Worrying constantly
- Forgetfulness
- Loss of ability to focus
- Pessimism
- Poor judgment
- Change in appetite
- Procrastination
- Alcohol or drug dependence
As you can see, the symptoms of stress come from every organ system, and this list only scratched the surface of some of the symptoms that people feel. Some stressed individuals progress to heart attacks and strokes.
If you want to avoid weakening your immune system or causing other health issues, you need to get your stress under control.
How Is Stress Diagnosed?
If you feel like your stress is too much for you to handle, you should see a specialist. They can get you the help that you need to avoid being overcome by stress.
To diagnose the presence of too much stress, your physician can assess your current social situation. They may ask you about recent changes or difficult situations.
They can even run lab tests to see whether or not your body has initiated a strong stress response.
The Lab Tests to Monitor the Impact of Stress on One's Health
The number one test to check for chronic stress is cortisol. Cortisol is known as the stress hormone. It's the signal that your body sends off when stressors become too much for it to handle.
Your health provider may also want to check your DHEA sulfate levels and testosterone levels. These are both male sex hormones that both male and female bodies produce. When we undergo too much stress, these levels can increase and cause other problems inside of our bodies.
Test for Stress With Ulta Labs Today!
If you're looking to test for stress in your body, you should try our stress testing. We check for the biomarkers that indicate that stress is taking over your body and your health. With Ulta Lab Tests, you get:
- Accurate and reliable results available in 24 to 48 hours for most tests
- Results that are secure and confidential
- No insurance or doctor’s referral required
- Affordable pricing for all tests
- 100% satisfaction guarantee
Remember, if stress goes on too long in the body, it can affect your health and wellness long term. You could develop an immunodeficiency and contract acute and chronic illnesses.
Take control of your health today with Ulta Lab Tests. We can help you get the answers that you need so you can stop stressing.
