Two major types of stress can wrap their tentacles around our lives.

One, known as “eustress”, is a positive cognitive response to short-term stress. This can motivate us to manage challenges and improve performance; it can even be described as thrilling – the fizz in the stomach that means you deliver a sharper presentation, or spurs you to do something adrenalin-inducing like attempting a black run.

But when chronic stress, the more dangerous sort, invades your wellbeing, instead of feeling fulfilled, you become overwhelmed and health repercussions start to pile up.

Carmine Pariante, professor of psychiatry at Kings College London and an expert on stress, explains why.

“First of all, the Sympathetic Nervous System [the network of nerves that helps the body activate its ‘fight’ or flight response] is activated. There is an increase in heart rate and blood pressure, blood rushes to the muscles, pupils dilate, adrenaline is stimulated, and the immune system is activated,” he says.

Here are the signs you might be in the chronic stress danger zone, without even realising it.

Involuntary eye twitching

Eyelid “myokymia”, or twitching, has been linked to stress and symptomatic sleep deprivation. And while it can be a sign of other illnesses, like Parkinson’s, the continual stimulation of our sympathetic nervous system during chronic stress can cause the nerves around the eye to produce brief bursts of activity which contract the supporting muscle.

Usually, myokymia is temporary and doesn’t affect vision, but feeling embarrassment or concern, because of the twitching, can exacerbate the situation, causing even more stress.

The fix

Better quality sleep, cold compresses, and avoidance of coffee and alcohol are short-term solutions, but Prof Pariante advocates getting to the root of your chronic stress.

“It’s crucial to pinpoint what is really going on for you,” he states, “Then you can try to alleviate the problem. I am a firm believer in talking therapies, as they give you the chance to find the words to explain what’s going on, plus a therapist will help you to work towards a solution.

“Loneliness is a significant factor when it comes to stress, so reaching out to feel supported by your community or friends or family, is my number one piece of advice to those who are struggling. The worst consequence of chronic stress is a mental disorder, like depression, so it’s vital to address the issue before it goes too far.”

Persistent metallic taste in mouth

Melanie Murphy Richter, a registered dietitian from L-Nutra, says, “Chronic stress doesn’t just live in the mind; it leaves fingerprints throughout the body. One lesser-known manifestation is a persistent metallic taste, known medically as dysgeusia.”

Saliva, Murphy Richter says, is far more than “mouth moisture”. “It’s a complex fluid that protects the oral cavity, neutralises acids, washes away bacteria, and carries taste molecules to receptors on the tongue. When stress changes its quantity or composition, taste itself can become distorted and saliva production can decline.”

The fix

Chronic stress can worsen acid reflux, increase teeth grinding during sleep (a mouth guard will help), and contribute to oral inflammation, all of which may contribute to altered taste sensations. “It’s important to stay well hydrated, regularly brush and floss, and stimulate saliva production with sugar-free gum or crunchy raw carrots, cucumber and celery,” says Murphy Richter.

“If the gut is playing up, it can also result in a metallic taste, so try to avoid late meals, highly acidic foods, and caffeine and alcohol in the evening.”

Exhaustion that doesn’t lift

Severe stress doesn’t just evaporate, it manifests – and the knock effect can be a feeling of persistent low energy. Not only are your muscles and brain on continual red alert, the immune system is stimulated and so can soon become depleted. Another side effect is poor sleep, which only adds to the general feeling of lethargy.

Dr David Lee, Clinical Director at Sleep Unlimited Ltd and author of Teaching The World To Sleep, says: “Disrupted sleep in this way interferes with our ability to ‘process’ stress and therefore often leads to more stress, anxiety, arousal and sleep that is then further disturbed.”

The fix

Recent research emphasises the importance of mentally disengaging from stressors as a key part of recovery. One study, led by psychology professor Sabine Sonnentag from the University of Mannheim , looked at the benefits of “psychological detachment” when managing work stress. Her research showed that when people didn’t mentally switch off, and continued to check emails, dwelled on their problems and took work home, their recovery was hindered.

To enable this disconnection, it is the act of regularly doing something completely separate from your day to day – for some that may be exercise, for others crafting or, say, singing in a choir. But it’s the actual “switching off” that truly helps.

Natalie Fee, an award-winning environmentalist and author of Under The Oak: Poems and Meditations, coped with her own stress-induced burnout by peacefully sitting under the same oak tree in Clevedon near Bristol every day for a year. She told Radio 4: “Some days I might be there 30 minutes, usually less in the winter but the whole point was to connect with nature in a different way… It felt like it had the answers.”

Sudden adult acne

While there are many factors that can cause acne, stress can be a trigger, even exacerbating the condition for those already suffering with problematic skin.

Dr Anjali Mahto, consultant dermatologist and founder of Self London clinic, says, “When we are under prolonged stress, the brain and adrenal glands release chemical signals, including cortisol and the corticotropin-releasing hormone, which can influence the condition of the skin.

“The oil glands in the skin have receptors that respond to some of these stress-related signals, which may increase oil production and promote inflammation around the pore, inciting the acne to become more active.

“Also, when people are stressed, they tend to fall into negative traps like increased skin picking, over touching of the face and a neglected treatment routine.”

The fix

Seeking the support of a dermatologist will help assess if hormonal or medical treatment is needed to calm inflamed skin and control sebum levels. Certain products can offer topical solutions, especially those with salicylic acid to unclog pores, and retinoids to promote healthy skin cells and reduce oil production and inflammation. Some have found light therapy, which slows down the production of skin cells, is an effective treatment for some types of psoriasis.

Temporary memory lapses

During high stress, the hippocampus (the part of the brain that creates and retrieves memory) and the pre-frontal cortex (decision-making, attention) are compromised by high levels of cortisol. And when chronic stress sets in, the brain can actually shrink in size, trapping you in a state of forgetfulness and low concentration. Usually, these lapses are temporary and, as the stress dissipates, the brain function will usually rebound.

The fix

Make a conscious plan for change. It may help to write your thoughts down, known as “expressive writing”, as this pushes you to find clarity on what’s happening, encourages you to slow down and creates an emotional distance by actually seeing your situation on paper/screen.

A 2023 meta-analysis of 31 randomised studies involving over 4,000 participants found that expressive writing produced a significant reduction in depression, anxiety, and stress.

There may not be an immediate clear-cut answer, and it seems a simplistic fix, but allocating time for logical thinking and journaling around a seemingly overwhelming situation can help diminish its potency.

To deal with the stress itself and alleviate its effects, every expert will recommend some form of exercise, whether it is gentle walking in nature or a cardiovascular workout. The science says that exercise helps to reduce the stress response by regulating cortisol, releasing dopamine and serotonin (the happy hormones), improving sleep and acting as a distraction from what’s bothering you.

One study, from Massachusetts General Hospital, found that those who exercised more showed lower stress-related brain activity, which meant exercise seemed to be positively changing how the brain itself processed stress.

Unexplained frequent need to pee

Frequent urination is sometimes mistaken for urinary tract infection or prostate issues in men.

But for many of us, when we’re feeling nervous or stressed, we feel the urge to urinate more, and it can be one of the earliest signs of chronic stress.

During high stress your nervous system moves into a ramped-up alert setting, and so internal indicators, like needing to pee, are more noticeable (unlike when we’re calmer and the brain skips over certain messaging signals from the body). 
The fight or flight response also creates muscle tension, including around the pelvic floor.

The fix

While it’s always important to stay hydrated, avoid irritants to the bladder like coffee, alcohol and acidic drinks, especially late at night – and try to limit drinks an hour before bedtime. It also helps to try not to always rush to the loo, especially if you know your bladder isn’t full – training it to last that bit longer can reduce the tendency to constantly pee.

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