Symptoms of nervous exhaustion

Stress can be a powerful driving force by which we can tackle many obstacles of our daily lives, but if it's pressures become too great, it could leave harmful side effects on the mental and physical health. These occurrences of exhaustion are popularly called nervous breakdowns and they occur after the person has been suffering from stress for too long periods of time. There are symptoms which can point to this problem and recognizing them is key to dealing with the future manifestations of stress and finding a constructive outlet for it. If the problems caused by stress become more prominent, find medical advice so as not to get to the point of complete nervous exhaustion.

Stress is the body's natural reaction to danger in the man's surroundings and it has it's origins in the primitive man where stress was the trigger for the secretion of adrenalin in the blood. The adrenalin was a necessary defense mechanism as the primitive man was faced with many dangers in every day life, like facing wild animals in the fight for bare existence. Stress causes the glands above the kidneys to produce adrenalin so the body can deal with the challenges and difficult situation, however the source of adrenalin are not infinite. When the organism is faced with stress in a daily basis, adrenalin is constantly produced until the body runs out of it, and the organism is left only with stress. The brain cannot tell the difference between physical and psychological dangers and keeps producing adrenalin until it is left without any of it, but leaving the constant levels of stress and eventually leading the person to a nervous breakdown.

There are several manifestations of stress, one of which being disturbances of the sleep cycle. The person suffering from stress is most often too preoccupied by chores, arrangements and worries to relax enough to sleep. Insomnia and restless sleep are sure signs of troubles in the mind and if they last for longer periods of time, increase mental exhaustion. Mental and emotional problems are always exacerbated by stress and its consequences, and these amount to every day problems such as irritability, depression, mood swings or concentration problems. Stress causes a chemical and hormonal disbalance in the brain, causing these problems. The gastro-intestinal tract is also affected by stress hormones, and its manifestations are irritable bowels and an upset stomach. Sometimes these can even amount to nutritional deficiencies and other irregularities in the digestive system making the symptoms of stress even worse.

There are many ways of preventing future problems caused by stress, such as taking breaks from stressful situations and activities to give the body time to relax and cool down. Regular physical activities and proper nutrition give the body a vent for stress. Psychotherapy and counseling provide constructive outlets for discussion of problems and troubles.