Is It Just Stress? 7 Symptoms Women Shouldn't Ignore

Stress can cause real physical symptoms. The NHS lists headaches, dizziness, muscle tension, stomach problems, chest pain and a faster heartbeat among them. But the same symptoms can also come from other conditions, and a few of them need urgent help.

It's easy to put everything down to a busy life. The British Heart Foundation (BHF) says many women ignore the signs of a heart attack or describe their symptoms as less intense than men do. That can delay care.

This guide covers 7 symptoms worth checking rather than dismissing, and how to tell when you need help quickly.

How stress can affect your body

According to the NHS, stress can cause:

• physical symptoms, such as headaches or dizziness, muscle tension or pain, stomach problems, chest pain or a faster heartbeat, and sexual problems
• mental symptoms, such as difficulty concentrating, struggling to make decisions, feeling overwhelmed, constantly worrying and being forgetful
• changes in behaviour, such as being irritable, sleeping or eating too much or too little, avoiding certain places or people, and drinking or smoking more

Stress is a common explanation, but it shouldn't be the only one you consider, especially if a symptom is new, severe or getting worse.

7 symptoms not to put down to stress

1. Tiredness that doesn't go away

Stress, depression and life challenges can all make you tired. But the NHS also lists physical causes, including iron deficiency anaemia, sleep apnoea, diabetes and an overactive thyroid. An underactive thyroid can cause extreme tiredness too.

See a GP if:

• you've been feeling tired for a few weeks and you're not sure why
• your tiredness affects your daily life
• you feel tired and have other symptoms, such as weight loss or mood changes
• you've been told you make gasping, snorting or choking noises when you're asleep

A GP may suggest blood tests, for example to check for anaemia, diabetes or an overactive thyroid.

2. Chest pain or tightness

Stress can cause chest pain, but chest pain can also be a sign of a heart attack. The BHF says men and women mostly share the same heart attack symptoms, though women sometimes have lesser-known symptoms rather than chest pain. In a 2019 study it reported on, chest pain was the most common heart attack symptom in both men and women.

The NHS lists these heart attack symptoms:

• chest pain that may feel like crushing or squeezing, and may spread to your arm, neck and jaw
• feeling short of breath
• feeling or being sick
• a feeling like indigestion
• sweating
• pale, blue or grey skin

Contact emergency services now if:

• you have chest pain that feels tight or like squeezing on your chest
• you have chest pain that's spreading to your arms, neck or jaw
• you're having severe difficulty breathing: you're gasping, choking or not able to get words out
• your lips or skin are pale, blue or grey (on brown or black skin, this may be easier to see on the palms of the hands)
• someone has passed out and is not responding normally

The NHS advises not driving yourself to A&E. The BHF's advice is simple: don't worry about asking for help.

3. A racing, pounding or fluttering heartbeat

Heart palpitations can feel like your heart is racing, pounding, fluttering or skipping beats. The NHS lists stress and anxiety among the common causes, along with alcohol, caffeine and nicotine. Palpitations can also be a sign of the menopause, and some people get them during pregnancy. Our guide to menopause symptoms and stages covers other changes to look out for.

See a GP if you've had palpitations and feel well, but:

• they keep coming back or they're happening more often
• they last longer than a few minutes
• you have a heart condition
• you have a history of heart problems in your family

Contact emergency services now, or go to A&E, if you have palpitations that don't go away, or palpitations with chest pain, shortness of breath, or feeling faint or fainting.

4. Shortness of breath

A panic attack can make you feel short of breath, but so can asthma, a chest infection and more serious conditions such as heart failure, according to the NHS.

See a GP if:

• your shortness of breath gets worse when you're doing your normal activities, or when you lie down
• you feel short of breath and have swollen ankles
• you've been coughing for 3 weeks or more

Get urgent medical advice if:

• you have difficulty breathing and may be more short of breath than usual
• you feel sick or are being sick
• you're coughing up blood
• you have pain or swelling in one of your legs
• you have heart palpitations

Contact emergency services now, or go to A&E, if:

• you have severe difficulty breathing
• your chest feels tight or heavy
• you have pain that spreads to your arms, back, neck and jaw
• your lips or skin are turning very pale, blue or grey
• you feel suddenly confused

5. Dizziness

The NHS lists stress and anxiety as one cause of dizziness. Others include dehydration, migraine, iron deficiency anaemia, a sudden drop in blood pressure when you stand up, inner ear problems and side effects of some medicines.

See a GP if:

• you're worried about your dizziness
• it won't go away or it keeps coming back
• you're finding it harder to hear or speak, or you have ringing or other sounds in your ears
• you have double vision, blurred vision or other changes in your eyesight
• your face, arms or legs feel numb or weak
• you have other symptoms, such as changes to your pulse, fainting or collapsing, headaches, or feeling or being sick

Sudden symptoms can be a sign of a stroke. The NHS uses FAST to describe the main signs:

• Face: one side of the face may droop, and it may be hard to smile
• Arms: the person may not be able to lift both arms and keep them there
• Speech: their speech may be slurred or confused
• Time: contact emergency services straight away, even if the signs go away

6. Headaches

Stress can make headaches worse, according to the NHS. See a GP if you've tried treating a headache yourself and it isn't getting better or is getting worse, or if you regularly get headaches.

Ask for an urgent GP appointment or get urgent medical advice if you have a headache and:

• vision or eye problems
• it's triggered or made worse by coughing, sneezing, bending down or exercising
• you're being sick
• jaw pain when eating, or a sore or tender scalp
• any other symptoms you're worried about

Contact emergency services now, or go to A&E, if you have a headache and:

• it started suddenly and is extremely painful
• you've had a seizure (fit)
• you have numbness or weakness in your body or face
• you've had a head injury within the last 3 months
• you're finding it difficult to speak, balance, walk or remember things
• you're drowsy or confused
• you've lost your vision
• you have a rash that doesn't fade when a glass is rolled over it
• you have a very high temperature, a stiff neck, or bright lights are bothering you

7. Bloating or tummy problems that keep coming back

Stress can upset your stomach, but bloating that keeps coming back needs checking. Symptoms of ovarian cancer include frequently (roughly 12 or more times a month) having:

• a swollen tummy or feeling bloated
• pain or tenderness in your tummy or the area between your hips
• no appetite, or feeling full quickly after eating
• an urgent need to pee, or needing to pee more often

The NHS stresses that these symptoms are very common and can be caused by many different conditions. Still, it advises seeing a GP if you have any of them.

The NHS advice on bloating is to see a GP if:

• you feel bloated regularly
• you've tried changing your diet but still feel bloated
• you have bloating and are losing weight without trying
• you have bloating and blood in your poo

Ask for an urgent GP appointment or get urgent medical advice if you have bloating with vomiting, diarrhoea or constipation, or with a stomach ache. The same applies if you have a high temperature, a swelling or lump in your tummy, or you can't pee, poo or fart.

Contact emergency services now, or go to A&E, if you have bloating with a swollen stomach and:

• a stomach ache that is severe and came on very suddenly
• you're vomiting blood, or your vomit looks like ground coffee
• you have severe difficulty breathing

Also worth checking: losing weight without trying

Stressful life events and mental health conditions such as depression and anxiety can lead to weight loss. So can an overactive thyroid, coeliac disease, inflammatory bowel disease, heart failure and, in some cases, cancer. The NHS advises seeing a GP if you keep losing weight without changing your diet or exercise routine.

If it is stress

Stress is real and worth treating too. The NHS suggests:

• talking to a friend, relative or health professional about how you feel
• trying breathing exercises
• planning ahead for stressful days
• not trying to do everything at once
• trying not to use alcohol, cigarettes, gambling or drugs to relieve stress

See a GP if you're struggling to cope or your own efforts aren't helping. In England, adults can also refer themselves to NHS Talking Therapies. If you need help urgently but it isn't an emergency, ask for an urgent GP appointment or get urgent medical advice.

Contact emergency services now, or go to A&E, if you or someone you know needs immediate help. The same applies if you have seriously harmed yourself, for example by taking a drug overdose.

How to get the most from a GP appointment

• Note when the symptom started, how often it happens and how long it lasts.
• Write down anything that makes it better or worse, and any other symptoms you've noticed.
• Bring a list of the medicines and supplements you take.
• Say clearly how the symptom is affecting your daily life.

The bottom line

Stress can cause physical symptoms, but it shouldn't be the automatic explanation for symptoms that are new, severe, getting worse or not going away. Use the urgent signs above to decide when to get help straight away, and see a GP for anything that keeps coming back. Getting checked isn't overreacting.

Not medically reviewed. This article is general information, not personal medical advice.

Sources

1. Get help with stress, NHS
2. Misdiagnosis of heart attacks in women, British Heart Foundation
3. No difference in key heart attack symptoms between men and women, British Heart Foundation, 2019
4. Tiredness and fatigue, NHS
5. Underactive thyroid (hypothyroidism), NHS
6. Heart attack, NHS
7. Heart palpitations, NHS
8. Shortness of breath, NHS
9. Dizziness, NHS
10. Stroke: symptoms, NHS
11. Headaches, NHS
12. Ovarian cancer: symptoms, NHS
13. Bloating, NHS
14. Unintentional weight loss, NHS