Stress is common to us all and a little of it is a positive thing because it spices up our lives. Too much stress, however, can be dangerous.

Research has shown that if it gets out of hand it can increase your chances of getting ill and overweight. Some of the symptoms of stress are obvious, for example headaches and mood swings, but others are not so easy to spot. Here are some of the most common health problems that can flare up as a result of stress overload:

Fat around the middle

If you’re a woman and you tend to carry your excess weight around the middle, it may be linked to stress. When you’re stressed your body releases hormones, including cortisol, to boost blood sugar and give you a shot of energy you need to deal with the stress. But if the cause of stress is not removed or managed, cortisol levels remain high and eventually your body adapts to this constant state of emergency by increasing your appetite for high energy foods and keeping a convenient fat store around your waist, near your vital organs where it can be most easily converted back into energy.

To help yourself, make exercise a priority because it will not just boost your metabolism and help you burn fat, it will also reduce the negative effects of the fat storing hormones cortisol and insulin.

Cutting down on sugar and refined carbohydrates is also recommended as these increase the likelihood of blood sugar problems that can lead to weight gain so eat plenty of whole grains, including vegetables, essential fats, good quality protein and whole grains instead.

To keep your blood sugar levels steady you should also aim to eat five or six small meals a day. Last but by no means least get plenty of quality sleep because there is a strong link between tiredness and high cortisol levels. (For a more detailed three month ‘lose your belly’ plan see my book ‘Fat around the Middle’).

Problem skin

According to research from the American Academy of Dermatology, stress triggers the production of androgens (male hormones), which increase the production of follicle clogging sebum and provide nourishment for bacteria responsible for acne. In addition, stress slows down wound healing and may make symptoms of skin conditions like acne, eczema, psoriasis and dermatitis worse.

To help yourself, get plenty of quality sleep, as lack of sleep is linked to acne breakouts. You should also eat regularly and cut down on caffeine as fasting and too many cups of coffee can slow down the natural exfoliation process.

Drinking more water is absolutely crucial as the skin is an organ of elimination and you can eliminate toxins through the kidneys rather than through the skin with the more water you drink. Nettle tea may also be able to help clear the lymphatic system. Taking the herb milk thistle is helpful for detoxification as it improves liver function.

Digestive troubles

Stress can be the cause of digestive upsets and it can make symptoms of irritable bowel worse. This is because during the body’s stress response powerful chemicals are released which make you want to empty your bowels quickly so you are lighter for action.

To help yourself, increase the amount of natural whole foods in your diet by eating more whole grains, vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds and legumes. Live organic bio yogurt, containing Lactobacillus acidophilus or acidophilus supplements, may help line your bowel with healthy stress resistant bacteria.

Acupuncture is often used to ease stress as it is thought to stimulate the release of natural painkillers that can help reduce the effects of stress and hypnotherapy may also be able to encourage regular bowel movements by boosting feelings of general well being.

A number of herbal remedies may also help including: garlic for diarrhoea and indigestion, ginger for flatulence and peppermint or chamomile tea for intestinal cramps. Goldenseal may also help normalise bowel function and Siberian ginseng is an adaptogen (balancing herb) that can help the body adapt to stress.

Constantly getting colds

If you seem to get every cold or bug that is going around your immunity might be impaired by stress. Research has shown that high levels of stress double your chances of getting ill when exposed to a cold virus; more research needs to be done but it is thought that stress hormones interfere with immune function in some way.

To help yourself, eat a healthy, whole food, if possible, organic diet that gives you plenty of immune boosting nutrients found in fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, oily fish and whole grains. You may also want to supplement with vitamin C (as ascorbate, not ascorbic acid) with bio flavonoids and some herbs (e.g. echinacea) that can boost your immunity and help you cope better with stress.

Twitchy legs

If you get pins and needles or cramps in your legs or an irresistible urge to move them you may be suffering from restless leg syndrome that is estimated to affect around one in twenty people regularly and tends to occur when you are tired or stressed. The exact cause is unknown but it may be due to a form of nerve irritation that is linked with a lack of iron, magnesium and folic acid in your diet.

To help yourself, increase your intake of foods rich in magnesium, (leafy green vegetables and whole grains) iron (parsley and pulses) and folic acid (vegetables and whole grains). Smoking and drinking alcohol seem to make restless legs worse so avoiding them will help. During the day it is also worthwhile doing exercises to stretch your leg muscles and a warm bath before bed with a few drops of rosemary essential oil will ease stress and prevent the likelihood of attacks during the night. Magnesium is a muscle relaxant and can be helpful in supplement form as magnesium malate.

Keep forgetting things

When you are feeling stressed or anxious the first thing to go is often your ability to concentrate and your memory. High levels of the stress hormone cortisol can limit the amount of glucose sent to the memory centre in your brain (hippocampus). Even short periods of intense stress can have a negative impact on brain function but the good news is that all the effects are reversible when cortisol levels are reduced.

To help yourself, keep your brain as active as possible because the more you stretch your brain the better it works. Keep your brain busy by reading demanding books or doing puzzles that require you to concentrate. You should also increase your intake of foods rich in thiamine (vitamin B1) such as brewer’s yeast, brown rice, whole grain bread and cereals. As well as thiamine other B vitamins and the minerals potassium, magnesium, calcium, iron and zinc are important for good memory function.

Eating more fish or supplementing with fish oils will certainly help as they contain phosphatidycholine that helps boost memory function. Finally, you may want to consider taking the herb ginkgo biloba which can improve blood flow to the brain and improve memory and concentration.

Loss of libido

In general stress dampens libido. This may be because higher levels of cortisol interfere with the healthy function of reproductive hormones and also because (most sex therapists agree that sex begins in the head) when you are feeling anxious and unsettled sex is probably the last thing on your mind.

To help yourself, deal with common place stresses by checking out my top ten stress busting tips. It’s also important to eat healthily. Vitamins A and B, essential fats and the minerals zinc and selenium are all crucial for libido and exercise helps too, by boosting your mood and your body image.

There are also numerous herbal treatments that are thought to help increase sexual desire and these include agnus castus, damiana, dong quai, siberian ginseng, for women, and saw palmetto and St John’s Wort for men. Finally, aromatherapists believe that certain scents can have an aphrodisiac effect. Jasmine, rose, sandalwood and vanilla can be uplifting and sensual if used in a bath or as a massage oil.

Note: If you want to take herbs make sure you are not taking any medication that can cause the herbs to be contraindicated.

1. Early morning snoozes can actually make you more tired. Have you ever hit the snooze button on the alarm clock at least a dozen times at the start of your day, vowing to sleep for five more minutes only? This technique of sleeping briefly will not give you more energy, but will actually make you drowsier. When the alarm clock goes off, sit up slowly, breathe deeply, and gradually get yourself out of bed. A stress-free day begins the moment you wake up, so don’t stress your body first thing in the morning.
2. Coffee, or any form of caffeine, will actually stress your body if you take too much at the beginning of your day. Research shows that coffee works in small, frequent doses, so if you must drink coffee, drink smaller servings every few hours. A large cup or two at breakfast will actually make you sluggish, and you may have a harder time keeping your concentration. You could try switching to apples. Eating apples at the beginning of your day can pep you up and keep you alert, and they are healthier fare than coffee, too.
3. Don’t skip meals. Stress can make your body more susceptible to illness, and skipping meals will make you sicker than ever. If you have a hard time staying awake at your desk, bring healthy snacks with you, such as carrot sticks or celery sticks, so that you can snack while you work. This tip works for dieters as well: studies show that smaller food portions taken at more frequent intervals can actually help you lose weight.
4. Don’t underestimate the power of exercise. If your office has a gym, take advantage of the proximity and do a few minutes of exercise at the end of each day. Exercise releases endorphins, which can increase your energy and makes you feel better about yourself. Stress will make you feel lethargic and dull, feelings that exercise can help ease.
5. Engage in as much human contact as you can. Don’t stress yourself out if people keep interrupting you: human contact can actually help you relax and get your mind off your tasks. It can also help you think out of the box, and allow you to find solutions to your problems or dilemmas.
6. Get a good night’s sleep: Sleep is essential to your health and wellbeing and your ability to cope with the stresses of daily life. Lack of sleep not only raises stress hormones but research shows that it also interferes with blood sugar levels and increases your risk of depression.
7. Vitamins and minerals: The adrenals rely on vitamin C, vitamin B, zinc and magnesium to make hormones and function well, and these are rapidly decreased when you’re under stress. So support your adrenal glands by eating a healthy balanced diet with lots of fruit and vegetables and whole grains and take a good multivitamin and mineral every day with an extra vitamin C supplement.
8. Deal with short term stress, such as sitting in heavy traffic, with simple relaxation techniques such as tensing your muscles and relaxing them or deep breathing to a count of ten. Other techniques for short term stress include stretching, talking with friends, drinking calming herbal teas like chamomile or lemon balm, having a good laugh, stroking your pet, day dreaming about relaxing places you’ve been to or hugging some one you love.
9. Research has shown that massage can help lower blood pressure, improve breathing, boost mood and wellbeing and aid circulation. Some experts believe that massage helps the brain produce endorphins, the chemicals that act as natural painkillers. The sense of well-being you get from a massage can lower the amount of stress hormones circulating in your body. Yoga is also a great stress reducer with studies suggesting that it can help prevent depression. MIND, the UK’s leading mental health charity recommends yoga as the single most effective stress buster. Meditation is another good way to deal with mental and physical stress.
10. Set aside time to relax every day no matter what and try not to be a perfectionist. The housework can wait, the phone can ring without you always answering it and if the kids are screaming, putting them to bed half an hour earlier so you can get some much needed relaxation isn’t going to hurt. If you’re tired give yourself a break — you deserve it.

Remember, you can fight stress by keeping yourself healthy, and by allowing your body a bit of rest every time it gets tired. As long as you manage your time wisely, eat the right foods, and sleep well, you don’t need to be stressed out about the ill effects of stress.

According to a study by Japanese scientists, sniffing lavender or rosemary oil for just five minutes a day can reduce levels of a harmful stress hormone called cortisol.

It is known to cause oxidative stress, a destructive process that damages healthy cells. In the latest study, researchers at Meikal University, Japan, recruited 22 healthy volunteers and took saliva samples to test for a range of substances including cortisol.

Each one had to spend five minutes inhaling lavender or rosemary oil before the tests were repeated. The results in the Journal of Psychiatry Research showed a sharp drop in cortisol levels after sniffing the oil.