From the moment you awake, until you lay in bed, you are on the go. From work and other responsibilities to clubs and hobbies, you keep busy. Even if you’re at home relaxing, you have the TV on, are scrolling on your phone, and conversing with family members.
It’s an era of activity. Many have forgotten how to sit still and relax. You probably feel the constant need to be doing something at all times. Oftentimes, it’s a means of distracting your mind from its thoughts. Sometimes, you feel as if you are wasting time if you aren’t keeping busy.
Regardless of why, this constant activity can take its toll on your body. Read on to uncover three signs that your body is telling you to slow down.
1. Sleep Issues
Do you wake up tired, have insomnia, or feel fatigued throughout the day? Sleep issues like these are signs that you’re doing too much and need a day or two of rest. You may feel the need to stay busy and use your evenings to work on projects for a few extra hours. You may inadvertently interfere with your sleep time.
Take note of how many hours of sleep you get each night. It should be seven or eight hours nightly. Do you keep pushing your bedtime later and later in order to work, watch TV, or scroll on your phone? You could be making your daylight hours more difficult.
Plan a specific bedtime to ensure that you get a full night’s sleep and stick to this schedule.
You may have trouble shutting your brain off once you are in bed. Insomnia is a common complaint of people who are overworked. Try natural solutions to help you fall asleep and experience a deep sleep, like sleep gummies. Don’t use your bed for watching TV, playing on your phone, or eating either. Going to bed should cue your body that it’s the time and place for sleeping, and it’ll be better prepared to rest when it’s time.
2. Digestive Problems
Your gut has more neurotransmitters than your brain’s central nervous system. So, when the brain signals the flight or fight response, you often feel it in your stomach. Aches, heartburn, nausea, indigestion, constipation, or diarrhea are all symptoms associated with stress and overdoing it.
Constant stress and stomach problems become a cycle that is hard to break. Stress causes digestive issues, which in turn stresses you out, causing even more gastrointestinal problems.
Continuous stress or trauma can result in stomach conditions like irritable bowel syndrome. This chronic condition affects the large intestine. You may feel bloated, switch between constipation and diarrhea, and experience cramping and pain.
These symptoms can last for days or months and may come and go. They can be triggered by certain foods or appear with emotional stress.
You may also experience appetite changes when you’re overworked. You may feel less hungry or simply not have the time to eat. Or you may overeat, grabbing fast food meals that are unhealthy. You may gain weight or lose it when you are always on the go.
3. Sickness
Your nose is runny. Your throat is sore. You have a headache. Why are you sick again? If you keep getting the common cold, the flu, or other illnesses, you may be pushing yourself too hard. Working too hard, along with the associated chronic stress, can have a negative impact on your body and mind. You are at an increased risk not only for sickness but for cardiovascular disease, general aches and pains, depression, and anxiety.
If you’re working longer than a traditional work week of 40 hours, you may be doing greater damage to your body.
A study by the World Health Organization showed that working 55 hours a week can cause stroke and coronary artery disease. And this extra work time includes after-hours activities like checking emails, answering phone calls, and responding to your boss. If you’re unable to separate work from personal time, you could be at risk.
People with stressful jobs often have a hard time shutting off after a long work day. They may physically be at home, but they are thinking about that upcoming project or the confrontation with their supervisor. But it’s important to leave work at the office.
If you’re overworked, your body continues to create cortisol, which is a stress hormone. High cortisol levels lead to confusion, high blood pressure, and other health issues.
Take It Easy
You need to slow down, or your body will make you slow down – probably at a very inconvenient time. You could end up sick, with stomach problems, or feeling grumpy due to lack of sleep. And you could end up in the hospital with even more dire conditions. So take care of your body.
Cut your work hours to a manageable amount of time and protect your private time. Set a timer in the evening to remind you that it’s time for bed. Keep to your sleep schedule so that you get a full night’s sleep.
Reduce the amount of activities you do. Perhaps you can no longer exercise every day. Maybe you can’t meet your friend for tennis each week. You may need to drop out of book club or the PTA. Taking more time for yourself is not selfish. It’s self-care.
