How much stress do you typically experience? Discover your daily stress level with this stress test we prepared for you. Our quiz will help you find out how to reduce worry, anxiety, and stress and live a calmer, healthier life. 

What is stress?

We can define it as your body’s reaction to any change that demands action. When we encounter challenges (called stressors), our bodies create mental and physical responses. It’s called stress. It’s a normal human reaction that happens to us all. 

Stress isn’t always a bad thing. It helps us adjust to new situations and keeps us alert, watchful, and ready to take on the world. However, too much stress and not enough rest might be destructive for your overall health.

Discover what your stress level is now.

How does stress affect you?

Your whole body and all of its systems are significantly impacted by stress, especially long-term. 

Short-term stress causes your heart rate to rise quickly. It causes your heart muscle to start pumping more forcefully and your blood vessels to widen to allow greater blood flow. Your body starts to release stress chemicals. These vessels often enlarge for a longer time during chronic stress, which can have dangerous health implications like hypertension and heart disease.

You can see how much stress can affect your heart, and it’s only one of your many vital organs! Being stressed for a long time can also negatively influence your nervous system, your respiratory system, or even your reproductive system. 

Signs of stress

Pay attention to these physical symptoms of stress, should you ever observe them in yourself:

1. pain and aches in your chest, head, etc.
2. high blood pressure
3. muscle tension and clenching your jaw
4. digestive issues
5. not getting good sleep
6. decreased libido
7. feeling dizzy
8. weak immune system and getting sick more often than before
9. trembling, shaking, racing heartbeat
10. fatigue and exhaustion

Are you getting enough rest? See how well you sleep at night.

Stress can also cause these mental or behavioral symptoms:

1. anxiety and worry
2. changes in mood
3. panic attacks
4. depression
5. feeling angry and frustrated
6. turning to substance abuse to cope
7. not having time for self-care
8. eating too much or too little
9. gambling, overspending, and other compulsive behaviors

What causes stress?

Many external and internal factors can contribute to stress. External triggers include traumatic events such as the passing of someone you love, job loss, financial issues, problems within relationship, or even everyday life events. Internal stressors include feeling unworthy, hopeless, undervalued, low self-esteem, uncertain about the future, or not feeling loved. 

Some things can make dealing with stress more difficult, including:

1. chronic physical condition
2. mental health issues
3. poverty
4. living far away from your support system (family, friends)
5. living in an unsafe environment
6. taking care of a child on your own (single parent) or an unwell/disabled family member

Poor health can contribute to stress levels. Check how healthy you are!

How to deal with stress?

Here are some tips to help you build resilience to stress:

1. find time for self-care and relaxation
2. don’t be to hard on yourself
3. engage in your hobbies
4. make to-do lists to better organize your time
5. reflect on your stress triggers
6. reach out to a professional for help

Vacations are a wonderful way to decompress from stress. Find out where should you go for the next vacation.

Exercise stress test – types of stress test

What is the exercise stress test? We can also call it an exercise test, heart stress test, or a treadmill test. It is used to gauge your heart’s response to physical activity. It can help healthcare professionals determine how well your heart handles stress.

The test exercise generally involves walking on a treadmill (starting slow and then picking up tempo) or pedaling on a stationary bike. A subject gets hooked up to appropriate equipment. It allows a doctor to monitor the patient’s heart rhythm, blood pressure, respiration, and how tired they are.

How long does a stress test take and what does it show?

The test should take about an hour. The exercise part only takes around 15 minutes. If you don’t feel well, you’re allowed to stop the examination.

The test tells medical professionals if your heart functions correctly. It can reveal coronary heart disease. This test can pinpoint the parts of your heart that aren’t receiving enough blood or have uneven rhythm. It might also evaluate your health level and help the doctor pick the right exercise plan for you. 

The exercise test is just one of the stress test types. Another type of stress test is the pharmacologic stress test or pharmacological stress test. It uses medicine to make a patient’s heart work as it works during physical activity. Its intended use is for people who can’t exercise. 

Nuclear cardiac stress test uses a small amount of radioactive material, called a tracer, to create images of a subject’s heart. A special camera takes pictures of blood flowing through the heart during physical activity. It can also be called a thallium stress test. 

Take a peek at the rest of our quizzes.

Are you ready for your test? Take the survey we created for you to find out how stressed out you are. Answer the questions and take it easy!