WARNING: The Embarrassing Bodies website contains images of an explicit medical nature and nudity in a medical context.

Embarrassing Bodies Live from..., 8:00pm Tuesday 22nd May 2012 on Channel 4. Catch up for free on 4oD »

Conditions

Stress

Whether you’re the school kid who’s revised for the wrong exam, the driver stuck in traffic with a plane to catch or Tony Blair realising that no weapons of mass destruction are ever going to materialise, we’ve all felt stress at some point in our lives (with the possible exception of Judith Chalmers). Stress is that feeling we get when under pressure or in an intense environment. It might be an increasing workload that causes it or a simple trip on the tube at peak time either way you really don’t want too much of it. Whilst a little bit of stress can boost your enthusiasm and help you got that extra mile to achieve your goals too much of it over a prolonged period can cause some seriously negative effects on your health. Stress is actually the main cause of mental health conditions such as anxiety and depression but can also lead to a whole host of more noticeable symptoms including body odour, erectile dysfunction, bad skin, dandruff and psoriasis as well as anger, loss of appetite and difficulty sleeping. Additionally stress is one of the main causes of sexual dysfunction. Stress isn’t simply an abstract concept; we can measure it by the quantities of stress hormones in the body such as cortisol and adrenaline which get released when we’re in high pressure situations. Whilst for most of us stress will subside as deadlines are met and situations resolved some may need to consider counselling, stress management or medication to help them through.

What the Men in White Coats Say

Comments and Questions

The EB doctors have been looking at your comments and have answered some of the common questions below. Remember that it is always best to check with a health professional if you have any concerns about your health.

You can share your experiences and thoughts with other Embarrassing Bodies site-users below. Comments & Questions are reviewed by moderators, but if you see anything on the site that worries you, please report it and one of our moderators will look at it as soon as possible.
Please note: Unfortunately Channel 4 cannot respond to individual inquiries. If you have any concerns, you can check out NHS Choices, but ultimately it is always best to check with a health professional.

I am 36 years old and have one 4year old daughter. I have missed 3 periods in a row, and all pregnancy tests come back as negative. My GP has taken blood tests and has ruled out early menopause and thyroid issues, and also tests show I am not pregnant. What could be the reason for this, I am keen to start trying for baby number two, and wonder what's going on.





This will be published. Surnames, nicknames or usernames are not allowed


Your email address will be kept confidential and will NOT be published – it is only being collected here in case Channel 4 need to contact you in relation to your comment.


Please don’t swear or be rude in your comments, as they will not be added to the site. Please do not use your full name when posting comments. If in doubt, refer to the community guidelines

By posting on this website you are agreeing to abide by our community guidelines

Hi im 27 and had a lot of life changes about a year and a half ago including getting married and relocating etc. When we were first married i sometimes had difficulty sleeping because of my husbands breathing but since then i can't deal with listening to him breathing so much so that me and my husband don't sleep together at night. I really don't know what to do about it any more iv tried calms and herbal remedies and iv tried sleeping pills but don't want to be on them forever! Anyone one got any suggestions?





This will be published. Surnames, nicknames or usernames are not allowed


Your email address will be kept confidential and will NOT be published – it is only being collected here in case Channel 4 need to contact you in relation to your comment.


Please don’t swear or be rude in your comments, as they will not be added to the site. Please do not use your full name when posting comments. If in doubt, refer to the community guidelines

By posting on this website you are agreeing to abide by our community guidelines

Hello, I'm just needing some advice/help please?... Well for a while now I've been thinking that I'm depressed, I've not Suicidal or anything but yeah, (I'm 16 male and living just with my mam) lately there has been family problems happening (deaths and prision sentences) and gcse's, relationships/sexuality, ect and its got on top of me... I've also started to smoke due to this and been crying with it for no reason:/ I honestly haven't got a clue what to do...





This will be published. Surnames, nicknames or usernames are not allowed


Your email address will be kept confidential and will NOT be published – it is only being collected here in case Channel 4 need to contact you in relation to your comment.


Please don’t swear or be rude in your comments, as they will not be added to the site. Please do not use your full name when posting comments. If in doubt, refer to the community guidelines

By posting on this website you are agreeing to abide by our community guidelines

I used to be like this. I had family problems, my a-levels not turning out as I hoped and I've had several deaths over the past few years and I turned to binge drinking instead of smoking. I kept it bottled up and finally let them all go on my form tutor and most other teachers in my college as-well as my mother :L I got took to the doctors because of a suspected hormonal imbalance and it turned out I had severe depression. It could of been sorted sooner if I had admitted what I felt. You, like me, clearly need to get it diagnosed. Trust me; once you find out what you have, you feel a lot better. I got put on Citalopram and it helps me get through the day. Hopefully when you get sorted it will help you. all the best.

I am 25 years old I have a 3 year old soon and been throug a lot over the last 18 months for the past 6 months I have been obcessing that I am going to die and leave my son behind! I started having panic attacks constant lump in throat knots in my neck shooting pains in my head! The problems stopped around 3 weeks ago and now I have a swollen patc on the roof of my mouth it gets worse as the day goes on! I have been to the docs so many times and they put this down to stress and anxiety but I find it so hard to believe! I am not unwell bit I know these problem are not in my head and iv run out of ideas how to help them go away! IS THIS JUST ME???? x





This will be published. Surnames, nicknames or usernames are not allowed


Your email address will be kept confidential and will NOT be published – it is only being collected here in case Channel 4 need to contact you in relation to your comment.


Please don’t swear or be rude in your comments, as they will not be added to the site. Please do not use your full name when posting comments. If in doubt, refer to the community guidelines

By posting on this website you are agreeing to abide by our community guidelines

I have dry flakey skin on my face and scalp. I have tried various lotions, creams etc but nothing seems to work. It's not horrendous, but it does concern me and affacts my confidence. I use a PH balanced face wash, but the dryness shows most just after washing. I eat a fairly balanced diet and and take good care of my self. It does seem to be seasonal and is worse in the colder months, but eases in the warmer months. I have had the condition for a number of years now and just won't go away. I would appreciate any advice could give me.





This will be published. Surnames, nicknames or usernames are not allowed


Your email address will be kept confidential and will NOT be published – it is only being collected here in case Channel 4 need to contact you in relation to your comment.


Please don’t swear or be rude in your comments, as they will not be added to the site. Please do not use your full name when posting comments. If in doubt, refer to the community guidelines

By posting on this website you are agreeing to abide by our community guidelines

Since I was young iv been told I sometimes grind me teeth in my sleep and never really had a big problem with this. But in the last year iv been told by my partner that it has become worse, most mornings I wake up with a very sore jaw. I am worried that its going to cause big problems in the future but what can I do as I do it in my sleep and cant stop it. Any ideas?





This will be published. Surnames, nicknames or usernames are not allowed


Your email address will be kept confidential and will NOT be published – it is only being collected here in case Channel 4 need to contact you in relation to your answer.


Please don't swear or be rude in your answers, as they will not be added to the site. Please do not use your full name when posting answers. If in doubt, refer to the community guidelines

Questions submitted to the site will be answered by other site users, not by medical professionals, so if you have a medical concern, please book an appointment with your GP.

By posting on this website you are agreeing to abide by our community guidelines

I came off the pill 3 months ago and since then I haven't been able to sleep properly. I keep waking up even with my husband's breathing (not snoring) or any small noise.. I feel very anxious and restless, I have also tried calm pills, doctor Bach flower remedy, relaxing music, etc and still no sleep for me. The only way I can sleep is if I take sleeping pills but I don't want to be dependant on them. Is there any other way to solve my problem please?? Thx





This will be published. Surnames, nicknames or usernames are not allowed


Your email address will be kept confidential and will NOT be published – it is only being collected here in case Channel 4 need to contact you in relation to your comment.


Please don’t swear or be rude in your comments, as they will not be added to the site. Please do not use your full name when posting comments. If in doubt, refer to the community guidelines

By posting on this website you are agreeing to abide by our community guidelines

Hi I am 13 years old and I am stressed all the time. Ive Had panic attacks for over a year now and have been to see my doctor and has said they are only little so dont worry to much. But I worry over things like what if i have no friends by tomorrow what if everyone is going to hate me. Tests and things like what if something bads going to happen tomorrow. and i know this sounds silly but also things like getting bullied,slagged and just feeling unwanted im just feeling extremley stressed.





This will be published. Surnames, nicknames or usernames are not allowed


Your email address will be kept confidential and will NOT be published – it is only being collected here in case Channel 4 need to contact you in relation to your comment.


Please don’t swear or be rude in your comments, as they will not be added to the site. Please do not use your full name when posting comments. If in doubt, refer to the community guidelines

By posting on this website you are agreeing to abide by our community guidelines

Hi I am 34 I have bald patches on my hair there big ones too one goes from the middle of my head to the bottom and feels like it's getting bigger. I try not to wash my hair to often as loads end up falling out does anyone know why it's falling out?





This will be published. Surnames, nicknames or usernames are not allowed


Your email address will be kept confidential and will NOT be published – it is only being collected here in case Channel 4 need to contact you in relation to your comment.


Please don’t swear or be rude in your comments, as they will not be added to the site. Please do not use your full name when posting comments. If in doubt, refer to the community guidelines

By posting on this website you are agreeing to abide by our community guidelines

hello iam 49 and i have had anxiety now since august last year it all started from when we lost my father in law to cancer everytime i get something wrong with me i think its something serious i have been the doctors and he just says its anxiety and gave me libruim on which makes me very drowsey so i cant take them because of having to drive for work i now have a pain in my back and this just come on me after being sat down doing my hair the pain is not waking me up at night but hurts on movement and when i try to bend or stand up i just want to go back to how i was happy and stress free with no health anxieties





This will be published. Surnames, nicknames or usernames are not allowed


Your email address will be kept confidential and will NOT be published – it is only being collected here in case Channel 4 need to contact you in relation to your comment.


Please don’t swear or be rude in your comments, as they will not be added to the site. Please do not use your full name when posting comments. If in doubt, refer to the community guidelines

By posting on this website you are agreeing to abide by our community guidelines

hello i am 22 years old and i to suffer from anxiety well at least thats what i thimk it is. it really frightens me i feel lke some times i am going to pass out. i have suufered with this for nearly 2 years now i dont no how to stop this happening to me i feel like i cant breath constantly feel like i have lump in my throat and occasionally i feel the need to make myself sick its really getting me down to the point were i feel as though i cant work my family dont really help me they just tell me to stop been daft. i dont really get stressed so it cant be from that i just really need some help and support i feel like am going to drop down dead thats how scary it is for me.





This will be published. Surnames, nicknames or usernames are not allowed


Your email address will be kept confidential and will NOT be published – it is only being collected here in case Channel 4 need to contact you in relation to your comment.



Please don’t swear or be rude in your comments, as they will not be added to the site. Please do not use your full name when posting comments. If in doubt, refer to the community guidelines

By posting on this website you are agreeing to abide by our community guidelines

It looks like no one else has asked this question, so please fill in the rest of your details below.





This will be published. Surnames, nicknames or usernames are not allowed


Your email address will be kept confidential and will NOT be published – it is only being collected here in case Channel 4 need to contact you in relation to your answer.



Please don't swear or be rude in your questions, as they will not be added to the site. Please do not use your full name when posting questions. If in doubt, refer to the community guidelines

Questions submitted to the site will be answered by other site users, not by medical professionals, so if you have a medical concern, please book an appointment with your GP.

By posting on this website you are agreeing to abide by our community guidelines


Important Notice

The information provided on this website (including any NHS Choices medical information) is for use as information or for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical care by a qualified doctor or other qualified healthcare professional. We do not warrant that any information included within this site will meet your health or medical requirements. This Embarrassing Bodies site does not provide any medical or diagnostic services so you should always check with a health professional if you have any concerns about your health.


If you want to embed our videos in your site, read our embedding T&Cs here


More Information

  1. Quick Health Advice: Stress Incontinence

    In Videos - Dr Harper discusses stress incontinence and what can be done to sto…

  2. Consultation: Urinary Incontinence

    In Videos - Dr Jessen meets a woman whose problem bladder is ruling her life, b…

  3. Consultation: Painful Penis

    In Videos - Dr Jessen treats a patient whose pleasures in life have been severe…

  4. Episode 5

    In Episodes - Episode 5 featured conditions as diverse as Gynaecomastia (that's m…

  5. Consultation: Prostate Cancer

    In Videos - Dr Jessen treats a patient whose Prostate Cancer has worsened in re…

  6. Doctor Responses: Blushing

    In Videos - Dr Dawn Harper casts her expert eye over your most common queries.

  7. Doctor Responses: Female Sexual Dysfunction

    In Videos - Dr Dawn frankly and honestly answers your questions about female se…

  8. Episode 6 - Erectile Dysfunction

    In Episodes - This week's episode includes a man whose erectile dysfunction has h…

  9. Episode 2 - London

    In Episodes - This week's Embarrassing Bodies takes on the capital as the mobile…

  10. Doctor Responses: Alopecia and Hair Loss

    In Videos - Your most common questions about alopecia, answered by the EB doctors.

  11. Doctor Responses: Erectile Dysfunction

    In Videos - Dr Christian tackles erectile dysfunction head-on, answering lots o…

  12. Consultation: Verrucas

    In Videos - Dr McKenna examines two patients with severe outbreaks of verrucas

  13. Consultation: Mole Check-Up

    In Videos - Dr Harper examines a patient's moles

  14. Dr Pixie McKenna

    In Videos - Find out more about Dr Pixie McKenna

  15. Dr Christian Jessen

    In Videos - Find out more about Dr Christian Jessen


More Information

Content supplied by NHS Choices

Stress affects different people in different ways, and everyone has a different method of dealing with it. Read More »

Be On Embarrassing Bodies

The clinic is opening again for a new series.
Apply for Embarrassing Bodies >