12 Signs You're Unhealthy

12 Signs You're Unhealthy That You Probably Ignore (But Shouldn't) By Dr. Lissa Rankin

 

You sleep poorly.

As I wrote about in 10 Signs You Have WAY Too Much Cortisol, the stress hormone cortisol is supposed to drop at night, allowing your body to rest and recharge. When you suffer from insomnia, it’s often because your cortisol levels are revved up at night as a result of too many “fight-or-flight” stress responses in your body.  As I explain in detail in my book Mind Over Medicine: Scientific Proof That You Can Heal Yourself, when your stress response is turned on, your body’s natural self-repair mechanisms get flipped off. Then BINGO. You get sick.

To sleep better, read 10 Fun Ways To Reduce Your Cortisol Levels.

You're getting shorter.

Strange. The doctor just measured you two years ago. You used to be 5’ 7.” Now you’re 5’ 6 ½.” Why are you shrinking? It’s probably because your bones are starting to degenerate as a result of osteoporosis. Aging doesn’t have to mean bone loss. It’s possible to have healthy bones your whole life, so if you’re losing stature, your bones may be whispering to you, and if you don’t take measures to make your bones healthier, you could wind up with a hip fracture or a humpback.  

To protect your bones, make sure you’re getting enough natural calcium, vitamin D, weight bearing exercise, and—the one most doctors won’t prescribe—relaxation responses, which can help your bones strengthen themselves! (To activate your relaxation responses, download a free guided meditation here.

You're "apple-shaped."

Overweight people tend to fall into two categories: (1) “apples,” who carry their extra weight around the waist and belly, and (2) “pears,” who carry their weight around the hips and thighs. While being overweight is one of the body’s whispers of poor health either way, apple-shaped individuals are at higher risk of heart disease than pear-shaped people.

You're always tired.

Sure, your fatigue might be the result of burning the midnight oil and then getting up early for CrossFit or child care. You could be tired because your thyroid isn’t functioning properly, your adrenal glands are burned out, or your body is exhausted from expending all your resources trying to protect you from the toxic overload you’re bombarding your system with because of processed foods, cigarettes, alcohol, or environmental exposures. 
Even more commonly, you could be wiped out because your stress responses are flipped on all the time — and your self-repair mechanisms are in overdrive, trying to protect you from infection, cancer, and a whole host of other serious illnesses. Sometimes chronic fatigue is the only symptom that your nervous system is stuck in chronic, repetitive stress response — the whisper that precedes your body’s rebel yell. 

So don’t dismiss exhaustion. Paying attention to your fatigue just might save your life.

Your urine is dark yellow.

Hydration is essential to maintaining a healthy body, and when you’re well hydrated, your urine should be almost completely clear. If you peer into the toilet and see a lot of yellow, you’re probably not drinking enough fluids. Remember, caffeinated or alcoholic beverages are dehydrating, not hydrating, and sodas are full of chemicals, so stick to water, herbal or green tea, coconut water, or green juice.

You snore.

Snoring may be the only early sign of sleep apnea, a sleep disorder characterized by obstruction in the airways that can increase your risk of pulmonary hypertension and subsequent heart failure.

You're always anxious.

You might think anxiety is all in your head—and it certainly can be. As I write about in Mind Over Medicine, anxiety can start as a feeling in your mind that translates into the physiology of your body and predisposes you to diseases like heart disease. But sometimes, anxiety can go the other way. Anxious feelings can result from sex hormone imbalances, hyperthyroidism, adrenal tumors, and more. 

Not sure what’s causing your anxiety? Start by asking your inner wisdom what is causing you to feel anxious. Usually, anxiety is the result of areas of your life being out of alignment with your true self. (Learn more about how to assess your alignment with your true self here.) If you feel anxious for no reason at all, ask your doctor to test your hormones.

You only move your bowels once a day—or even every other day.

Healthy bowels move every time you eat a meal. It’s called the “gastro-colic reflex.” When you insert food into the digestive tract, healthy bowels move to eliminate  toxins and make room for new nutrition. Otherwise, you wind up… well…full of you-know-what. When you’re constipated, toxins in the body can seep through the lining of the bowel, enter the bloodstream, and cause inflammation, which can put you at risk of a whole host of body-yelling health conditions. Your potty is your friend, my dear!

You're always itchy.

It could just be allergies or some other benign skin disorder, but excessive itchiness may also be the only whisper your body gives you when you’re suffering from liver disease.

You catch every cold and flu.

We’re all exposed to viruses and bacteria every day, but a healthy individual should be able to fight off these pathogens the majority of the time. If you’re that person who catches every cold your friends have or gets sick every time your kids do, your immune system may not be functioning optimally, which can put you at risk not only of infectious diseases, but of life-threatening body yells like cancer. To help your body fight infection, download the free Self-Healing Kit, which includes the 10 Secrets To Healing Yourself ebook.

Your lips crack, especially at the corners of your mouth.

Cracked lips, also known as “cheilitis,” can signal adeficiency in B vitamins, especially vitamin B12, which can put you at risk ofillnesses like anemia. For a simple sourceof B12, mix up my favorite go-to snack—popcorn, olive oil, nutritional yeast,truffle salt, and cayenne pepper. (It’s the nutritional yeast that is a potentsource of B12. My BFF Tricia Barrett, who made up the recipe, calls it “popcorncrack!”)

Your skin is always breaking out.

If you have frequent outbreaks of acne, psoriasis, eczema, or other rashes, your health may be on the fritz. Your skin is the body’s largest organ of elimination, and if it’s acting up, your body may be trying to tell you something. Your skin may signal food or other allergies, but your skin is also very often a sign that your nervous system is in stress response. If you’re brave enough to identify what stressors might be underlying your skin breakout — and to write The Prescription for healing bringing your nervous system back into the relaxation response—you may notice that your skin clears up without Clearasil.