चिंता

Stress keeps cortisol high at night, which leads to poor sleep. Poor sleep makes the brain's alarm more reactive, which feeds anxiety. Anxiety makes small worries feel bigger, which adds to stress. Breaking any one link helps the others.

Stress vs anxiety. Cause: stress is a response to a pressure you can name; anxiety is worry that continues without a clear trigger. How long: stress usually eases when the pressure passes; anxiety can last after it has gone. How it feels: stress feels like overwhelm, tension and irritability; anxiety feels like dread, unease and “what if”. What helps: for stress, solving or reducing the pressure; for anxiety, calming the alarm itself. Both share the same stress-hormone system.