Stress and burnout

Stress is how your body and mind react to a demand or a threat. The cause can be a one-time event, like a fall or a hard doctor visit. Or it can keep coming back for months, like money trouble, a long illness, or caring for someone you love.¹

A little stress can help you rise to a challenge. But stress that never lets up can wear down your sleep, your mood and your health. This page explains the basics and points you to our pages on burnout, the body, and coping skills.

What stress is

When you face a threat, your body releases stress hormones. Your heart beats faster, your muscles tense and you become more alert.² This is useful when you need to brake hard in traffic or move quickly out of danger.

Doctors often talk about two kinds of stress:²

Stress and anxiety are close cousins. Stress is a reaction to something outside you. Anxiety is your body's stress reaction that can keep going even when there is no current threat.¹ If worry stays with you most days, see our page on anxiety.

How common is stress?

Stress is very common in the United States. In a 2025 national survey of about 3,200 adults, 3 in 4 people said they feel more stressed about the country's future than they used to.⁵ More than half said they often or sometimes feel isolated. About 7 in 10 said they needed more emotional support in the past year than they got.⁵

Stress and loneliness often go together. In that same survey, people who felt very lonely were far more likely to report feeling sad, anxious, tired or having headaches.⁵ Read more on loneliness.

Family caregivers carry a heavy load. About 63 million Americans, nearly 1 in 4 adults, care for a family member or friend. About 1 in 5 caregivers rate their own health as fair or poor. Nearly half have had at least one major money impact, such as debt.⁷

Signs that stress is building up

Stress shows up in the body, the mind and in what you do. Common signs include:^2,3

• Body: headaches, a stiff neck or jaw, aches and pains, an upset stomach, low energy
• Sleep: trouble falling or staying asleep, nightmares, or sleeping too much
• Feelings: worry, anger, sadness, frustration, or feeling numb
• Thinking: forgetfulness, trouble focusing or making decisions
• Habits: eating more or less, drinking more alcohol, or using medicines to relax
• Health: a chronic illness or mental health problem getting worse

In later life, stress can come from health changes, the loss of a spouse or friends, money worries, or caring for a partner. Forgetfulness from stress can feel scary. If memory problems keep happening, talk with your doctor so they can check for other causes.

What stress does to your body

Short bursts of stress hormones are harmless for most people. The problem is when they stay high for a long time. Over time, chronic stress raises the risk of high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes, weight gain, depression and anxiety. It can also make existing health problems worse.²

Stress can affect the heart in two ways. It may raise blood pressure directly. It can also push people toward habits that hurt the heart, such as smoking, overeating, less exercise, and skipping prescribed medicines.⁸ Experts are still studying exactly how stress leads to heart disease and stroke.⁸

Long-lasting stress can also affect sleep, digestion and the immune system (the body's defense against germs).¹ This is why rest and recovery time matter so much.

For the full picture, read What stress does to the body.

Burnout: when stress wears you out

The World Health Organization (WHO) describes burnout as a result of chronic workplace stress that has not been managed well. It has three parts:⁴

1. Feeling drained of energy or exhausted
2. Feeling distant from your job, or negative and cynical about it
3. Feeling less effective at your work

WHO calls burnout an "occupational phenomenon," not a medical illness. It uses the word only for work, not for other parts of life.⁴ Still, many family caregivers describe the same worn-out feeling. We cover that on caregiver burnout and caregiver stress in dementia.

The workplace itself plays a big role. A 2022 U.S. Surgeon General framework says healthy workplaces protect workers from harm, allow enough rest, offer flexible and predictable schedules, and help people feel they matter.¹¹ Burnout is not a personal weakness.

Learn the signs and the road back on our burnout page.

What helps

You cannot remove all stress from life. But you can lower it and recover from it better. Different things work for different people, so it may take some trial and error.¹

Our page Coping skills that work explains two kinds of coping. One kind tackles the problem itself. The other kind calms your feelings when the problem cannot be changed. It also covers worry time, asking for support, and saying no. You can also build your own calm plan.

For caregivers: Take regular breaks before you are completely worn out. A family member, a paid aide for a few hours a week, or an adult day program can give you time off.⁶ Ask for help with specific tasks. Small requests are easier for people to say yes to.⁶ See respite care and setting boundaries.

More in this section

• Burnout: the WHO definition, warning signs, work factors, and recovery
• What stress does to the body: the stress response, cortisol, sleep, heart and immune effects, and why recovery time matters
• Coping skills that work: problem-focused and emotion-focused coping, breathing, worry time, support, and saying no

In this section

When to get help

Stress is not something you have to manage alone. Talk with a doctor, counselor or other health professional if:^1,2

• Stress feels too much to handle, or it is hurting your health
• You cannot work or keep up at home
• Symptoms do not go away, or you start avoiding activities
• You have new or unusual symptoms
• You have panic symptoms, such as a racing heart, fast breathing or dizziness
• You have fears you cannot control, or upsetting memories of a frightening event

Ongoing stress can grow into an anxiety disorder or depression. Both are treatable with talk therapy, medicine, or both.¹ Our check-in can help you put your feelings into words before a visit. To find care, see How to find a therapist or our help page.

Education only. This page is general information written from the sources listed. It is not medical, legal or financial advice and does not replace a doctor, therapist or lawyer who knows your situation. How we write and check pages.