How Trauma Shows Up in the Body
After a traumatic event, the body's stress response can stay switched on. Federal health sources describe physical reactions such as trouble sleeping, a racing heart, sweating, being jumpy and easily startled, headaches, and stomach or digestive problems. These reactions are common and often ease with time. When they persist, treatment can help.
Key points
Fear triggers a fight-or-flight response that raises alertness, heart rate, blood pressure and breathing.
Common physical reactions after trauma include sleep trouble, startling easily, a pounding heart, headaches and stomach upset.
These reactions lessen over time for most people.
Physical symptoms can have medical causes, so tell your doctor about them as well.
If symptoms do not improve or interfere with daily life, professional help is recommended.
Why does trauma cause physical symptoms?
When you are in danger, your body reacts before you have time to think. MedlinePlus, from the National Library of Medicine, explains that fear sets off a fight-or-flight response. It is the body's way of protecting itself, and it changes certain hormone levels and increases alertness, heart rate, blood pressure and breathing.
That response is useful in the moment. The difficulty comes when it keeps firing after the danger has passed. The VA National Center for PTSD notes that traumatic events can create a high level of arousal, which is why so many reactions to trauma are felt in the body and not only in thoughts.
What physical symptoms are common after a traumatic event?
The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) and the VA National Center for PTSD both list physical reactions among the common responses to trauma:
Difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep, and feeling very tired
A racing or pounding heart, rapid breathing, or feeling shaky
Sweating
Being very jumpy and easily startled, especially by sudden noises
Headaches, including severe headaches when thinking about the event
Stomach pain, stomach upset, digestive issues, or trouble eating
Ongoing medical problems getting worse
How does trauma affect sleep?
Sleep is one of the first things to change. The VA explains that both insomnia and nightmares are symptoms of PTSD. Nightmares are often a replay of the traumatic event, and they can make it hard to fall back asleep.
Daytime habits play a part. According to the VA, trying to push away trauma memories during the day may cause worries to get worse at night and disrupt sleep. Some people with PTSD avoid going to sleep altogether.
Sleep problems are treatable. The VA calls cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia, known as CBT-I, the best treatment for insomnia, and notes that research shows it also reduces how many nightmares people have. Ask a provider whether it is available to you.
Why do I feel jumpy, tense and on guard after trauma?
NIMH groups these under arousal and reactivity symptoms: being easily startled, feeling tense, on guard or on edge, having difficulty concentrating, and feeling irritable. The VA describes the same pattern as feeling on guard and alert all the time.
People describe this in everyday terms. A door slams and your whole body reacts. You sit facing the exit. You cannot settle in a crowded store. These can be signs that your alarm system is still set for danger. They are not signs of weakness.
Flashbacks can also be physical. NIMH notes that reliving the event can include a racing heart or sweating. For the full list of symptom groups and how timing fits in, see PTSD symptoms after a traumatic event.
Can trauma cause headaches, stomach problems and pain?
Headaches and stomach complaints appear on both the NIMH and VA lists of responses to trauma. NIMH adds that physical responses like these may mean a person needs help.
The link with long-term pain runs in both directions. The VA says that when someone has chronic pain and PTSD, each condition can make the other worse. Pain can act as a reminder of the trauma, and both can disrupt sleep.
Physical symptoms deserve a medical check. A headache or stomach problem can have causes that have nothing to do with stress, so tell your doctor what you are noticing as well as your therapist.
What the sources do not say
The sources we reviewed describe a stress response involving the whole body: alertness, heart rate, breathing and sleep.
They do not say that trauma is stored in a particular muscle, organ or tissue.
They do not support diagnosing trauma from a physical symptom alone.
What helps when trauma affects your body?
Time helps many people. NIMH says most people will recover from these symptoms and that their reactions will lessen over time. It also suggests healthy ways of coping:
Try to maintain routines for meals, exercise and sleep. Spend time with trusted friends and relatives who are supportive. Avoid using alcohol or drugs. Use exercise, mindfulness or other activities that help reduce stress.
NIMH advises seeking professional help if symptoms do not improve over time or begin to interfere with daily life. Our article on signs you may benefit from trauma therapy can help you weigh that. For chronic pain, the VA notes that trauma-focused talk therapy alone may improve pain-related functioning. One trauma-focused option is described in what is EMDR therapy.
How Balanced Life can help
Balanced Life Counseling Services offers trauma therapy and anxiety therapy in Salisbury and Bethesda, in person and by telehealth. Therapy does not replace medical care, and we encourage you to keep your doctor informed about physical symptoms.
If your body has not felt settled since something happened, contact us to set up a first appointment. If you are in crisis, call or text 988 or call 911. Our office does not provide emergency services.
Frequently asked questions
Can stress from trauma really cause physical symptoms?
Yes. NIMH and the VA National Center for PTSD both list physical reactions among common responses to trauma, including headaches, stomach and digestive problems, trouble sleeping, a racing heart, sweating and being easily startled. MedlinePlus explains these through the fight-or-flight response, which raises alertness, heart rate, blood pressure and breathing.
How long do physical symptoms last after a traumatic event?
It varies. NIMH says most people recover and that reactions lessen over time, without giving a set number of weeks. The VA suggests talking with a doctor or mental health provider if symptoms last longer than 4 weeks, cause great distress, or interfere with work or home life.
Should I see a doctor or a therapist for physical symptoms after trauma?
Often both. Physical symptoms can have medical causes, so a doctor should know about new or worsening headaches, stomach problems, pain or sleep trouble. A therapist can help with the stress response itself and the memories or worries driving it. Tell each of them what the other is working on with you.
Is trauma stored in the body?
That phrase is popular, but the federal health sources we reviewed do not describe trauma as stored in specific muscles, organs or tissues. What they describe is a stress response that affects the whole body, including sleep, heart rate, breathing and alertness, and that can continue after the danger is over. Those reactions are real and treatable.
Sources
If you are in crisis or thinking about suicide, call or text 988 (Suicide and Crisis Lifeline). In an emergency, call 911.