Stress Awareness Week | 2–6 November 2026
We often hear that stress can affect our health. But what does that actually mean? And when symptoms such as dizziness, fatigue, persistent pain or heart palpitations develop, how do we know whether stress is contributing or something else is happening?
During Stress Awareness Week, we're exploring the relationship between stress, the nervous system and physical health — and why understanding symptoms requires more than simply attributing them to stress.
Understanding Stress and the Autonomic Nervous System
The autonomic nervous system (ANS) plays an important role in regulating many of the body's automatic functions, including heart rate, blood pressure, digestion and temperature regulation.
It also helps us respond to changing physical and emotional demands.
Two important components are:
The sympathetic nervous system, which supports responses to challenges, including increases in cardiovascular activity and mobilisation of energy.
The parasympathetic nervous system, which contributes to functions such as digestion, cardiovascular regulation and recovery.
These systems are not simply opposing switches. They work together, adapting continuously to the body's needs.
When stress becomes persistent, it can influence sleep, pain sensitivity, fatigue, concentration and physical performance.
However, symptoms commonly attributed to stress may also arise from cardiovascular, neurological, vestibular, endocrine or other medical conditions.
Feeling dizzy, exhausted or experiencing palpitations does not automatically mean you're stressed or anxious. These symptoms deserve appropriate assessment, particularly when they are new, persistent or worsening.
Can Chronic Stress Contribute to Persistent Pain?
Stress and pain share complex relationships involving the brain, nervous system, immune responses and sensory processing.
Pain is not simply a measure of tissue damage. It is an experience influenced by multiple biological, psychological and social factors.
In some people with persistent pain, the nervous system may demonstrate altered processing of sensory information. This can contribute to increased sensitivity to movement, touch, sound or other stimuli.
This phenomenon is sometimes associated with central sensitisation, in which the central nervous system demonstrates increased responsiveness to sensory input.
Research involving Coelevate's Principal Chiropractor, Dr Nicole Quodling, has examined these relationships.
A 2024 systematic review explored trauma-related changes in brain connectivity and their potential association with central sensitisation syndromes.[1]
A subsequent 2025 systematic review examined altered sensory processing in medically unexplained pain syndromes, highlighting the importance of understanding how sensory function may contribute to persistent symptoms.[2]
These studies contribute to our understanding of the complex relationships between the brain, sensory processing and persistent pain. They do not establish that stress or trauma is the cause of an individual's symptoms.
The clinical implication is important: persistent pain deserves an individualised assessment rather than an assumption that there must be one underlying cause.
When Stress-Like Symptoms May Involve Autonomic Dysfunction
Some symptoms commonly associated with stress can overlap with those experienced by people with autonomic dysfunction, or dysautonomia.
These may include:
Dizziness or light-headedness when standing
Heart palpitations or changes in heart rate
Fatigue and reduced exercise tolerance
Difficulty concentrating or feeling mentally foggy
Temperature regulation difficulties
Gastrointestinal disturbances
For example, some people experience symptoms when moving from lying or sitting to standing. These may reflect difficulties with orthostatic regulation — the body's ability to maintain appropriate cardiovascular responses to changes in posture.
Conditions such as postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS) and orthostatic hypotension can produce symptoms that overlap with anxiety or stress responses.
Importantly, these symptoms are not sufficient to diagnose autonomic dysfunction. Appropriate clinical assessment, and sometimes medical investigation, is required.
Looking Beyond Symptoms: Our Approach at Coelevate
At Coelevate Chiropractic in Medindie Gardens, Adelaide, we are interested in how the nervous system, sensory processing, movement and physical function interact.
Rather than focusing exclusively on symptom intensity, we also consider how symptoms affect everyday activities, exercise, work and quality of life.
Depending on the clinical presentation, an individualised assessment and rehabilitation programme may include the following.
1. Orthostatic Heart Rate and Blood Pressure Assessment
When symptoms suggest postural intolerance, measuring heart rate and blood pressure during changes in posture may provide useful information.
These observations can help guide decisions about further assessment, rehabilitation or medical referral.
2. Balance, Vestibular and Proprioceptive Assessment
Dizziness and instability are not always related to stress.
The vestibular system, visual system and proprioceptive pathways work together to help us maintain balance and orient ourselves in space.
Where clinically indicated, assessment may explore how these systems contribute to dizziness, balance difficulties or movement intolerance.
3. Graded Movement and Functional Rehabilitation
Persistent pain and fatigue can make physical activity challenging.
Appropriately prescribed movement and exercise may help improve physical capacity, confidence and participation in meaningful activities.
Rehabilitation should be matched to the individual's presentation, current tolerance and goals, with progression guided by measurable outcomes rather than a rigid programme.
4. Photobiomodulation for Selected Pain Presentations
Photobiomodulation (PBM), sometimes referred to as low-level laser therapy, uses specific wavelengths of light as a therapeutic intervention.
At Coelevate, we use Erchonia GVL and EVRL equipment for selected clinical presentations.
A 2026 systematic review of randomised clinical trials identified potential benefits of photobiomodulation for some chronic pain conditions. However, findings varied across patient populations, treatment protocols and outcomes.[3]
PBM may be considered as an adjunct to broader management where clinically appropriate, rather than a stand-alone solution for persistent pain.
5. Non-Invasive Neuromodulation
Non-invasive neuromodulation is another area of clinical interest.
At Coelevate, VeRelief may be considered selectively as an adjunctive intervention following clinical assessment.
However, evidence for particular neuromodulation devices and their effectiveness across different conditions remains developing.
We do not regard these interventions as a proven general treatment for stress, nor as a simple method of switching the parasympathetic nervous system on.
Measuring What Matters: Function, Recovery and Quality of Life
There is growing interest in measuring autonomic function, heart rate variability and other physiological indicators of stress.
These measures can provide useful information in appropriate clinical contexts, but no single number captures the complexity of nervous system function or overall health.
At Coelevate, our focus is not on achieving a perfect autonomic balance score.
Instead, we ask:
What is limiting this person's daily activities?
Which factors may be contributing to their symptoms?
What can be measured reliably?
Which interventions are appropriate?
Is the person experiencing meaningful improvement in function and participation?
For one person, progress might mean being able to walk further without dizziness. For another, it might mean returning to exercise, tolerating everyday activities more comfortably or managing persistent pain more effectively.
Meaningful recovery is about improving function and participation, not simply changing a physiological measurement.
Stress Is Real. So Are the Symptoms.
Stress can influence how we feel, move, sleep and recover. But recognising the effects of stress should never mean dismissing symptoms or overlooking other possible causes.
Good healthcare involves listening carefully, assessing appropriately and recognising when medical, psychological or multidisciplinary support is needed.
During Stress Awareness Week, our message is simple:
Stress may be part of the picture, but it should never be assumed to be the whole picture.
If you're experiencing persistent pain, dizziness, balance difficulties or symptoms that affect your ability to participate in everyday life, an individualised clinical assessment may help clarify appropriate next steps.
Coelevate Chiropractic | Medindie Gardens, Adelaide
Our team takes an individualised, evidence-informed approach to assessment and rehabilitation, with a focus on nervous system function, movement and meaningful recovery.
Contact Coelevate to discuss whether our assessment and rehabilitation services may be appropriate for your needs.
References
Quodling N, Groves S, Hoffman N, Carrick FR, Jemni M. Trauma-Based Sexually Dimorphic Changes in the Connectome and Its Association with Central Sensitization Syndromes—A Systematic Review. Brain Sciences. 2024;14(11):1105. https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci14111105
Quodling N, Hoffman N, Carrick FR, Jemni M. Sensory processing in medically unexplained pain syndrome: a systematic review. Frontiers in Pain Research. 2025;6:1584227. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpain.2025.1584227
Photobiomodulation in chronic pain: a systematic review of randomized clinical trials. 2026. PubMed Central: PMC12909510. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12909510/
This article provides general health information and is not a substitute for individual medical advice. New, severe or worsening symptoms, particularly chest pain, fainting or significant palpitations, require appropriate medical assessment.
