Can Chronic Stress Worsen IIH? My Lifelong Battle With Pressure—Mental and Intracranial

Exploring the connection between high stress, mental health challenges, and Idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension (IIH) through a lived experience lens.

I have been battling my mental health for, well, at least 25 of my 40 years of existence.

I was diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder after my mom passed, but that diagnosis has been deeply questioned since that time. Turns out I can manage my emotional fluctuations. It was learned behavior, not a mental illness.

That diagnosis still sits in my chart, despite the people around me noticing that it really is not accurate, including my therapist, who feels the same, too.

Some official and some unofficial opinions lean more heavily on Major Depressive Disorder (MDD), General Anxiety Disorder (GAD), and Social Anxiety.

🔎MDD is often referred to as Clinical Depression. Think of it as a tenant that refuses to leave long after the police already came and moved their things out of the house. GAD and Social Anxiety are specific forms found under the heading of “Anxiety”.

I think a lot of that hinges on chronic stress. It is a personal opinion, as I never seem to fully relax. I’m always hypervigilant, trying to anticipate the next hurdle to jump.

System Diagnostics: From Survival Mode to System Overload

I always had a tolerance level that looked more like a ground-floor limbo bar than actual tolerance for stress. More than 1-2 responsibilities in a day was enough to trigger a system-wide fire alarm of panic.

It wasn’t because I didn’t want to do the things that needed to be completed. I simply felt like I had overextended myself already. I knew I needed to rebuild that tolerance to levels that were more appropriate.

And I have. I handle a lot more than I ever have with each passing day.

The Link Between Stress and IIH, Explained

FREE Infographic: The Link Between Stress & IIH, Explained Download

Now, I know my problems have been mostly related to IIH for the last two years. I doubt it explains every single thing I face. However, it offers clarity.

It also offers clarity into what stress can do to someone with IIH, and vice versa. I love researching information to get a full picture. It is how I am with everything I do. I don’t just want to learn about it, I want complete comprehension.

There is safety in knowing.

📌 Did You Know?

Long-term stress elevates cortisol levels → Raised levels can contribute to sodium retention & fluid imbalance → Creates potential for affecting CSF pressure
Stress creates the perfect storm for weight gain → Weight is a contributing factor to IIH
Stress can cause constriction in your veins → Potential for influencing venous outflow increased (a key suspect in IIH already)
Stress dysregulates your hormones (think dysregulated hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis) → Exacerbate hormonal imbalances that can correlate with IIH
Sufferers of chronic stress or trauma can develop forms of dysautonomia → this often coexists with IIH → my trigger pressure dysregulation in the body and brain

When I learn about stuff like this, I can see a correlation in how my body may have created the perfect storm. Despite being idiopathic by nature (I mean, it is even in the name), I see how stress could create the perfect storm. I also see how continued stress can amplify the condition.

🔎 Idiopathic, in medical terms, refers to no obvious causation for a condition. That is why Idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension has the name it does. There is no mass or obvious cause; it just exists.

My stress levels are a problem. They are greatly reduced now that I have cut back my business to try and create passive income (advertising revenue here, working on e-book sales on Stitched Business Solutions). I’ve even altered how I learn so I can process my school textbooks and take exams.

I’m optimizing everything for the best possible result: Lower stress without having to stop doing the things I love.

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Diagnostic Mode: IIH and My Nervous System

The more I learn about this neurological condition, the more secure I feel in myself.

I wasn’t crazy. My symptoms were real. My Cerebrospinal Fluid (CSF) was just trying to hug me a little tighter in support and, well, overstayed its excessive welcome.

Leave it to me, the over-analytical woman with a need to understand everything, to get wrapped up in a condition with no real answers to my questions.

At the root of this, though, I do notice a stress-related correlation to symptoms. The more stress I feel, the more pressure I feel, which ignites migraines. I notice increased photophobia and hyperacusis, too. It seems to wrap itself into a loop.

🔎Photophobia is increased light sensitivity. Hyperacusis is an increased sensitivity to everyday sounds. Don’t confuse hyperacusis with phonophobia (a fear of sound) or misophonia (emotional reactions to specific sounds); it is experienced differently.

I am learning that stress management plays a big role in managing IIH symptoms. There is no way around that. I have to manage the stress or my body is going to force management on me.

Final Thoughts

If you want to consider this update to be a PSA on IIH and stress, you’re probably right. More so, I am thinking about the implications and how to best take care of my needs.

Suffering is a choice, even if living with it is not.

Do you have a chronic condition, too? There is this nifty box below—use that sucker to comment and tell me how you turned suffering into simply living with your condition. I could use the inspiration.

I hope this post gave you insight, comfort, or at least a bit of “wait… me too!” If this resonated, please consider hitting the like button on this post and sharing it with someone else who might be trying to make a little sense out of their beautiful chaos, too.

After all—the more we talk, the less alone we are!

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