15 Signs Your Body Is Inflamed, According to Clinical Evidence

Spot the clues of inflammation early, track your trends, and start simple, daily habits that decrease inflammation in your body.

UPDATED: October 21st, 2025

Welcome to the Healthy Aging Newsletter, a free publication translating trustworthy medical research into simple habits to age well, free of chronic disease. I’m Dr. Ashori, a family medicine doctor turned health coach. 

This is the sister article to my other article about measuring systemic inflammation using blood tests. You can check it out below. In this article, I want to dive into an even more relevant way to assess inflammation and oxidative stress in the body.

The Importance of Signs and Symptoms for Inflammation

It’s one thing to do a blood test which could miss systemic inflammation or show non-specific signs of inflammation. It’s another to look for the physical manifestations in the body. The latter is more accurate and can be verified or tracked with serum inflammatory markers.

A sign is something the clinician or patient observes or measures on focused examination (ankle swelling, fever, rash) and symptom is something the patient feels or notices and can describe (pain, nausea, numbness, ringing in the ear.)

Common Signs and Symptoms of Systemic Inflammation:

1. Persistent Tiredness & Fatigue

Feeling very tired even after enough sleep can point to body inflammation or high oxidative stress. Ask yourself 3 basics:

1. How many hours you slept

2. How well you slept

3. How your daytime energy felt

Use a simple fatigue log or a sleep tracker to see if rest leads to real recovery.

Many things can cause fatigue. Two common ones are sleep apnea and moderate to severe anemia. If tiredness lasts more than a couple of weeks, or you snore or stop breathing at night, see your doc.

2. Brain Fog & Trouble Focusing

Inflammatory molecules and reactive oxygen species can interfere with neurotransmitters and memory. I’ll screen with a simple recall tests like naming animals in 60 seconds or using a cognitive app that records baseline scores.

I pay attention to tasks that take longer than usual or frequent word finding pauses. These are great clues but aren’t enough to give us a diagnosis.

3. Joint Stiffness & Swelling

Inflammatory molecules called cytokines collect in connective tissue overnight, leading to morning stiffness.

Check the duration of stiffness after getting out of bed and look for puffiness around small joints. A basic self-exam comparing joint size on your left and right side is a good place to start.

4. Frequent Headaches

Inflammation and oxidative stress can make pain feel stronger, especially when it comes to headaches.

Keep a headache diary. Write the start time, how strong it is, and what was happening, like stress, food, or poor sleep. If headaches keep coming back with no clear pattern, check for inflammatory causes after ruling out other reasons.

If you have days with no headaches, then clusters of headaches with brain fog, think possible inflammation, but get a medical workup first.

5. Acne & Slow Healing Cuts

Skin is an early warning sign for immune activation. We inspect for new rashes, persistent acne in adulthood, or wounds that linger. Time to heal after a minor scrape is a practical gauge. Take photos of lesions every few days to track progress.

Acne and rosacea or sudden flare ups of psoriasis or eczema are common sign of inflammation.

6. Bleeding & Receding Gums

Periodontal tissue is sensitive to systemic inflammation. Brush and floss then note bleeding points or soreness. A simple oral mirror check each week and recording gum health in a journal can reveal trends early.

7. Digestive Bloating & Irregular Stools

Low-level inflammation affects gut movement and integrity. We use a Bristol stool chart to classify stool form and log post meal bloating or reflux episodes. Consistent patterns suggest a systemic component rather than a one off food reaction.

8. Weight Gain or Loss

Belly fat releases inflammation molecules, such as the cytokines mentioned above. These are helpful in some amounts but problematic when too high.

Measure your waist circumference at your belly button with a tape. Do it the same way each time. If your waist keeps getting bigger and your diet has not changed, that suggests metabolic stress = inflammation.

If you cannot add muscle despite steady workouts and enough protein and calories, think inflammation or a bigger metabolic problem.

9. High Heart Rate & Blood Pressure

Inflammatory molecules can throw our nervous system off balance. Measure resting pulse first thing in the morning and keep an eye on your blood pressure with a home cuff. Trending upward curves may indicate inflammation, but there may be other causes.

10. Poor Sleep & Waking up Tired

Cytokines can change how you sleep.

Use a short survey like the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index. Or use a device that tracks sleep stages. Be careful with wearables. They can raise anxiety and often add little useful info.

Write down how often you wake at night and how rested you feel in the morning.

11. Recurrent Colds & Lingering Infections

Chronic inflammation can weaken your immune system.

Track how often you get colds or small infections and how many days each one lasts over a year.

If a simple cold takes longer than 10 days to get better, treat that as a signal to track the other markers on this list and consider a blood test for inflammation.

12. Tingling or Numbness

Oxidative stress can destroy tiny nerves.

Do simple checks at home. Light touch and a gentle pinprick on fingertips and toes. A vibration tuning fork can help too, but isn’t a must.

Numbness, tingling, burning, or less feeling can have many causes and should always be evaluated.

13. Irritability & Anxiety

Inflammation can change brain chemicals like serotonin and dopamine.

We track mood with a simple journal or quick checks like the PHQ-2 or PHQ-9. Watch for mood dips that happen at the same time as other signs of inflammation.

14. Inability to Tolerate Exercise & Fatigue

Inflammation makes the cells in your body work less efficiently. I check my heart rate on a walk I do often, or I time a short stair climb. If my heart rate is higher than usual for the same effort, or I tire sooner, that points to extra stress in my body.

What to Do With This Information

All of these symptoms can happen to us all from time to time. When they are persistent or don’t resolve with basic lifestyle changes it’s time to track them. Tracking for 10-14 days gives you valuable data. Share that with your clinical team.

I work with my clients to make adjustments based on what we think might be the most likely cause - diet, sleep, stress, exercise. Using the T-R-E-N-D method, we will perform further tests (T) if necessary, modify relationships with self and the environment (R), modify nutrition (N), and create structured downtime (D) to see if we can improve the signs and of symptoms of systemic inflammation.

The information here is for general education. It is not intended as medical advice and no patient-doctor relationship is formed. I care about my audience and want you to get the care that fits your life and unique medical needs. Always speak with your own licensed clinician before starting, stopping, or changing any health plan, medication, or routine.