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How Anxiety Impacts Your Body Physically?
Image Credit: Canva
SummaryAnxiety impacts both mental and physical health, triggering symptoms in systems like the heart, lungs, digestive system, and skin. Chronic anxiety can disrupt overall well-being, but coping strategies can help manage it.
Anxiety is often associated with mental and emotional turmoil, but its impact on the body is just as important. For many women, the physical symptoms of anxiety may be more noticeable than the emotional distress, making it difficult to connect the two. As someone who has personally struggled with anxiety, I’ve experienced how anxiety can take over, not just in your thoughts, but also in your physical well-being. A simple jolt of nerves before a presentation or stressful situation can cause an overreaction in your body, bringing on shaky hands, a racing heart, and even difficulty catching your breath.
This might sound familiar, but the actual physical effects of anxiety reach much deeper, touching parts of the body's inner workings in ways that aren't immediately connected to what we're feeling.
At its very core, anxiety is your body's response to perceived threats, whether real or imagined. It is driven by fear, worry, or stress, and when the body reacts, it triggers the sympathetic nervous system—often referred to as the "fight or flight" response. While this was a life-saver in the past, as it geared our ancestors to fight or flee from threats such as predators, today's anxiety has a propensity to trigger this system without any danger in sight. Chronic activation can have important and lasting impacts on your health. Let's get into it, including how anxiety actually presents itself physically in the body, the impact of that on your systems, and how you can regain control.
What Is Anxiety?
Anxiety is an automatic and often adaptive response to a stimulus. It can prepare you for that big presentation, or it can help you avoid that dangerous situation, raising your awareness and focus. In general, however, this reaction becomes inappropriate or chronic, causing more distress than that occasional nervousness for so many people, especially for those who have anxiety disorders. Anxiety disorders are extreme fear or worry about situations that usually do not cause such a reaction. Chronic symptoms can build up and affect both mental and physical health.
According to Bobby Thakur, Psychologist at Counsel India, "Anxiety is a normal response to stress. However, when it becomes chronic, it has a profound impact on your body and mind, requiring a deeper understanding of how it affects the body."
Here is a detailed guide on how anxiety manifests in the physical form in the body with expert insights.
Impact of Anxiety on the Brain and Nervous System
One of the first areas of the body affected by anxiety is the brain. Anxiety triggers the "fight or flight" response, which releases hormones like adrenaline and cortisol. While these are useful in acute stress, prolonged exposure to these hormones can be harmful. Chronic anxiety can:
- Disrupt cognitive function, leading to difficulties with memory, concentration, and decision-making.
- Cause frequent headaches and migraines due to the constant tension and overstimulation in the brain.
- Cause dizziness or lightheadedness, which might be caused by hyperventilation or altered blood flow as a result of anxiety.
The long-term effects of these disruptions can hinder daily activities, affecting both professional and personal aspects of life.
Anxiety's Effect on the Heart and Cardiovascular System
Anxiety is not only a mental illness; it affects your cardiovascular system. Anxiety increases your heartbeat, sometimes to alarming degrees, resulting in:
- Tachycardia (rapid heartbeat), which can be a bit frightening and uncomfortable.
- High blood pressure that, with time, is a risk factor for the development of heart disease.
- Palpitations or abnormal heart rhythms that can be frightening, especially during an anxiety attack.
In fact, findings indicate that chronic anxiety has direct associations with cardiovascular diseases thus implying that anxiety should be managed to avoid complications to the heart in the long run.
Respiratory System and Anxiety
Another common physical symptom of anxiety is difficulty breathing. In the case of stress or anxiety, many people are short of breath or hyperventilate, which feels like being unable to breathe. Another common occurrence is tightness in the chest, mimicking an attack, and this, in turn, can trigger more anxiety. For asthma patients, the symptoms become worse with anxiety, bringing about difficulty in breathing, wheezing, and coughing.
Digestive System Disorders
Anxiety causes disturbances in the digestive system and can have a negative effect on an individual. In most instances, various gastrointestinal issues result from anxiety; stress hormones may affect gut, hence symptoms like:
- Stomach pain, nausea, or even vomiting.
- Diarrhoea and constipation since they have been associated as a consequence of the response of the body to tension.
- IBS that tend to flare up due to anxiety resulting in bloatedness, cramping and irregular bowel movements.
- Loss of appetite, or eating too much, which is usually an unconscious behavior to control anxiety.
Because the intestine is often termed the "second brain," there is an actual and strong relationship between mental well-being and gastrointestinal health that can easily be disrupted when one has anxiety.
Muscles, Joints and Tension
Anxiety tends to find its first expression through tension in muscles. Continued stress and apprehension result in:
- Generalized myalgias and stiffness in the neck, shoulders, and back.
- Jaw ache; this is often considered as a secondary symptom to the condition known as bruxism or grinding of the teeth as caused by stress.
- Temporomandibular joint disorders are also found to be commonly associated with anxiety-induced muscle tension
The constant physical tension builds up fatigue and makes the body even harder to relax and recover.
Anxiety and the Immune System
Over time, anxiety can weaken the immune system, leaving the body more susceptible to illness. This is due to:
Chronic stress reducing the efficiency of immune function, making it harder for the body to fight infections.
Increased inflammation in the body, which can worsen autoimmune conditions or lead to new health problems.
If anxiety is chronic, then it may eventually weaken the body's immune system to fight infections and become difficult to remain healthy and to recover from sickness.
Skin Reaction to Anxiety
Anxiety affects more than the internal body. It may also be noticed in the skin. There are various skin conditions related to anxiety, including the following:
- Acne and acne breakouts because of the hormonal response associated with stress.
- Flare-ups of eczema or psoriasis due to emotional stress.
- Excessive sweating in palms, forehead, or armpits.
For some people, these skin conditions may feed their anxiety, thus making it a vicious cycle of anxiety and self-consciousness.
Endocrine System and Hormonal Imbalances
The endocrine system, which controls the production of hormones, is also prone to anxiety. Anxiety and chronic stress can cause:
- Overproduction of cortisol, the body's primary stress hormone, which can lead to fatigue, weight gain, and mood disturbances.
- Thyroid function is disrupted, making patients experience symptoms that mimic those of anxiety, such as restlessness, palpitations, and fatigue.
Anxiety and Its Physical Effects in the Body
While the body can suffer significantly with anxiety, there are different ways to reduce its negative effects. Regular exercise, mindfulness practices such as meditation and deep breathing, and a balanced diet all contribute to overall health and wellness. Professional help, whether it is in the form of therapy or medication, is also necessary to manage chronic anxiety. Treating both the mental and physical symptoms of anxiety will break the cycle and give people back control over their well-being.
Tips and Strategies to Manage Anxiety and Stress
Managing anxiety and stress involves both physical and mental strategies. Taking time-outs, such as practicing yoga or listening to music, helps clear your mind. Eating well-balanced meals and avoiding skipping meals are key for energy. Limiting alcohol and caffeine can reduce anxiety triggers. Ensure adequate sleep, as rest is vital when stressed.
Regular exercise, like brisk walking or swimming, improves health and reduces stress. Deep breathing exercises and counting to 10 can help calm nerves. Also, maintaining a positive attitude, humor, and social connections are essential in managing stress. Learning your triggers and seeking professional help can provide additional support.
Anxiety is not just a mental state; it is a physical experience that impacts nearly every system in your body.
The relationship between physical activity and anxiety in college students. Frontiers in Psychology. 2024
Anxiety. StatPearls. 2023
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