A Productive Rant About Anxiety And Physical Symptoms
Physical Symptoms of Anxiety
The fight-or-flight response is created to aid us in escaping or facing danger, but anxiety can keep our bodies alert and trigger physical symptoms. These could include:
Get regular check-ups. Untreated anxiety could lead to heart problems and other medical ailments. Talk to your doctor to learn how you can manage these symptoms. For instance, you can reduce caffeine intake and avoid alcohol and recreational drugs.
Muscles that are tight
Anxiety is typically accompanied by muscle tension. It can cause pain or stiffness in your neck, back shoulders, chest, and back, as well as in your feet, hands, or digestive tract. The tension caused by anxiety can affect your posture and breathing.
The muscle tension associated with anxiety is often short-lived and typically disappears after the trigger event or situation passes. For some however, the muscle tension can become chronic and lead to long-term problems.
The tightness of your muscles could be a sign of anxiety because the fight-or-flight stress response triggers your body to prepare itself for danger by pumping more blood to muscles, which increases their strength and supplies them with more oxygen so they can escape or combat any physical threat. The increased flow of blood is the reason your heart beats faster, and that is why you breathe faster when you are anxious.
In an anxiety attack an increase in blood flow and rapid breathing can temporarily increase your immune system's ability to help you fight off any perceived threat or stress. But when you experience anxiety regularly, this heightened alertness can become a regular part your life, resulting in chronic, persistent symptoms such as muscle tightness and breathlessness.
A lot of the physical symptoms of anxiety, such as fatigue, achy muscles and joints are a result of your body's release a flood of chemicals and hormones into your system as it prepares to fight or escape any perceived threat. anxiety symptoms attack of alertness may make you feel exhausted and feeling as if you've got a constant headache or stomachache.
Heart rate changes
Anxiety can cause your heart to race, causing chest pain and shortness in breath. Stress causes adrenal glands like adrenaline or cortisol producing hormones that increase blood pressure and heart rate. This is a useful response in emergency situations in situations where you have to pump more blood to your big muscles so you can flee or fight threats. It can be dangerous if you do it continuously every day, as it increases your risk of developing heart disease.
You might also notice that your stomach gets more upset when you're feeling anxious. This is because the body's fight or flight response keeps you on the edge and can affect digestion and cause constipation, abdominal pain, diarrhea, or IBS. Problems with sleep or having a difficult to fall asleep could be experienced by those with anxiety. The constant heightened stress hormones can degrade the immune system and make it more prone to get the common cold or other diseases.
If you have these physical symptoms of anxiety, it's a good idea to talk to your doctor. They can check if there are any medical conditions that may cause similar symptoms. For instance thyroid issues. It's a good idea to find an expert in mental health who can help you discover ways to manage your anxiety to ensure that physical symptoms stop occurring. They may suggest therapies such as psychodynamic psychotherapy or cognitive behavioral therapy, which can help you replace negative thoughts with healthier ones. It's also recommended to stay away from taking your pulse, since it can fuel the feelings of anxiety.
Tingling in the hands and feet
A tingling feeling in your feet and hands can be one of the signs of anxiety. Tingling is also called paresthesia and is a sign of anxiety-related stress. When you experience a panic attack, or other intense feelings of anxiety your body is trying to protect yourself from danger or harm by releasing hormones like cortisol and adrenaline. These hormones can trigger a variety of physical reactions that can affect your blood circulation.
As part of your fight or flight response, your body redirects blood away from the peripheral areas to major muscle groups that may require assistance with physical action. This can lead to reduced blood flow to the feet and hands which could cause sensations of tingling. The sensation of tingling will be more noticeable when you are stressed or anxious, and will fade once the tension subsides.
Consult your physician if your discomfort persists. They can assist you in managing anxiety, and reduce the tingling of your hands and feet.
Although tingling in your hands or feet can be a sign of a serious medical issue the majority of times, it's caused by anxiety. To alleviate these feelings, try exercising regularly to improve blood flow, or practice relaxation techniques. It is essential to get enough rest, as anxiety can impact your sleep habits. Limiting your caffeine and alcohol consumption can also help. Contact a FastMed Urgent Care to speak with a healthcare professional about your symptoms if you notice an immediate sensation of numbness or tingling sensations in your feet or hands.

Dry mouth
If you're feeling anxious and stressed, your body can begin to alter the method of producing saliva. Dry mouth is a sign that can be a sign of anxiety. It is a possible side-effect of certain medications, such as antidepressants and antipsychotics.
If you experience dry mouth, it's vital to consult a doctor. They can rule out any medical issues that could be the cause. If your doctor decides you suffer from anxiety, they will recommend treatment options.
Anxiety can lead to dry mouth as a result of the cortisol and adrenaline, stress hormones which are released when you are feeling nervous or fearful. These hormones can raise breathing and heart rate to help you run or fight against threats but they can also affect digestion and trigger other physical symptoms.
You might also notice dry mouth if stressed or take medications that decrease saliva production. For example, SSRIs, that are typically prescribed for anxiety, can cause dry mouth. They block the actions of acetylcholine, which is a neurotransmitter that plays a role in voluntary muscle movements as well as bodily functions like salivation, digestion, and urination.
If you experience dry mouth and are experiencing anxiety, you should drink lots of water and employ relaxation techniques. If your anxiety is extreme and you're suffering from mental illness, a mental health professional might suggest other treatment options like cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), exposure response prevention, as well as complementary health practices like meditation and yoga.
Breathlessness
If you're feeling weak when you exercise, or at other times during the day, this symptom could be a sign you're suffering from anxiety. This symptom may be associated with any anxiety disorder, which includes generalized anxiety, social anxiety, and panic disorders. In many cases, anxiety can cause muscle tension that leads to the sensation of being out of breath, specifically in the back and shoulders area. These tensions can also lead to the cycle of depression and anxiety, which can further exacerbate the physical symptoms.
The reason that anxiety can trigger this and other physical responses is related to the body's fight-orflight response. This reaction is essential to respond to threats but if it is triggered long-term by chronic anxiety, it can cause negative effects.
When you feel anxious it is because your body doesn't know that you aren't in danger and that there's no real reason to feel this way. This can cause you to feel that you are always in danger, even if you're not. That's why it's so important to consult with mental health experts.
If you're stressed your body releases large amount of stress hormones. These hormones cause your body to respond like you are in danger. This could include feeling shaky. This is a typical response, but can be difficult for you to distinguish from other illnesses or conditions that could trigger this symptoms. For instance, heart disease, a blood clot in the lung or pneumonia could all trigger this. It's important to talk with your doctor or health care professional so they can run tests and determine if have an underlying issue that may be causing this sensation.