Are you a worry wart? Do you make yourself sick thinking about things that you fear may happen? Anxiety may affect you in ways that affect your ability to live your daily life and may persist leading to unmanageable episodes of having severe panic attacks. Experiencing occasional anxiety is a part of life, but repeated episodes of debilitating worry and fear, can lead to high stress levels and can actually make you physically ill. Evidence suggests that people with anxiety disorders are at greater risk for developing a number of chronic medical conditions. They may have symptoms that can start as early as childhood and persist well into old age. The presence of severe symptoms creates a greater risk of death when they become chronic. There are several types and causes for anxiety, but whatever form of anxiety you have, treatment can help. Or you can just spend your life worrying, going gray and getting more wrinkles!
What exactly is anxiety?
Anxiety is a normal reaction to stress that has both psychological and physical features. The feeling is thought to arise in the brain region that governs intense emotional responses. As neurotransmitters carry the impulse to the sympathetic nervous system, heart and breathing rates increase, muscles tense, and blood flow is diverted from the abdominal organs to the brain. In the short term, anxiety prepares us to confront a crisis by putting the body on alert. However, ongoing anxiety, may be the result of a disorder such as generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), social anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), or panic disorder. But excessive worry or ongoing fear or anxiety is harmful when it becomes so irrational that you can’t focus on reality or think clearly and can manifest actual physical symptoms. These effects can be counterproductive, causing light-headedness, nausea, diarrhea, and frequent urination.
Causes of anxiety
The exact causes of anxiety disorders aren’t fully understood. Life experiences such as traumatic events appear to trigger anxiety disorders in people who are already prone to anxiety. It is believed that inherited traits also can be a factor. In some cases, anxiety signs and symptoms are the first indicators of a medical illness. Anxiety is often triggered from an episode of stress. There are two elements to the stress response. The first is the perception of the challenge. The second is an automatic physiological reaction called the “fight or flight” response that brings on a surge of adrenaline and sets your body on red alert. Our ancestors used the “fight or flight” response to protect themselves from such dangers as wild animals that could easily make a meal out of them. Although today we don’t ordinarily encounter wild animals, modern day “dangers” still exist. They’re there in the form of a demanding boss, a sick baby, or an argument with a loved one. Sometimes anxiety can be a side effect of certain medications. It may also be possible that your anxiety comes from an underlying medical condition, particularly if you don’t have a previous or family history of anxiety.
Anxiety and illness
Nearly two-thirds of the estimated 40 million adults with anxiety disorders are women. There is growing evidence of mutual influence between emotions and physical functioning, although the research on the physiology of anxiety-related illness is still young. Chronic worry and emotional stress can trigger a host of health problems. These problems occur when fight or flight is triggered frequently by excessive worrying and anxiety. The fight or flight response causes the sympathetic nervous system to release stress hormones, like cortisol. These hormones boost blood sugar levels and triglycerides (blood fats) that are used as fuel by the body. The hormones can also trigger physical reactions such as difficulty swallowing, dizziness, dry mouth, rapid heartbeat, fatigue, headaches, nausea, muscle aches, inability to concentrate, rapid breathing, irritability, nervous energy, twitching, trembling, sweating and shortness of breath. If excessive worrying and high anxiety go untreated, they can lead to depression or thoughts of suicide. All of these systems interact and are profoundly influenced by your ability to cope. It isn’t the stress that makes you ill, but the effect these responses have on these various interacting systems that can bring on the physical illness. There are things you can do, including lifestyle changes, to alter the way you respond and help to relieve the physical reactions you experience related to your anxiety.
Symptomology and effects of anxiety on the body
When the “fight or flight” reaction is triggered and the excessive fuel in the blood isn’t used for physical activities or effectively managed, the chronic anxiety and outpouring of stress hormones can have a multitude of serious physical consequences. Anxiety also plays a role in somatic symptom disorder, which is characterized by physical symptoms such as pain, nausea, weakness, or dizziness that have no apparent physical cause.
Gastrointestinal disorders
Anxiety also affects your excretory and digestive systems. You may have stomach aches, nausea, diarrhea, loss of appetite and other digestive issues. Although there is no definitive data on the correlation of anxiety disorders in people with functional digestive disorders, a 2007 New Zealand study found an association between high anxiety levels and the development of IBS following a bowel infection. Approximately 10%-20% of Americans suffer from the two most common functional digestive disorders — irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and functional dyspepsia (upset stomach). These disorders cause the nerves regulating digestion to be hypersensitive to stimulation. Because these conditions don’t produce lesions like ulcers or tumors, they are not considered life-threatening, but their symptoms — abdominal pain, bloating, diarrhea, or constipation with IBS; and pain, nausea, and vomiting in functional dyspepsia — can be chronic and difficult to tolerate.
Chronic respiratory disorders
Anxiety causes rapid, shallow breathing. Many studies have found a high rate of anxiety symptoms and panic attacks occur in patients with chronic respiratory disease. If you have chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), you may be at an increased risk of hospitalization with more severe distress at every level of lung function from anxiety-related complications. With COPD, inflammation of the airways is exacerbated by a loss of elasticity in the lungs: therefore, not only is it more difficult for air to reach the lungs, but the lungs neither fill nor expel air completely. Anxiety can also make asthma symptoms worse. With asthma, inflamed airways constrict spasmodically, reducing the flow of air through the lungs. Hence, although anxiety doesn’t affect the actual progression of the disease, it takes a substantial toll on one’s quality of life.
Cardiovascular disease
Anxiety disorders can cause rapid heart rate, palpitations, and chest pain. You may also be at an increased risk of high blood pressure and heart disease. If you already have heart disease, anxiety disorders may raise the risk of coronary events. One study reveals that women with the highest levels of phobic anxiety were almost 60% more likely to have a heart attack, and over 30% more likely to die from one, than women with the lowest anxiety levels. A study of postmenopausal women showed that a history of full-blown panic attacks tripled the risk of a coronary event or stroke. Two other studies concluded that both men and women suffering from an anxiety disorder were twice as likely to have a heart attack as those who had no history of anxiety disorders.
Central nervous system and immune system
Anxiety can trigger your flight-or-fight stress response and release a flood of chemicals and hormones, such as cortisol and adrenaline, into your system. In the short term, this increases your pulse and breathing rate, so your brain can get more oxygen to prepare you to respond appropriately to an intense situation. Your immune system may even get a brief boost. With occasional episodes of stress, your body will return to normal after the stress passes. But with repeated feelings of anxiousness and stress or when it lasts a long time, your body never gets the signal to return back to normal functioning. This can weaken your immune system, leaving you more susceptible to viral infections and frequent illnesses. Long-term exposure to stress hormones such as cortisol can also contribute to weight gain. Anxiety can also reduce the effectiveness of regular vaccines.
Other symptoms and effects
Anxiety disorder can cause other symptoms, including: headaches/migraines, muscle tension, insomnia, depression, social isolation, nightmares, sadness, short term memory loss, diabetes, thyroid problems, drug or alcohol misuse or withdrawal, dizziness, feeling weak, sweating, trembles, and trouble concentrating. For example, if you suffer from PTSD, you may have flashbacks or reliving a traumatic experience repeatedly. PTSD can cause you to be easily startled or get upset quickly, and perhaps become emotionally withdrawn. If you go with untreated anxiety disorders, the disease itself can become more difficult to treat and the physical symptoms can get worse and even result in an earlier death. Unfortunately, there are many people who are so laden with anxiety that they turn to unhealthy habits such as smoking cigarettes, overeating or using drugs and alcohol in order to cope with their feelings.
* Photo courtesy of healthline
How to treat anxiety
Approximately 30% of people with anxiety disorders go untreated. If you have unexplained physical symptoms, such as gastric, cardiac or respiratory disorders, you should talk with your primary physician about the possibility of underlying anxiety. Making some lifestyle changes can rebalance your emotions and help you lesson the effects that anxiety can do to the body. Here are some of the most common remediations:
Relaxation/Meditation
Studies show that relaxation techniques may be useful for older adults with anxiety. Relaxation techniques assist with the management of anxiety disorder by allowing the body to move into a state of calm and quiet using a shift in brain waves to counteract the stress. Some of the most common relaxation techniques include listening to soothing music, deep abdominal breathing, yoga and tai chi. Many people who practice regular relaxation often find themselves moving into a meditative state. Daily meditation can can assistant you to focus on the here and now and be mindful of the thoughts that you have. The goal of meditation is to help you be in the present and forget the past and future, which is often the cause for the anxiety. Meditation can reduce the stress hormones, such as cortisol and adrenaline, to reduce the cycle of negative thoughts.
Create healthy habits
Learning to take care of your body and your health can go a long way towards managing your stress and anxiety levels. Beginning a regular exercise routine can help to enhance the immune system, strengthen your body and help to relieve tension in the muscles. In addition to getting daily exercise, you should also eat a healthy, balanced diet filled with fruits and vegetable that can fuel your body. Having good nutrients in your body can give you the energy and stamina to deal with stressful situations and also pump you up with the energy needed to stay active. Eating too many unhealthy, fattening foods can weigh you down, literally, and make you feel tired and exhausted. You should also monitor your caffeine intake. Although caffeine can stimulate the nervous system and give you a quick jolt of adrenaline, it can also cause you to feel more nervous and jittery, which could increase your feelings of anxiety. Drug and alcohol use should be avoided if you experience anxiety as these can often worsen the feeling on uneasiness.
Talk to someone
Use your friends and family to help keep anxiety at bay. Chronic feelings of anxiousness can make it difficult to go out and socialize, but it is important to maintain a strong social network. Having friends or people to talk to when you are worried can help to alleviate stress and combat depressions and loneliness. People who are married or have a large network of friends have greater life experiences compared to those who don’t. These relationships result in a healthier being overall. You may also find it helpful to seek professional help via a psychologist who can help you develop coping strategies for your anxiety. Therapy can be successful if you are focused on identifying ways to help you change the way you deal with your anxiousness and allow the therapists to suggest and guide you into making those changes. This could include participation in cognitive-behavioral therapy or psychodynamic psychotherapy often help in more serious cases.If you feel like your worrying is affecting your daily life, such as your personal relationships or work performance then you need to seek the advice of a doctor. The earlier you seek help, the easier the problem can be to treat. Be sure to share with them your feelings of worry so that they may evaluate your health and well being. They may recommend and prescribe you medications, such as anti-anxiety drugs, beta blockers or antidepressants. One of the more recent developments for dealing with anxiety is the use of CBD, which is a more natural alternative to Western pharmaceuticals typically prescribed.
The early you address the feelings of anxiety, the easier it is to treat. Be mindful of your worries, use your resources and stay healthy. Namaste.
The information you need . . . Straight Up!