If you are someone who suffers from anxiety, then you will more than likely exhibit physical symptoms of anxiety that may hinder your everyday actions with heart palpitations, muscle tension, or anxious thoughts, to name a few.
The anxiety symptoms that you feel are going to impact your life greatly, this is why it is important to get help for them as soon as possible so you can improve the quality of your life and feel better about tackling any issues that come your way. If the tiredness that you are feeling is not rectified by sleep, then your body may be sending a warning sign for you to slow down.
What is Anxiety?
Anxiety is classed as a feeling of worry, fear, and unease, that can range from mild to severe. We all will experience some form of anxiety throughout our lives, but the way it impacts us is what we need to be aware of, especially if it starts impacting every inch of our lives with anxious feelings being constant.
How Many Anxiety Disorders Are There?
There are known to be five main types of anxiety disorders that people can suffer from.
Generalized anxiety disorder
Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) is classed as someone experiencing chronic anxiety and tension throughout their day without it being provoked by a single outside element, it can occur through situations and issues that arise day-to-day and will be a long-term condition.
Obsessive-compulsive Disorder
Also known as OCD, the disorder is characterised by unwanted thoughts and repetitive behaviours (obsessions and compulsions). Actions such as hand washing, counting, re-doing tasks, or avoiding touching certain objects, are done by the sufferer who is trying to stave off the intrusive and obsessive thoughts. They are only able to provide a small bit of relief for a limited amount of time, which will make anxiety symptoms worse.
Panic disorder
Another type of anxiety disorder called panic disorder is where a person will have sudden attacks of panic and fear which will happen unexpectedly and with physical symptoms such as heart palpitations, shortness of breath, abdominal distress, and feeling dizzy, bombarding their lives.
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
Some people may look at PTSD as a disorder only soldiers experience due to traumatic events, even though they do suffer greatly, PTSD is applied to anyone who has suffered a terrifying occasion that has left them scarred mentally and/or physically. It can affect their sleep quality with serious emotional distress.
Social anxiety Disorder
This anxiety disorder is also called social phobia, where the subject experiences high anxiety in social situations, potentially causing a panic attack if they are not able to calm down in time. Some people may be afraid to speak in large groups, whilst others may be scared to eat in front of people. It can target their fight or flight response and make them avoid any and all social situations just in case they experience panic attacks.
What Are The Physical Symptoms of Anxiety?
There are multiple symptoms of anxiety that people can feel when they are anxious or stressed, it varies from person to person, so just because one doesn’t experience what others do, doesn’t mean they aren’t suffering from anxiety. Anxiety can cause –
- Stomach-churning
- Muscle tension and muscle aches
- Pins and needles in the extremities (hands and feet)
- Light-headed or dizziness – may affect the eyes
- Anxiety shakes
- Sleep problems (you don’t get enough sleep)
- Nausea
- Sweating (night sweats as well)
- High blood pressure
- Constantly need the loo
- Experiencing panic attacks – constantly on high alert
- Tiredness that may cause difficulty concentrating
You may have other symptoms that you are getting, so it would be wise to speak to your doctor and see if it is an anxiety symptom or if there is another cause of what you are feeling. The doctor may suggest normal medication or may suggest alternative therapies & medication, such as medical marijuana (which can be sourced from a reputed online dispensary like 420Now). Cannabis is believed to be a pretty potent medicinal plant that can help with anxiety. It is also known to offer benefits for ailments related to physical pain. Since its medical use has been legalized, you may be able to obtain a Med Card Pennsylvania (or for the state in which you live) if you have a prescription for treating the condition with cannabis.
Stress Hormones
There are a handful of stress hormones that will affect your body. The most common is cortisol which is the main human stress hormone that increases the glucose in your bloodstream, it can also cause weight gain, osteoporosis, mood swings, and high blood pressure. The other stress hormones are catecholamines, vasopressin, and somatotropin.
What Can Come With Anxiety
Those who experience anxiety may have other mental health and physical health issues that affect their lives on a daily basis too. If you are consistently in stressful situations and experience stress daily, then you could also bring about these issues too –
Depression
Anxiety has the potential to come along with depression as time goes on, especially if the root cause is not dealt with, it could result in making the problem worse. Feeling of restlessness, sadness, emptiness, hopelessness, and so on, are depression symptoms that may mean medication will be needed. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are used in the treatment of depression as well as therapy by a licensed therapist that can sort out a treatment plan to combine both if required.
Substance Abuse
People experiencing anxiety may turn to drugs to manage their panic disorders or whenever an anxiety trigger comes up. They may only get relief for a short amount of time, and the more serious the drug, the worse the ramifications. Misuse could result in neurological disorders, illness, organ failure, stroke, and heart damage. They could be putting themselves in a dangerous situation with their health.
Chronic pain
Anyone who currently has chronic pain can have that exacerbated because of anxiety. It can make them hypersensitive to pain when they are feeling anxious, making them unable to be in the present moment as they are so focused on the anxiety and the pain. It can have a knock-on effect with people unable to reduce anxiety symptoms when they need it most.
Suicide
One of the most upsetting parts of anxiety is that it can cause people to take drastic measures and commit suicide as they cannot take these feelings anymore. Their anxiety triggers become all-consuming and their behavior patterns change making them feel like they don’t deserve to be alive as they can’t see a future dealing with this constantly.
Fatigue
Long-term fatigue can also happen because of anxiety. An anxiety attack can cause the body to feel exhausted right afterward as it calms down from the pent up energy you’ve been experiencing. You may find yourself mentally and physically drained with a lack of motivation or strength. Sleep will not be able to satiate this feeling as your body aches for less stress and anxiety.
How to Get Help
There are wellness professionals out there for everybody to use to aid in creating coping skills that will help reduce anxiety symptoms as well as support the body’s natural response to feelings of stress.
Counselling/Psychotherapy
A licensed therapist will provide support in getting to the root of your feelings of anxiety and why you are experiencing them and how you can combat that in a proactive and positive manner. They may teach deep breathing as well as relaxation techniques to keep you calm in triggering situations. Besides, they could also suggest some medications or CBD products (which can be sourced from a site similar to https://phokingweed.com/concentrates/) based on the intensity of your situation, to help you heal faster.
Lifestyle Change
A lifestyle change can help massively with how the body reacts. Changing to healthier foods that are naturally low in sugar and fats will benefit your body. Incorporating physical activity as well will help on those days when you feel nervous and low. Going for a walk or doing any exercise will mentally help you. You also may want to look into progressive muscle relaxation (PMR) to help with relaxing the muscles and reducing heart rate.
Medication
Some people need medication to ease symptoms of anxiety. The shaking caused by anxiety can be pretty strong, this is why sufferers need to know how to stop shaking from anxiety and what action they can take, e.g. medication, so Pregabalin, Propanolol, Benzodiazepines, etc., may be used to reduce hyperventilation as well as untighten the body muscles during heightened moments of anxiety.
CBD
You may find some relief in other forms of non-traditional medication. Over the years, CBD has helped those who feel anxious and have anxious thoughts recurrently. Anxiety shaking can put the body in a strenuous position, so CBD and other derivatives may be able to help in this regard and reduce stress where needed.
While taking CBD for medication, ensure to ask a certified doctor, who will know the right ratios of THC and CBD to prescribe. Few companies like Origins Cannabis (https://www.originscannabis.com/blog/cannabis-ratio-guide-for-thc-cbd-and-other-cannabinoids) provide ratios on the product descriptions so that consumers are aware of the effect it will have on the body.
Conclusion
Suffering from anxiety is incredibly consuming, not only are panic attacks seen as a ‘normal’ part of life, but your body is always on the lookout for what is happening next which is exhausting. Whatever anxiety disorder you may have, make sure you speak to a professional about what you can do so you can support yourself through anything you are going through.