7 Effects of Anxiety on the Body and What to Do About It Today

Racing thoughts, increased heart rate, and trouble breathing are all common effects of anxiety on the body. Over the course of your life, it is natural to experience these anxiety symptoms at some points. So, recognizing the anxiety effects on the body can help you alleviate the symptoms when you start to feel them.

Before we explore deeper into the symptoms and causes, it is important to distinguish the different types of anxiety.

The Different Types of Anxiety

The term anxiety often describes a wide range of symptoms and has numerous possible causes. That is why it is beneficial to understand some of the different types and the effects that anxiety has on the body.

Generalized Anxiety Disorder

Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) affects about 3% of the U.S. population each year. It is characterized by excessive worry about a number of different things, such as money, family, work, health, etc.

With generalized anxiety, people can find it very difficult to control their worries. Generalized anxiety symptoms include restlessness, shortness of breath, a sense of doom, irritability, and difficulty concentrating. However, with the proper treatment and therapy, the effects of GAD can be greatly reduced.

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

When someone experiences a particularly traumatic event, they may encounter a type of anxiety known as post-traumatic stress disorder or PTSD. PTSD usually arises from disturbing events like personal assaults, war, natural disasters, accidents, etc.

Those with PTSD might get re-experiencing symptoms such as flashbacks, nightmares, and physical and emotional distress.

Phobias

Phobias can come in many different forms and refer to aversions to objects or situations. They often stem from excessive or irrational fears that can be caused by genetic or environmental factors.

Some common phobias include claustrophobia (fear of tight spaces), germaphobia (fear of germs), agoraphobia (fear of crowds or inescapable situations), acrophobia (fear of heights), etc.

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) involves repetitive or compulsive behaviors such as counting, excessive cleaning, need for symmetry, etc. Similar to generalized anxiety, OCD can also be treated with medication and psychotherapy.

People with OCD usually feel a sense of doom if they don’t give in to their compulsions, which creates a repetitive cycle of obsessive or compulsive behavior.

Social Anxiety Disorder

Social Anxiety Disorder, or social phobia, refers to the intense fear of being judged or watched by others that stems from self-consciousness. This makes partaking in social situations extremely strenuous and can prevent people from doing everyday things like shopping, working, or going to school.

In the U.S., about 12.1% of adults experience social anxiety in their lives. Symptoms include blushing, sweating, stomachaches, racing heart, and the inability to keep eye contact.

Panic Disorder

Panic disorder is often characterized by unexpected bouts of intense fear or discomfort known as panic attacks. These can occur a few times a year or as frequently as a few times a day.

Common symptoms of panic attacks are heart palpitations, sweating, chest pain, and shortness of breath. In order to prevent the onset of a panic attack, it can be helpful to avoid triggers such as places or conversations that induce panic.

7 of the Most Common Effects of Anxiety on the Body

When people experience anxiety, they don’t usually think about how it affects their body’s ability to function. However, prolonged anxiety can lead to extreme health problems. This is why it is important to monitor your symptoms so they don’t have long-term adverse effects to your health.

Now that we know a few of the different types of anxiety, we can discuss some common physical effects of anxiety on the body that you may be feeling.

When you feel anxious, your heart rate may increase. Depending on the type and severity of anxiety you may feel light-headed, have difficulty breathing, shakiness, blurred or impaired vision (sometimes experienced during panic attacks), and have stomach pains.

1.  Extreme Fatigue

Fatigue is one of the most common symptoms of anxiety. It can have mental, emotional, and physical effects on the body. For example, fatigue can lead to dizziness, irritability, headaches, slowed reflexes, and poor concentration.

2. Heart Disease

Because heart palpitations and an influx of stress response hormones can occur during a bout of anxiety, there is an increased risk of heart disease. These symptoms associated with high levels of anxiety can cause high blood pressure or heart attacks.

3. Chronic Pain

Many people with anxiety experience chronic pain and muscle tension because their brain sends distress signals to their central nervous system. This stress response can cause your muscles to tighten and lead to conditions like arthritis.

4. Loss of Libido

A loss of libido can arise when people are chronically anxious because their body produces more stress hormones. The body’s main stress hormone is cortisol, and increased production of cortisol can lower sex drive.

5. Decreased Immunity

In a chronic state of anxiety, the body’s fight or flight response is constantly being activated. When this happens, it can be very hard for your body to return to its normal state of rest, which makes it more vulnerable to sicknesses.

6. Insomnia

Since a persistent sense of worry or dread often accompany anxiety, this makes it hard to relax. When your mind is racing and your body can’t relax, falling asleep is very difficult.

7. Respiratory Problems

As we mentioned earlier, shortness of breath is a very common symptom of anxiety. Shallow, rapid breathing can lead to unhealthy breathing habits where more oxygen is inhaled than carbon dioxide is exhaled. This can restrict the brain’s blood supply and cause dizziness.

As you can see, chronic anxiety’s effects on the body can create a plethora of health issues which can be very dangerous. Carefully monitoring your symptoms is necessary for taking the steps to reduce anxiety.

How to Reduce Anxiety

It’s one thing to identify the anxiety effects on the body, but it’s another thing to be able to mitigate the severity of the symptoms before they worsen. Therapy, medication, and treatment can all help reduce anxiety symptoms. If none of those seem to help, you might want to consider IV therapy.

Benefits of IV Therapy for Anxiety

IV therapy is a very effective treatment because it delivers healthy minerals directly through your bloodstream. This makes it a better alternative for anxiety than oral medications.

IV therapy temporarily relieves anxiety and encourages a balanced mind and body by transfusing powerful minerals and amino acids that reduce anxiety and depression. That way, you can feel your best both mentally and physically.

Balance Hormones With BHRT

Bioidentical hormone replacement therapy or BHRT is an efficient treatment for a number of different disorders. In order to boost low hormone levels, BHRT can be used to regulate the hormones in your body.

Since anxiety causes imbalances in cortisol and other stress hormones, it can be very beneficial to employ BHRT (in cases where it’s needed), to treat symptoms like moodiness, sleep difficulties, weight gain, and decreased libido.

Alleviate Your Anxiety with Whole Health JC

If you are looking for an easy, effective solution to your anxiety, Whole Health JC’s anti-anxiety treatment IV may be the perfect remedy for your anxiety symptoms. This contains the powerful amnio acids GABA, taurine, and theanine, Vitamin B12, and the “relaxation” mineral, magnesium, to help with mental and physical relaxation.

So, let Whole Health JC relieve your anxiety with our proven IV therapies. Contact 573-893-5500 to schedule a free consultation today.