Anxiousness is a common condition that many individuals will experience during their lifetime. An estimated 19.1% of Americans reportedly experience anxiousness each year, and these estimates don’t account for the many who may be experiencing anxiousness silently. And anxiousness doesn’t only have mental or emotional symptoms. The physical effects of anxiousness are important to understand too. This article will explore the effects that often accompany anxiousness and natural remedies to relieve anxiousness.
What Is Anxiousness?
Anxiousness is something we all experience from time to time. When you feel this way all the time, however, anxiousness becomes a mental health condition. Its symptoms include:
What Causes Anxiousness?
Experts are not sure what causes anxiousness. However, genetics, substance use, chronic conditions such as depression and diabetes, and situations such as surgery and war can be contributing causes.
Research also suggests that shyness and nervousness during childhood, genetics, dietary stimulants such as caffeine, stressful events, and conditions affecting your thyroid, heart, and sugar levels can increase the risk of experiencing anxiousness.
The Physical Effects of Anxiousness: Short-Term
There are many different symptoms of anxiousness and every individual will experience anxiousness slightly differently. Some short-term effects of anxiousness include:
It’s also important to be aware that anxiousness can also have other effects that do not manifest within the body such as social isolation and doing fewer activities that were once enjoyable. This increases the risk of the individual experiencing depression as well.
Long-Term Physical Effects Of Anxiousness
There are also long-term physical effects of anxiousness, and they affect different parts of the body.
The Physical Effects Of Anxiousness on Your Nervous System
Long-term anxiousness can cause your brain to release more brain hormones. These hormones are primarily adrenaline and cortisol and help your body respond to stress and threats. Whilst these hormones are beneficial, if your body is exposed to high doses of these hormones for an extended period it can lead to weight gain, headaches, and dizziness. Eventually, this could contribute to adrenal fatigue.
Your Cardiovascular System and the Physical Effects Of Anxiousness
The short-term physical effects of anxiousness include chest pain, a rapid heartbeat, and changes in your heart rate. When this is experienced over a long period, it can cause high blood pressure and increase the risk of more serious heart conditions occurring.
The Physical Effects Of Anxiousness and Your Digestive System
Anxiousness not only affects your heart but also your gut. This can cause stomach cramps, nausea, and diarrhea. Research suggests that anxiousness may increase the chances of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) occurring after an infection of the gut.
The Immune System and The Physical Effects Of Anxiousness
Anxiousness increases the release of the brain hormone adrenaline, which is your body’s natural response to stress and threats. For a short period, this effect readies your immune system to respond to a stressor. If anxiousness is felt for a long period, however, it can cause your immune system to become activated for a long period. This eventually depletes essential resources, weakens your immune system, and can cause you to become more susceptible to frequent illnesses.
Your Respiratory System and The Physical Effects Of Anxiousness
Anxiousness can cause your breathing to become shallow. If you experience additional lung conditions such as asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD), it can exacerbate the symptoms of these conditions and increase the risk of hospitalization.
Remedies for The Physical Effects Of Anxiousness
There are many remedies for anxiousness. Often, a combination of remedies may be your best bet in addressing and reducing anxiousness.
During anxiousness, it is easy to bottle up your feelings and thoughts. This can contribute to the anxiousness and symptoms being heightened. Counseling involves talking about your anxiousness, feelings, and experiences in your life to a therapist. It provides a safe place for you to process your emotions. Your therapist can help you to become aware of your triggers and help provide you with techniques to help relieve some of the mental, emotional, and physical effects of anxiousness.
Anyone can practice meditation. This practice involves focusing your attention or awareness on a particular object or observing the world around you with no judgment. It does not need to be practiced for a long time. You can start meditation with just five minutes per day and increase the time you spend doing it gradually as you get used to it.
There are many benefits to meditation, including increased feelings of calm and peace, slowed breathing and heart rate, and lowered stress levels. Many studies support these effects. A study focusing on a group of participants who meditated for eight weeks found that their level of anxiousness was reduced.
Breathwork
This practice is generally practiced in meditation; however, it can be practiced separately. Breathwork consists of breathing exercises that focus on breathing in or out for a certain period of time, often to slow the breath. Practicing these exercises helps to slow your heart rate and calms your nervous system. During breathing exercises, your brain also releases feel-good hormones that help to reduce stress and invoke a feeling of calm.
Supplements for The Physical Effects Of Anxiousness
Several supplements may help anxiousness. However, it’s always important to talk to your doctor before starting a new supplement, especially if you are on any other medication or have any chronic conditions.
Magnesium is one of the most abundant minerals in your body and plays many important roles. Studies suggest that supplementing with magnesium may assist with functions within the brain and help to reduce stress and anxiousness.
Vitamin D
Vitamin D is an important vitamin and is one vitamin that you can get through food sources as well as adequate sunlight. A low vitamin D level can cause feelings of anxiousness. A study focusing on this suggests that individuals who were experiencing anxiousness had lower levels of calcidiol, a broken-down form of vitamin D. Once this level increased, the anxiousness reduced. Another study focusing on relieving anxiousness found that vitamin D supplementation regardless of vitamin D levels can help reduce the severity of anxiousness.
Vitamin C
Vitamin C is an antioxidant that helps to prevent cellular damage from occurring due to illness, stress, or pollutants. One function of vitamin C is that it can help to support the production of cortisol. This hormone is released in times of anxiousness, and prolonged anxiousness can cause your cortisol level to become constantly high. This can cause your anxiousness to increase as well as cause weight gain. Since vitamin C helps support appropriate levels of cortisol, it can help reduce anxiousness and feelings of stress as well as reduce the effects of weight gain.
Omega 3
Omega 3 is an oil, primarily found in oily fish but can also be found in plant-based sources such as chia seeds and flaxseeds. This oil helps to reduce inflammation in the body as well as assists in the regulation of brain hormones. This regulation of brain hormones helps to reduce and prevent feelings of anxiousness.
Chamomile is a herb and is known for its sleep-inducing effects, but it can also help to relieve anxiousness. This herb contains an antioxidant, apigenin. This antioxidant binds to receptors in your brain, helping to relieve anxiousness and assist with sleep.
The Physical Effects Of Anxiousness and Chronic Stress
Anxiousness is a condition that commonly co-occurs with chronic stress. This stress is managed by your adrenal glands, which release stress hormones. The NeuroendoMetabolic (NEM) stress response system supports your adrenal glands. However, if the stress is long-term your adrenal glands can become depleted and imbalances within your NEM system start to occur. This then results in Adrenal Fatigue Syndrome (AFS).
One of the circuits in the NEM system is the Neuroaffect circuit. This circuit consists of the brain, nervous system, and gut microbiome. These organs regulate the release of brain hormones and help to regulate your mental and emotional health. If there is an imbalance in this circuit, it can cause depression, sleep disturbances, and anxiousness to occur.
Cautions With Natural Anxiousness Remedies and AFS
There are many remedies available to help relieve anxiousness, but it is important to be cautious when using them if you are experiencing AFS. In times of AFS, the body can become sensitive to external and new products. This can result in your body reacting to the product in unexpected ways that can set you back in your healing journey. It’s also important to remember that the FDA does not regulate any dietary supplements, and the safety and quality of the ingredients are not guaranteed.
If you are experiencing anxiousness as a result of AFS, chat with a healthcare provider aware of AFS before starting any new remedies. Your healthcare provider will be able to guide you and provide a plan that will support your body in the healing journey.
Final Thoughts
There are many physical effects of anxiousness and these effects contribute to the debilitating effect of the condition. Whilst these effects are unpleasant to experience, there are many natural remedies that can relieve anxiousness and reduce the mental, emotional, and physical effects of anxiousness.
If you are currently experiencing anxiousness and are looking for a holistic approach to healing from it, chat with our team at +1 (626) 571-1234 for a free initial call or click here.
This content was originally published here.
