Anxiety can manifest in the body in a multitude of ways, and it’s often these distressing physical symptoms that drive people to seek help for the first time. Unfortunately, because of the persistent stigma surrounding mental health, many people find it more comfortable to seek support for a physical issue than a mental or emotional one.
While it’s always important to be assessed by your healthcare provider first to rule out medical causes of any body-based issue, if they come up empty-handed, it’s worth exploring whether anxiety and stress may be at the root of your physical symptoms.
Anxiety is caused by an activation of your fight or flight response. When you sense danger, your body immediately floods with cortisol, adrenaline, and other stress hormones that prepare you to evade or fight against the threat. Your muscles tense, your heart rate increases, and breathing quickens, pumping oxygen throughout your body and preparing you to act. Once the threat is evaded, your cortisol levels lower and heart and respiration rate return to baseline.
This process works great when the threat is a temporary, tangible one - a saber-toothed tiger chase or a car swerving into your lane on the highway. The problem is, the threats in our modern society don’t just exist in our environment, they also exist in our mind: the neverending ‘what if’s’ and worst case scenarios we dream up, the stewing on what we ‘should’ve’ done differently, the harsh inner critic that berates us non-stop. These threats are persistent, consistently flooding our bodies with stress hormones and getting us stuck in fight or flight. Over time, this takes a massive toll on the body - chronic exposure to cortisol can lead to increased inflammation in the body, changes in your immune response, and suppression of your digestive and reproductive systems.
Below are 9 body-based signs of anxiety that you might not expect:
Gastrointestinal issues
There is a strong connection between the gut and the brain, and long-lasting inflammation in the body can lead to a multitude of GI issues like stomach pain, nausea, constipation, and diarrhea. Those with anxiety are more likely to develop problems like ulcers, and if you have existing GI conditions like IBS or Crohn’s, increased anxiety is also linked to flare-ups.
Muscle tension
Frequent strain, tightness, pain, or even cramps, spasms, or twitching in the muscles could be a sign of elevated anxiety. While this can be felt anywhere in the body, it’s most common to feel tension in your neck, back, and shoulders. Another area of pain and tension that’s often overlooked is the jaw. Anxiety can cause you to subconsciously clench your jaw or grind your teeth, whether you’re asleep or awake. Some people develop TMJ, which manifests as jaw/facial pain and clicking in the joints. We know that stress and anxiety increase inflammation in our joints and muscles, and when persistent, this can be a major contributor to chronic pain and tension. For this reason, it can be very helpful to pair manual therapies like chiropractic, physio, and massage therapy with counselling to reduce stress and anxiety.
Shortness of breath and frequent yawning
The fight or flight response leads to a faster rate of breathing - often experienced as shortness of breath. This is linked to frequent yawning or sighing, which is the body’s attempt to fill the lungs with air. It’s often this sensation of shortness of breath that leads to panic attacks - you begin inhaling more quickly and shallowly in an attempt to quickly get more oxygen to the lungs.
Numbness or tingling
This can show up in a variety of ways: the uncomfortable ‘pins and needles’ or ‘crawling skin’ sensation or feeling as if part of your body has been numbed or anesthetized. This might be due to the nervous system stimulation and shunting of blood away from the skin/extremities and to parts of the body more important for survival (the brain + major organs) that occurs during fight or flight.
Headaches/migraines
Muscle tension and spasms can lead to ‘tension headaches’ or migraines. Some describe this as a pressure, shooting pains, or the feeling of a tight band around the head. Hormonal changes, sleep deprivation, dehydration, and irregular mealtimes are also common triggers for migraines - all things that are more likely for anxiety sufferers.
Restlessness
The flood of adrenaline and cortisol that occurs during the stress response creates a feeling of restlessness or agitation in the body. Many find it difficult to sit still or relax, and have the urge to be constantly ‘on the go’.
Ringing ears or tinnitus
Some individuals who experience anxiety develop tinnitus or a ringing/buzzing in the ears. There’s still uncertainty as to how these things are connected, but it’s suspected that the increased blood flow and body heat that occurs during the fight or flight response may cause changes in the inner ear. Like many physical symptoms, tinnitus can be very distressing and lead to even more anxiety, creating a vicious cycle.
Chest pain
Frequent muscle tension and racing heart can lead to chest pain or the sensation of a heart “flutter”. Some may mistake this for a heart attack, which leads to even more anxiety. It’s easy to see how this can create a cycle of worsening anxiety. Over time, this can also increase the risk of high blood pressure and heart conditions.
Weight loss or gain
Cortisol can slow your metabolism, increase your appetite, and lead to cravings for sweet, fatty, and salty foods. It can also disrupt sleep significantly, which in itself can lead to weight gain. For some, stomach upset can reduce appetite and restless energy can drive them to be constantly ‘on the go’, leading to weight loss.
Sleep problems
It’s incredibly common for struggling with anxiety to also experience sleep issues. The body being on ‘high alert’ to threats and continually flooded with stress hormones makes deep rest hard to come by. Many anxiety sufferers complain of struggling to fall asleep, multiple awakenings through the night, and feeling fatigued upon waking up.
The relationship between our mental and physical health is complex. It’s challenging to know what comes first - is it the chronic anxiety and stress that led to my physical issues, or the physical symptoms that led to my stress and anxiety?
Therapy can help in both cases. When we reduce our stress and anxiety, we can often improve the symptoms of chronic pain, migraines, and stomach upset, among other physical issues. Chronic conditions with a medical basis can also lead to a lot of grief, anxiety, and depression. Therapy can help process these emotions and develop more compassion towards ourselves.
Interested in learning more about therapy and what it can do for you? Book a free 15-minute consultation now!
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