Anxiety is one of those mental illnesses that can show many physical signs, some that others will notice and some physical symptoms only the person suffering from anxiety will notice. The reality of mental illness is that most of these illnesses do cause physical and emotional symptoms. As a means to help you understand your anxiety or figure out if you may suffer from anxiety, I’ve created a list of the physical symptoms of anxiety that you may have overlooked.
What are the Physical Symptoms of Anxiety?
Heart Racing
All too often people with anxiety experience what is known as a panic attack, or a mild version of what feels like a heart attack. This is due to the heart-racing physical side effect of anxiety. Your mind controls your central nervous system and when your anxiety goes into overdrive it makes your heart start racing and in turn, you start getting even more worried because this can feel very scary.
Stomach in Knots
Someone who suffers from anxiety can get themselves so worked up that they have this irrational level of fear and worry about something going on in their life that they literally walk around with knots in their stomach. If you’ve ever been super nervous about something, such as public speaking, then you know exactly how this feels, but someone with anxiety can experience it on a regular basis and it can cause major nausea or want to simply lay down and do nothing.
Jaw Clenching or Grinding Teeth
When someone with anxiety gets all worried about something with or without realizing it their jaw naturally clenches up. Jaw clenching or grinding your teeth can be a tough physical symptom of anxiety to deal with. Jaw clenching and teeth grinding can actually cause a headache as well as dental problems if you don’t seek help to calm your anxiety levels down so that you stop having instances of jaw clenching or grinding teeth.
Insomnia
Last, but not least, someone who has anxiety may have a difficult time falling asleep, staying asleep or even lying still during bedtime. Anxious thoughts can run rampant when you finally lay down to get some rest. Your mind will start overthinking and worrying about anything going on in your life and start to make you suffer from insomnia. Many people with anxiety have had to try to use sleep hypnosis or meditation apps to try to lull their mind to sleep at night.
If you or a loved one think you may have anxiety it’s best to schedule an appointment with your healthcare provider. Your doctor will know best whether you truly have anxiety and help guide you forward in getting help with this crippling mental illness so that you can lead a happier life.