|
Kenneth Davis
A desire to be in charge of our own lives, a need for control, is born in each of us. It is essential to our mental health, and our success, that we take control.
~ Robert Foster Bennett ~
This Is How Your Anxiety Is Hurting Your Health
BestLife Article - by Adam Shalvey
Anxiety is the most common mental health illness in the United States, affecting 40 million adults each year, according to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA). And it comes in all shapes and sizes: panic disorder, OCD, PTSD, social anxiety, separation anxiety, specific phobias, and so on. What's more, the stress that accompanies anxiety disorders can interfere with your day-to-day life and also lead to serious health complications, the Mayo Clinic says. Here are 12 ways anxiety may be hurting your health right now.
1. It makes it harder to breathe.
Shortness of breath and hyperventilation are common symptoms of anxiety that are concerning, but can usually be managed effectively.
2. And it's causing you to have stomach problems.
Even our digestive systems can't escape the reach of stress. In part, this is due to a close connection between our brains and our guts, as demonstrated when we get butterflies just by thinking about an important event.
3. It's causing you to gain weight.
In response to anxiety, our bodies release "stress hormones," which have the ability to affect weight gain in a number of ways. For instance, they increase blood sugar levels, and when gone unused, excess glucose in the body may begin to build up as fat.
4. You are getting headaches more than usual.
Anxiety is a well-known cause of tension headaches and migraines.
5. You're sleeping poorly.
Which came first: the insomnia or the anxiety? While anxiety is a very common symptom of sleep deprivation, the stress and worries associated with anxiety are also recognized as causes of many sleep disorders.
6. It weakens your immune system.
For example, we now know that long-term anxiety may slow the healing of wounds, weaken your body's response to vaccines and increase our risk of contracting diseases.
7. You experience more physical pain.
Stress may lead to targeted pain like headaches and sore muscles as well as an all-consuming condition like fibromyalgia, which results in chronic pain throughout the body.
8. It puts you at a higher risk for diabetes.
Diabetes is a condition in which the body can't make enough insulin or can't use the insulin it does make, resulting in abnormally high blood sugar levels. When anxious, our bodies release hormones that also elevate blood sugar levels.
9. And it makes heart disease more likely.
For example, anxiety can increase blood pressure, raise cholesterol levels, and cause the buildup of plaque in our arteries. Anxiety may also lead to unhealthy behaviors like overeating, smoking, and heavy drinking—all of which can contribute to heart disease.
10. It causes intimacy issues.
Not surprisingly, anxiety can have a negative impact on the sex drives of both men and women.
11. You're more vulnerable to broken heart syndrome.
Following a highly stressful or emotional event, people can experience a temporary heart condition called broken heart syndrome. Symptoms include sudden chest pain and shortness of breath.
12. It's causing you to become depressed.
Though anxiety and depression are distinct conditions, they frequently occur together.
Shared symptoms include nervousness, irritability, and difficulty sleeping, and concentrating.
|
.jpg)
_(2).jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
