Does Anxiety Have An Effect On Physical Illnesses?

Anxiety disorders affects over 20 million of the adult population in the USA alone; worldwide these figures are astronomical, and anxiety is becoming more and more prevalent in younger people with many teenagers and even younger children being diagnosed each year. Normal everyday anxiety is natural and acts to help keep us safe from hazards and dangers but when it persists and becomes extreme not only can it damage our state of mind but it can also affect us physically.

Research proves that anxiety and related disorders can takes its toll on our bodies and that people with anxiety disorders are at a higher risk for some medical conditions.

Here are 3 chronic conditions known to be aggravated and made worse by an anxiety disorder:
Heart Disease - studies have proven that people who suffer from anxiety are twice as likely to have a heart attack or related cardiac problems than those who do not have an anxiety disorder. Anxiety is also linked to the development of heart disease and can be a factor in heart attacks suffered by those already with heart disease.
Chronic Pulmonary Disease and Asthma - Many studies have found an elevated rate of anxiety symptoms in people who suffer chronic pulmonary disease or asthma with a long-term study reporting that people with an anxiety disorder are 6 times more likely to develop respiratory illnesses than people who do not suffer with anxiety.
Gastrointestinal Disease: Around 10% of the adult population in the US have been diagnosed with a gastrointestinal disorder such as Irritable Bowel Syndrome, also known as IBS. There is ongoing research into the connection between anxiety disorders and irritable bowel syndrome and a recent study in New Zealand has found a definite connection between high anxiety levels and the development of irritable bowel syndrome.
So, from the 3 examples above we can see that an anxiety or stress related disorder can have a significant impact on our physical well-being too. There are, obviously many other physical ailments which can be initiated or made worse by high levels of anxiety, our mind and our way of thinking does affect our physical bodies.

It is important therefore to recognise and seek treatment for anxiety or stress related illness as soon as possible, family doctors being the first port of call, they will either prescribe medication or suggest therapy such as cognitive behavioural therapy which is proving beneficial in the treatment of anxiety disorders. If necessary they can refer you to a specialist for evaluation and treatment.

© Andrew Tudor Jones

Andrew Tudor Jones is the owner of http://www.anxietydepressionselfhelp.com/, a website dedicated to anyone who suffers from anxiety and depression.The website offers valuable information on these conditions as well as 2 e-books which can be downloaded for free and a Blog,updated on a regular basis with relevant information. You can connect with Andrew on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/selfhelpforanxietyanddepression.

Original article

How Your Anxiety Affects Your Mind And Your Physical Body

Our response to anxiety is the normal reaction to anything that happens that we recognize to be a threat to us or those close to us. Some of the stimulating effects of this response can be good for us but if our anxious awakening is excessive and unrealistic pertaining to the situation we are faced with, then our heightened levels of anxious arousal will take its toll on our health. In fact over time giving our minds constant fight or flight messages can and will do life-threatening damage to our physical bodies.

Here is a list of some of the things that happen to our physical bodies during increased anxiety or a panic attack, remember these things happen every time our anxiety exceeds normal healthy levels.
Skin: Our sweat glands immediately start working to lower our core temperature in case we need to run or stand and fight.Breathing: Our lungs start working harder and faster, forcing the oxygen in which will be needed by the muscles to perform well.Heart: Our heart starts to beat faster and harder, raising our blood pressure and pulse beyond normal levels.Immune System: With all our major organs on high alert, fighting germs takes a back seat and our immune cell system slows right down leaving us open to attack.Cognition: Our brain anticipates the worst possible outcome, going into override and we start to feel impending doom.Digestion: Our digestive system becomes very low on the bodies priority scale and slows right down leading to stomach problems like bloating, indigestion, diarrhoea, vomiting etc.Metabolism: Hormonal changes affect both our appetites and the way we burn calories, upset metabolisms lead to other problems such as obesity.Nerves: Our nerve system becomes oversensitive and this leads to increased awareness of pain.

As you can see we are putting our bodies under tremendous stress every time we have an anxiety or panic attack, with a severe attack doing untold damage over the long term.

Imagine you have particularly nasty infection which you need your immune system to get to work on immediately to fight off the foreign invaders which have entered your body but because you are in a constant anxious state then your immune system is almost closed down and will definitely lose the battle and leave you with a possibly life threatening infection needing immediate medical intervention.

Perhaps like me you would like your heart to continue working well into old age, are we helping it achieve that outcome by continually stressing it unnaturally?

So now we have a strong case for overcoming our anxiety or panic disorder, not only will we feel much better mentally but we will also be giving our physical bodies the best possible chance of operating at optimal rate for a long time to come.

© Andrew Tudor Jones.

Andrew Tudor Jones is the owner of http://www.anxietydepressionselfhelp.com/, a websit dedicated to anyone who suffers from anxiety and depression.The website offers valuable information on these conditions as well as 2 e-books which can be downloaded for free and a Blog,updated on a regular basis with relevant information. You can connect with Andrew on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/selfhelpforanxietyanddepression.

Original article