Can anxiety cause fatigue?

[Bonnibelle]

I've had anxiety since 2012. I was attacked by my brother and it caused ptsd. I was diagnosed with anxiety and agoraphobia because of thr trauma. I had some depression too as my mother and siblings resented me for not forgiving him which led to me having to walk away away from my family. I also lost my nan a few months before. It basically all led to anxiety and depression. I was put on mirtazapine in late 2013 as I wasn't sleeping or eating and had severe anxiety. Mirt can cause sedation but it wasn't anything I couldn't live with.

I overcame the anxiety and agoraphobia a lot and felt early last year really well and the past was behind me. It all returned over the last year when my health deteriorated

Anyway summer last year I started feeling tired. Gp ran some tests and other than my ferritin a little low he said all was ok. I got a print out and noticed my thyroid was borderline. My gp said he would monitor it. Last winter my son was bullied and became suicidal. My world fell apart and I had some kind of breakdown I was mentally and physically worn down dealing with my son so ill, mental health services not helping him, myself chronically fatigued ... it all led to me very unwell and by January my thyroid had rocketed over range. My gp still refused to treat but monitored it to see if things improved. He blamed it all on stress of the last few years and said I jist had chronic fatigue. By May my fatigue was crippling and bloods showed I needed some help so he started thyroxine. I slowly started to improve and the fatigue started to lift slowly. I had great news last month that at last my thyroid was right down to normal and I felt much better with my fatigue and energy. My anxiety started to lift and I was out doing my exposure work and working on the anxiety that returned since I was poorly this last year.

2 weeks ago out of the blue I started having some physical anxiety like anxiety attacks. I had about 3 that week. Strange and unlike me but put it down to hormones. Since then my anxiety ramped up. Not physical as that's not usually how mine manifests but I had that week of physical anxiety and since its manifested as the usual things i get, unreality - feeling really spaced out, thinking and worrying will I ruin Christmas for my children if I have a setback in my anxiety, worrying if my anxiety is severe again, thinking all the time worrying my health is getting bad again or my anxiety is bad again, worrying with my agoraphobia what if I can't do the visits over Christmas and my daughters concert, what if I have to see my siblings at Christmas, hyper sensitised the physical sensations and anything I feel triggers fear it's ill health or a funny turn... so mainly it's mental thinking and worrying but I am also hyper sensitive to sensations in the body and worrying about them. I've also felt quite low because of it all and the level of fatigue is making my low mood worse. Over the last 5 days my fatigue has hit bad again and my husband and friend think it's since my anxiety returned and all the thinking and worrying I've been doing about it ruining my Christmas. I had been feeling far less tired and working on the anxiety my ill health caused to flare up again.

It's a kind of tiredness where my eyes feel so heavy and sting all day, brain fog feeling where I can't think straight and my surroundings feel unreal, the fatigue hits so hard by 6pm I feel woozy, worn out, weak thighs.... but mainly it's in the head and eyes like this heavy brain fog and stinging heavy eyes all day. I'm sleeping fine.

So after a long ramble I'm wondering can anxiety cause this level of fatigue? Without having panic attacks or high anxiety? Other than that 1 week of some physical anxiety it's now just the usual anxiety I've always had which is mental and the hyper sensitive to physical sensations. I was back working on my agoraphobia and anxiety relapse the ill health brought back this year and I felt much better energy wise. Now I'm fatigued again my anxiety has ramped up as I obsess and worry about why I'm so tired all the time and why I feel I can't think straight. It's causing more anxiety and causing more fear of going out due to how fatigued I feel. Not good when I was making huge progress getting out and about again.

I had bloods done last month and all fine. My gp ran so many tests he ruled out auto immune disorders, granular fever, fbc, detailed iron tests, vitamin levels, kidney and liver function, muscle bloods, thyroid, diabetes, etc I had a hugreat amount done. All fine. Thyroid now working well and everything else ruled out. Gp did a lot of tests to rule things out and so we could just focus on the thyroid treatment.

I know my gp will say this return in heavy fatigue is anxiety and the mental thinking and mental exhsistion. Can anyone relate and reassure me anxiety can cause this kind of fatigue I'm experiencing if you aren't having physical panic and racing adrenaline.

Sorry this got long.
B

[Jobes]

I also have physical symptoms of anxiety that make we worry about serious health issues and it's all I focus on I feel exhahasted during the day. Can sleep maybe 4-5 hours a night and wake up aroun 2-3 am most nights with difficulty trying to get back to sleep. Mental stress takes a physical toll on your body and can cause extreme fatigue depression can cause this as well. You are not alone in your struggle anxiety is very common you just feel like you are alone.

[Bonnibelle]

I also have physical symptoms of anxiety that make we worry about serious health issues and it's all I focus on I feel exhahasted during the day. Can sleep maybe 4-5 hours a night and wake up aroun 2-3 am most nights with difficulty trying to get back to sleep. Mental stress takes a physical toll on your body and can cause extreme fatigue depression can cause this as well. You are not alone in your struggle anxiety is very common you just feel like you are alone.

Thank you for your reply.

I sleep very well. 11 till 7am usually. Yet I'm always fatigued like I've never been to bed. I did wonder if all the mental anxiety just takes its toll and drains you mentally.

Thanks again and yes it helps to know I'm not alone. It's horrible.

B

[Fishmanpa]

"Can anxiety cause fatigue?"

Absolutely!

Positive thoughts

[SLA]

They walk hand in hand.

[Bonnibelle]

"Can anxiety cause fatigue?"

Absolutely!

Positive thoughts

Even with the absence of high adrenaline, ie the fast heart, shakes etc...? My anxiety tends to be over thinking, worrying, trying to work things out, worrying about my agoraphobia rather than anxiety attacks. Last week was a one off I think due to hormones out of sync.

Thank you :-)

---------- Post added at 10:12 ---------- Previous post was at 10:11 ----------

They walk hand in hand.

Thank you, that's reassuring.

I wondered if you had to have panic attacks, fast heart, high adrenaline type anxiety to feel fatigued.

[Annie0904]

No you don't have to have panic attacks with anxiety to feel fatigued. Constant worrying causes fatigue. I feel constantly exhausted :(

[Magic]

Anxiety makes you feel tired. I have just had my first Christmas cards delivered today.
I just want to hide away.

[Bonnibelle]

Thank you all. It seems it's pretty common then.

B

[Bonnibelle]

Yesterday I wrapped presents for 5 hours, walked my dog for 10 minutes, cooked, cleaned, school runs, folding washing. I did lots of lifting of boxes and carrying heavy christmas sacks. I have woken today feeling not only fatigued but weak all over, feel weak shaky and sickly. It's causing me intense anxiety. These are the feelings I used to get when in a 'crash' with my chronic fatigue due to my thyroid. So of course today I am thinking well anxiety can't cause my fatigue because no normal person would feel like this just for a day wrapping presents and normal housewife duties. I feel horrible weakness and faitgue, woozy head and on top now anxiety making me feel sick and afraid of what's wrong with me and why I can't do normal tasks like other mums.

My recent bloods were all good and my thyroid has improved massively so now I am worrying if I do have CFS. I have been quite inactive all year due to my health not being great and only recently am I alot more active, walking, yoga, shops... I just hope this isn't CFS and can anxiety cause how I am feeling today?

Sorry to post seeking reassurance. I hate it when I feel weak like this it causes me to feel very afraid. I am resting up today, just the school run to do later but even that is worrying me feeling this bad. I found the drive this morning tough as my head felt woozy. So I feel really anxious about driving later. Ugh, horrible day.