Anxiety when in the bath?

[nutcasetom]

Hi everyone as you know from my posts i think i am suffering with severe anxiety and agoraphobia.. Well i get all the symptoms from jelly legs, dizziness,numbness,fuzzy head,feeling sick, tiredness,weakness ect loads more as well. But i noticed nearly everyday i feel dizzy or numb? I have been to the doctors and they keep saying anxiety and agoraphobia. I have had basic tests like blood tests ect and i have cbt at home. Well my concern which i have noticed lately is when i get in the bath i become very dizzy and numb... I had a bath today and i was a bit dizzy and i sort of am always on the alert incase i have to jump out if i feel really bad anyway my right arm become really numb and still is now.. It is like it ain't a 100% i can still touch and do everything but it is like it is a bit distant from anything else. I do get numbness in my right arm as a symptom but it goes on for so long and the hardest thing is, why when i get in the bath do i come over funny? I have not got a fear of having a bath or anything like that it just happens a bit like during the day i feel terrible for no reason what so ever and don't know what is causing it? Would be interested to know if anyone else is similar and what do they do to help if they can? Please respond it is driving me mad as every time i feel like im having a stroke or something. Ive been to the doctors about the numbness and he touched both my hands and asked me to lift ect and it was fine but this is weird why does this happen? Many people with anxiety don't get this i don't think. Also im 19 and i am a male.

[Elle-Kay]

I usually feel more anxious in the bath too (hence why I nearly always have showers), and have put it down to the hot water as I've also noticed in the past that I feel more flustered the hotter I am.

Tingling or numbness in the extremities during anxiety/panic is caused by your body re-directing blood flow to the vital organs, as it believes that you are in some sort of real danger (which of course you aren't - your body has just mistaken your anxiety for danger). It isn't dangerous, and is always a short term thing.

[nutcasetom]

I usually feel more anxious in the bath too (hence why I nearly always have showers), and have put it down to the hot water as I've also noticed in the past that I feel more flustered the hotter I am.

Tingling or numbness in the extremities during anxiety/panic is caused by your body re-directing blood flow to the vital organs, as it believes that you are in some sort of real danger (which of course you aren't - your body has just mistaken your anxiety for danger). It isn't dangerous, and is always a short term thing.

Thanks alot for your reply.. Thanks it makes alot of sense but the only thing is i always get it in the same arm? I never get it in my left arm.. it is a bit confusing?

[Anxious_gal]

vertigo? where you get dizzy when changing positions?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hq-IQWSrAtM

is the bath very hot? it could be due to the simple temperature change or even anxiety , if it happens once it might be triggering off anxiety.

try not to worry about needing to get out, if you are worried about fainting? you can pull the plug out :p
Its almost impossible to faint when sitting.

the feelig distant, is depresonalization or derealization brought on by anxiety and migraines too. I get it from both.
I find feeling dizzy, you can sort of feel detached or something too, it's a hard thing to describe but not focusing on it helps, I find if I ignore it, it seems to ease off faster.

[nutcasetom]

vertigo? where you get dizzy when changing positions?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hq-IQWSrAtM

is the bath very hot? it could be due to the simple temperature change or even anxiety , if it happens once it might be triggering off anxiety.

try not to worry about needing to get out, if you are worried about fainting? you can pull the plug out :p
Its almost impossible to faint when sitting.

the feelig distant, is depresonalization or derealization brought on by anxiety and migraines too. I get it from both.
I find feeling dizzy, you can sort of feel detached or something too, it's a hard thing to describe but not focusing on it helps, I find if I ignore it, it seems to ease off faster.

lol thanks for your help i feel like im going mad ive heard about vertigo but i was told vertigo means that the room is spinning and mine ain't like that it is more like a fuzzy passing out feeling really hard to explain. It could be because it is on my mind alot but i feel ill everyday im trying to find away i can stop thinking about it lol... thanks again. Im just trying to tell myself this is anxiety and nothing serious.

[Anxious_gal]

with head rush, due to a drop in blood pressure I get faint, dizzy,weak, heavy tight head, a strong urge to lower my head but I don't know if getting into the bath or the heat of the water can change your blood pressure.

When I go too long without food I get weak, spaced out, some times sweating and a fast heart beat. Eating or drinking makes me feel better right away.

I get dizziness too, sometimes it's a spinning sensation, sometimes it feels like I am falling or the floor dropped a few inches.

if you think it could be heat that's triggering it off, you could ask your doctor about it : )

[ricardo]

Hot water does raise your BP but i can relate to be anxious when in a bath. I nearly drowned in the sea several years ago and I think it triggered an over anxious state of anxiety about water which I still have today.
Perhaps have a slightly cooler bath and only have the bath have full and if possible have someone initially in the vacinity until time and time again your anxiety lessens and you actually relax in your bath.

[nutcasetom]

with head rush, due to a drop in blood pressure I get faint, dizzy,weak, heavy tight head, a strong urge to lower my head but I don't know if getting into the bath or the heat of the water can change your blood pressure.

When I go too long without food I get weak, spaced out, some times sweating and a fast heart beat. Eating or drinking makes me feel better right away.

I get dizziness too, sometimes it's a spinning sensation, sometimes it feels like I am falling or the floor dropped a few inches.

if you think it could be heat that's triggering it off, you could ask your doctor about it : )

ok thanks for your help i will ask my doctor about it :)

---------- Post added at 15:16 ---------- Previous post was at 15:16 ----------


Hot water does raise your BP but i can relate to be anxious when in a bath. I nearly drowned in the sea several years ago and I think it triggered an over anxious state of anxiety about water which I still have today.
Perhaps have a slightly cooler bath and only have the bath have full and if possible have someone initially in the vacinity until time and time again your anxiety lessens and you actually relax in your bath.

oh really? maybe have a fear that i do not know about when it comes to baths... thanks for your advice i will try that.

[rb1978]

Anxiousgal - the symptoms you describe are exactly what I get. Head rush, dizziness, feeling woozy.

I almost never ever have baths and always have showers instead due to how panicked I feel in the bath. I think it's a combination of how the hot water raises your body temperature, how the steam affects your sinuses (I have a lot of sinus problems) and also a psychological element. I feel trapped in the bath somehow. Sounds so silly but in the shower because I'm upright and it's a short time I feel I can leap out and dry off anytime. Somehow with the bath I feel like its a longer thing and I'm submerged so I'm more committed to it.

Yes, that does sound a bit silly ... Oh dear :)

[Teddysmummy]

I always feel like i going to die in the bath :( to the point I can't bath unless someone is in the house. I always think I'm gonna faint (and drown) its weird I start seeing stars :( wish I could help. I can't even shower. No working shower x

[nutcasetom]

I always feel like i going to die in the bath :( to the point I can't bath unless someone is in the house. I always think I'm gonna faint (and drown) its weird I start seeing stars :( wish I could help. I can't even shower. No working shower x

It's so horrible.. because it ain't like we are scared to have the bath/shower but the symptoms seem to worsen in there for no reason... I thought i was the only one as i have never heard anyone mention about anxious when in the bath.

[Jamesk]

I often get anxious in the shower and have feelings of weakness in my legs and being about to pass out.

[nutcasetom]

I often get anxious in the shower and have feelings of weakness in my legs and being about to pass out.

very scary.. i thought i was the only one.

[RLR]

Okay, immersion into hot water produces vasodilation and lowers blood pressure. When standing upright in a shower, or even sitting upright in a tub, the body's vascular network must work against the forces of gravity to maintain perfusion, or adequate blood flow to the brain. If factors impede this ability, then light-headedness can occur and in some instances even syncope or fainting, although rare. Most such events take place in jacuzzis with extended immersion into heated water while consuming alcoholic beverage.

The other factor which produces an odd sensorium for persons experiencing significant anxiety is that the body's sensory network slightly malfunctions due to stress upon the central nervous system. These sensory imperfections can arise with any of the senses and the resulting feedback produces irregularities which causes a collective odd sensorium and concern that something is wrong. This tendency can be exacerbated when immersion into hot or even cold water occurs because it causes the sensory network to react more intensely.

I note in another of your postings that you cite shortness of breath and at such a young age, it is highly unlikely to be the result of actual dyspnea, or air starvation. More likely the case is shallow respiration combined with musculoskeletal tension. It's important to realize that under significant tension, the diaphragm muscle is somewhat restricted in its ability to draw the lungs downward in a smooth motion to the extent that full tidal respiration occurs. Patients under such conditions also typically breathe more rapidly and consequently produce slight alteration in blood-gas levels which can in of itself produce an odd sensation. These patients also tend to try and force themselves to yawn frequently in order to experience a full inspirational breath that tends to have a calming effect.

Paresthesia, or tingling and numbness, is nothing more than a sensory disturbance and can commonly occur in a single limb or area of the body. It is not a sign of vascular ischemia, nor would any related discomfort be associated with cardiovascular challenge. Feeling as though something heavy is sitting on your chest in this instance is merely the result of musculoskeletal tension resulting from significant stress and anxiety. If combined with pain, the manifestation is known as DaCosta's syndrome and is an entirely benign phenomenon with symptoms that can appear similar to those associated with a cardiac event. Such is not the case in your instance.

You are quite young to be suffering somatic anxiety and I would submit here that cases such a this typically arise following a significant life-altering event such as death in the family, marital divorce or breakup of a serious relationship, loss of a job, pressures associated with college education and so on.

I see nothing of your symptoms to suggest that you are actually suffering from an underlying physical ailment, most certainly not cardiovascular challenge. Part of the problem is the common belief that something serious is wrong and this perception invariably produces a specific type of fear that poses imminent threat. You need to understand that the brain responds in a very unique way to any potential threat or challenge to one's safety, known as the fight-or-flight response and the subsequent physiological changes which manifest are universally misinterpreted as symptoms of disease.

You're going to be just fine.

Best regards,

Rutheford Rane, MD (ret.)

[nutcasetom]

Okay, immersion into hot water produces vasodilation and lowers blood pressure. When standing upright in a shower, or even sitting upright in a tub, the body's vascular network must work against the forces of gravity to maintain perfusion, or adequate blood flow to the brain. If factors impede this ability, then light-headedness can occur and in some instances even syncope or fainting, although rare. Most such events take place in jacuzzis with extended immersion into heated water while consuming alcoholic beverage.

The other factor which produces an odd sensorium for persons experiencing significant anxiety is that the body's sensory network slightly malfunctions due to stress upon the central nervous system. These sensory imperfections can arise with any of the senses and the resulting feedback produces irregularities which causes a collective odd sensorium and concern that something is wrong. This tendency can be exacerbated when immersion into hot or even cold water occurs because it causes the sensory network to react more intensely.

I note in another of your postings that you cite shortness of breath and at such a young age, it is highly unlikely to be the result of actual dyspnea, or air starvation. More likely the case is shallow respiration combined with musculoskeletal tension. It's important to realize that under significant tension, the diaphragm muscle is somewhat restricted in its ability to draw the lungs downward in a smooth motion to the extent that full tidal respiration occurs. Patients under such conditions also typically breathe more rapidly and consequently produce slight alteration in blood-gas levels which can in of itself produce an odd sensation. These patients also tend to try and force themselves to yawn frequently in order to experience a full inspirational breath that tends to have a calming effect.

Paresthesia, or tingling and numbness, is nothing more than a sensory disturbance and can commonly occur in a single limb or area of the body. It is not a sign of vascular ischemia, nor would any related discomfort be associated with cardiovascular challenge. Feeling as though something heavy is sitting on your chest in this instance is merely the result of musculoskeletal tension resulting from significant stress and anxiety. If combined with pain, the manifestation is known as DaCosta's syndrome and is an entirely benign phenomenon with symptoms that can appear similar to those associated with a cardiac event. Such is not the case in your instance.

You are quite young to be suffering somatic anxiety and I would submit here that cases such a this typically arise following a significant life-altering event such as death in the family, marital divorce or breakup of a serious relationship, loss of a job, pressures associated with college education and so on.

I see nothing of your symptoms to suggest that you are actually suffering from an underlying physical ailment, most certainly not cardiovascular challenge. Part of the problem is the common belief that something serious is wrong and this perception invariably produces a specific type of fear that poses imminent threat. You need to understand that the brain responds in a very unique way to any potential threat or challenge to one's safety, known as the fight-or-flight response and the subsequent physiological changes which manifest are universally misinterpreted as symptoms of disease.

You're going to be just fine.

Best regards,

Rutheford Rane, MD (ret.)
Well i can't thank you enough for your post. You have made me feel alot more better. I seem to have one symptom after another and can not leave my house because im suffering with agoraphobia. I just always feel some sort of symptom all the time and i try and come on here for reassurance. About 6 months ago i was at college doing fine and all this came out of the blue and ain't left me since. The hardest thing is why has this come on for no reason when im not stressed or worried and also could it really be anxiety doing this to me everyday? I keep asking myself i just find it hard to accept. Thanks for your help i really appreciate it and ive taken it all on board. Take care Tommy.

[natsplatt]

could be low bp drink loads of water before getting in it raises it