Food-based question

[Auntie.Eggma]

I have about a thousand questions about what's going on with me, but here's one to start with:

I seem to get...extra jittery or nervous or something while/after eating, as though my body is reacting weirdly to the food, or the digesting/metabolising of it, or something.

Has anyone else experienced anything like this?

I don't know if it's even remotely physical, or if it's completely psychological.

Maybe it's just something to do with my first...episode or attack or whatever, (small scale, and pretty unlike any since, though it was) having been after not eating all day, and only distinguished from the usual faint/light-headed/sweaty/low blood sugar type feeling (that I normally have if I go too long without eating) by a bit of dizziness and palpitations, . And my second (two months later, and the beginning of pretty much daily problems) was just at the end of dinner, which was what properly set me off and sent me running to the A&E, as I thought "right, this can't be from not eating, then. I've just bloody eaten."

Most of my worst "episodes" continue to happen in the evening. I get mini-things during the day a bit, but the evening is always trouble.

Can it really be so simple as "that's when it started, so that's when it keeps happening" or is there something to the weird reactions to food, or could both be relevant?

[aggiecuttler]

i find not eating is not helpful in triggering my panic attacks, especially first thing in the morning, so i try and eat first thing to prevent having them, i would guess that your symptoms are all down to anxiety maybe look at the type of foods you are eating maybe a food diary would be helpful blessings

[ankietyjoe]

Can it really be so simple as "that's when it started, so that's when it keeps happening" or is there something to the weird reactions to food, or could both be relevant?


There is definitely some truth in that.

I tend to get palpitations and heavy heartbeat after my main evening meal, but I know that it's because my body is metabolising food so it's pretty normal. It's just your over sensitive nervous system reacting to stimuli, or that's the way I perceive it anyway.

[Auntie.Eggma]

Thanks, both. Definitely some...food for thought. *cringes, gets coat, dodges vaudeville hook, etc*

[frosty2901]

wow this is exactly like me

my first one was in the evening and then I have had subsequent panic attacks whilst eating or trying to eat my tea
and also in the evenings is when I feel my worst if im particularly bad
I always thought it could just be as simple as well that's when it happened first so my mind thinks oh yes its that time again

so even know months and many panic attacks and bad gad later I still feel worst around tea time and evening

it doesn't matter what I eat or what time in the evening

mine goes a bit then comes back maybe every 3 or 4 weeks for a couple of weeks at a time

thanks frosty xxx

[Daisy Sue]

It might also be to do with the fact that when you're digesting food, your blood rushes to the stomach more than usual to do the digesting action, and if you're very over-sensitive to how your body's working - as you can get with anxiety - this might be enough to sub-consciously start the panic to rise a little. A lot of people get over-sensitive senses such as hearing/taste/smell, so it's quite possible that you're more aware of digesting activity than normal.

Maybe try to distract yourself while eating, like reading or watching tv. And also, I've found that little meals are far easier to get through than large ones.

[Lilharry]

Yes, I get this, well I don't get it anymore since I changed my diet. You should track what you are eating. Do you eat a lot of grains - bread, pasta etc? You may have a gluten intolerance. Sugar can set of these reactions too. I used to get extremely light headed and anxious before meals also, due to low blood sugar, but now I'm eating right that doesn't happen

[Auntie.Eggma]

Daisy-Sue, I've developed a weird aversion to watching tv/films along with this nonsense, as well. Films stress me out massively, possibly because they're not distracting me enough? Or in a way that's active? I find some video games alright, though, maybe because they're interactive so I'm doing something instead of just passively receiving entertainment. Wii-style kiddie type games like Mario Party and the like seem to work quite well to distract me. Anything too action/fighting/violence orientated seems to just stress me out worse, though. Too emotionally stimulating, maybe? I don't know.

Lilharry, I do eat a lot of grains. I'm Italian, so pasta is a regular player. And lots of bread, too. Balls. I do not want to be gluten intolerant! But. How does one go about finding out such a thing, apart from very very thorough trial and error? Ive been wondering about the blood sugar thing (which is what set me on my most recent "I'm going to die of ______" panic yesterday...hypoglycaemia this time) as that was where it all started, with feeling sort of shaky/sweaty/light-headed like I often do a few hours after lunch but before dinner, especially if tired, but this time with added dizziness and fast/hard heartbeat. Actually, I've never bothered to ask a doctor if that was normal (the shaky/sweaty/light-headed feeling, not the dizziness and hard/fast heart). It probably isn't, and this is all just some bizarre exacerbation of whatever was causing that.

So...hm. Dietary causes are something to look into, I guess.