View Full Version : Could my anxiety have a physical cause?
Felt fine for a few weeks and I've noticed a creeping feeling of anxiety coming over me today. I haven't done anything that would cause this so why is it happening?
Could there be a physical cause?
Have you been working more or sleeping less lately?
Had a lot of problems with insomnia...slept about 3 hours last night.
Had a lot of problems with insomnia...slept about 3 hours last night.
I believe that in the future the brain will be more closely examined and that hopefully this will help us understand why it goes wrong/malfunctions. We can look at a heart and have a good knowledge of this organ so why not the brain?
We can study hearts and see why some are susceptible and not as strong as others so why cant we do the same for brains? I mean this is 2015 not 1615 for Pete's sake.
The brain is a very complex organ though...the most complex biological thing in the universe. A heart you can easily see what it does, it pumps. A brain...that's a bit different. They can see the neurons firing, (billions of them) but not what that means.
I've posted this before but here's my take on it...
Anxiety is like a campfire. When it's burning hot and bright, your anxiety is at it's peak. Later, you may not feel anxious but that fire is still hot. There are hot coals just waiting for any fuel to get the fire burning again.
It takes a long time for the hot coals to finally go out. So... you have some hot coals remaining and whether it's conscious or unconscious, you're adding fuel to the coals and thus the fire of increased anxiety.
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It's a nice metaphor fmp thanks ;)
That said I would still like it to be something simple and physical rather than a more 'mental' issue if you know what I mean?
Too much salt or something....
It's a nice metaphor fmp thanks ;)
That said I would still like it to be something simple and physical rather than a more 'mental' issue if you know what I mean?
Too much salt or something....
It could be... One way to find out if it's food related is to keep a food journal for a couple of weeks. Write down EVERYTHING... Then, if you have a reaction, write it down. Some have reactions to caffeine, alcohol, gluten etc.
Anxiety is a funny thing that it can be stimulated by both mental and physical causes. Anxiety can cause physical symptoms and thus increase anxiety. A benign physical symptom can cause anxiety and which in turn increases the physical symptom(s).
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Yes it could be physical, Thyroid, in women the onset of the menopause, allergies.
lack of sleep, even thirst or hunger.
I'm starting to think it might be sleep related. My sleep was terrible in 2014 and it got much worse then.
I need to monitor my sleep.
It's really an interesting subject... it's the whole chicken and egg scenario really and IMO, it can be either or a bit of both.
Some people have anxiety disorders that started for no apparent physical reason. Medical tests affirm it. Some people have a benign physical symptom and invokes an anxiety response. Some people are prone to anxiety and get into a catch 22 situation combining a real physical symptom (benign.. like stomach issues or back pain etc.) that's exasperated by anxiety. And then some develop anxiety after a traumatic experience (PTSD etc.) I also reiterate my analogy of anxiety and the campfire. During times of relatively low stress, the coals of anxiety may still be burning. Albeit they may be covered in ash and losing their heat, but they're still there. All it takes is a little kindling (like lack of sleep etc.) to get the fire started again.
Certainly, you can look into your habits such as diet, sleep and other things, keep a journal and find a correlation that can help you modify your behavior to lessen your anxiety. There's certainly no harm no foul in doing so. It makes sense if you've not been sleeping well that it could be a cause for increased anxiety. Let's face it, not enough rest is taxing both mentally and physically. For a few, these simple modifications are all that's needed but for most, that along with professional help is needed.
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