Anyone actually feel ill with anxiety? Like needing to be in bed?

[TimetoTurn]

Just because that's how I'm feeling along with the weakness, I know my anxiety levels have been quite high, as couldn't sleep last night at all! I really wonder if anxiety can cause feeling physically that bad though? I've never known it before and I've had anxiety for years (though I know it manifests in different ways)

Thanks in advance!

[Anna Daisy]

I have been experiencing muscle aching, tiredness, dizziness and generally feeling worn out. Whenever I go through a bad period of anxiety I always feel physically unwell, although it differs in severity from day to day. Yesterday I virtually didn't leave my bedroom, I felt too dizzy to read or do my university work. I noticed that the tiredness and physical symptoms however did get worse once I started medication, although even before I started on medication I always felt exhausted and achy.

Hope that was a bit useful!

[RosieBelle]

Yes I feel like that, especially when I've had high anxiety I can feel really exhausted and keep yawning and just need to go to bed or even just needing to sit down. It's crazy how many physical symptoms anxiety can produce.
You're definitely not alone, especially if you haven't been sleeping properly you're going to be tired and weak. Anxiety can be very exhausting and draining.

[skymaid]

anxiety burns energy fast. sometimes ive felt so drained ive laid down nearly all day

[Carrie8484]

Yes, I've been bed bound with anxiety, depression, a combination of both. As sky said, it really drains your energy. It saps everything from your brain and leaves you exhausted in every way.

[xxnikki]

Hi there, I went through the exact same thing for a couple of years. I had a lot of stress in my life. I could not do anything most days but just sleep. I felt exhausted. You need to do as your body is telling you too, but I would defo recommend seeing a doctor and explain these symptoms.

Mine was anxiety and stress, sometimes felt like I was dying and my body was giving out, but it was my body trying to deal with too much. Are there any stressful events/problems in your life right now? Maybe something to look at hun

Hope you feel better soon

[Xleanne92X]

As of now I've been in bed the last week worried sick! Dizziness etc :( so yes it can x

[eternally optimistic]

DEFINITELY DEFINITELY. It's your body being overworked. About 6 month's after a breakdown a long time ago and being on meds, I remember realising that body felt so rested and that I had felt so physically unwell for year's.

[Myranda]

This is how I've been feeling lately. I just feel like I want to sleep! It's normal for anxiety sufferers. Positive thoughts!

[MyNameIsTerry]

I can definitely add myself to the list for this one. It can be exhausting having an anxiety disorder!

The fatigue has got worse the last couple of years.

[Beckybecks]

I think I've posted about this myself at some stage. I usually feel like I'm coming down with flu but it doesn't actually happen. For years I've wondered what it was. Doctors couldn't find anything and tests were clear. But one doctor did explain about stress hormones, adrenaline and cortisol causing inflammation in the body.
I get extreme fatigue and dizziness too.
It's usually after a period of anxiety.

[TimetoTurn]

Thanks so much for the replies, lovely people!
I haven't been feeling well at all the last few days. The muscle weakness is the thing that kicked it all off. I'm really struggling to believe this could all be anxiety/stress related.
I've had leg muscle weakness/fatigue since my baby was 3 months old. I had come off low dose citalopram around then too, so thought it may be withdrawal.
But in recent months I started getting fatigue pretty badly and worsening weakness. Then literally the last few weeks it's got worse, and now I feel worse every day!
Literally if I nod my head up and down my neck muscles shake, if I move my arm, or just general movement really, of which I am not doing much as it makes me so tired and my heart beat hard. I went the doc yesterday and saw a different one, all she did was check my muscle strengt by asking me to squeeze her fingers and such. She then recommended I start citalopram again to see if it does anything. I have been holding off because of fearing it being something else! (I even asked for an ecg but she said to try the pills first)
Obviously none of this helps anxiety in general! Really struggling to function right now, and can't stay in bed long because of having a nearly 2 year old! Thankfullg my hubby is around a fair bit, but this is quite hard on him too. Today I have a funny taste in my mouth and yeah basically feel as if I am not well, but nothing else says that.

[flipp]

There are days when I could stay in bed,but with kids it's bloody hard. I feel weak and tired today I think it's the heat,had panic attack last night too,that doesn't help,but gotta keep going fighting the beast.

[Mrschurchill]

I yawn - A LOT, but manage to sleep fine! Must be my anxiety stealing all my energy. I feel wired with anxiety 24-7 x

[KeeKee]

Not recently, but when I first developed anxiety I was poorly (as in being sick and felt genuinely ill as though I had a bug) every 4-6 weeks from the august of that year until the March of the following year. No cause was found and I'm not one to get poorly often. Plus nobody in my household ever caught it, it was always just me so I'm convinced it was in relation to my anxiety.

[Colicab85]

100%.

At the height of my Anxiety I just spent days in bed....I felt so rough like a really bad cold or something else.

[Bike Rider]

Yes, I have felt that way a few times. My G.P. explained that when you are anxious, having thoughts racing through your mind, agitated etc, you are working your mind and body quite hard, plus you are burning more calories which was the reason why most mornings I felt famished.

[paranoid-viking]

Just because that's how I'm feeling along with the weakness, I know my anxiety levels have been quite high, as couldn't sleep last night at all! I really wonder if anxiety can cause feeling physically that bad though? I've never known it before and I've had anxiety for years (though I know it manifests in different ways)

Thanks in advance!

I know excactly how you feel. I have stopped shaving, my aooartement is a mess. I feel OK when lying in bed and let the fear and horror rest. I dont want to face another day anymore. Soon as something unusual happening to my stomach; and it has increasingly became worse I fear it means I have the deadliest of cancers. So many stories out on the net are confirming my worst fears and nothing my doc or family members say can reasurre me; I identify strongly woth the unfortunate victims because their stories before diagnosis matches perfectly woith my experience. So I just want to lie in bed. Nor waking up as there is a horryfying world of death and destruction out there.
Thanks to media, several online posters in other forums and the most aggresive horryfying nightmare tales from awareness campaigns I dont have a life anymore; just existense. And I live alone woth no one to look after me proparly. I am so scared of death and fear that I will suffer a horryfying death in the near future and fall into the numbers of the fatally misdiagnosed.

[unsure_about_this]

I want to stop in bed so I dont worry much, I keep worrying I have a cancer because if and when I see something strange I panic like crazy that it is 100% cancer and cannot think sense. I blame the media, and also being misgiagonsed and make daily mail.

[ServerError]

God, blimey guys.

The world isn't going to change for you. I'm not going to say that a positive attitude is an anxiety cure, but how do you ever expect to get better while moping and feeling sorry for yourself all the time?

[TimetoTurn]

servererror has got a point there -it is true, we need to find good things to focus on, and do our best to 'drop' the bad thoughts when they come. Google is probably our worst enemy even though it can sometimes be useful.
I don't have a TV and don't read any papers which helps with not hearing sensationalist very rare stories! But thanks for sharing guys, it is hard going.. I am a Christian and I believe God is ultimately looking after me, and that I can pray for His help, which I do, but I need to discipline myself to not keep fearing the worst! The silly thing is you think you're being rational until you talk to someone else and realise you really are thinking the worst!

[ServerError]

servererror has got a point there -it is true, we need to find good things to focus on, and do our best to 'drop' the bad thoughts when they come. Google is probably our worst enemy even though it can sometimes be useful.
I don't have a TV and don't read any papers which helps with not hearing sensationalist very rare stories! But thanks for sharing guys, it is hard going.. I am a Christian and I believe God is ultimately looking after me, and that I can pray for His help, which I do, but I need to discipline myself to not keep fearing the worst! The silly thing is you think you're being rational until you talk to someone else and realise you really are thinking the worst!

I was perhaps a bit undiplomatic in making my point there. I appreciate that when someone has a mental health condition, you can't just tell them to snap out of it. And if someone has depression, no amount of telling them to "think positive" is going to help (although in some cases it does).

I just feel that, with anxiety disorders, the way to recovery is very much NOT paved with self pity and defeatism. This forum is brilliant, but if I had one criticism of anxiety forums in general, is that they give people's irrational worries and anxieties too much credit, and often don't challenge people enough to actually see through their condition. Nobody chooses anxiety just as much as nobody chooses any other illness, but this is something that we can make worse with our own thoughts.

My own point of view is that, whatever anxiety disorder you have (and I'm ONLY talking about anxiety disorders here), and whatever therapies and/or medications you try, recovery always lies at the other side of your journey past negative thoughts and unpleasant symptoms, and you'll get there quicker by losing your fears, standing up to it, and living your life regardless.

I would never be so arrogant as to call myself inspirational, but there are inspiring anxiety sufferers out there, and we could all do so much more to inspire each other to get better rather than wallow in a neverending anxiety cycle.

Please note, I'm not saying there is no place for sympathy, empathy and understanding, either.

[Indiaav]

Yes. I am tired beyond TIRED! I find it hard to stay in bed with panics but also hard not to sleep and I am exhausted but I do nothing but sit around as I am so very tired. This goes on and on at the moment with anxiety, panics, fear, all wrapped around each other and exhaustion follows. I normally take care of my appearance and would not be seen dead without my make up on, but, horror of horrors, at the moment I really do not care. This is the joys of being in this state. I just want to be normal again

---------- Post added 20-11-16 at 01:56 ---------- Previous post was 19-11-16 at 23:50 ----------

Yes it can. I lose sleep with night panics and get scared to go back to sleep some nights cos I fear being woken in panic again. I also get nausea now and then, I get exhaustion, I lose my appetite (and my rag when people try to force feed me). I feel that my anxiety and panics all seem to come after periods of great emotional stress and that it is nervous exhaustion that kicks it all off, also I find that it usually comes with nervous exhaustion followed by infections such as a chest infection and that kicks off the dreaded attacks and anxiety

---------- Post added at 02:04 ---------- Previous post was at 01:56 ----------