Fear of fainting and always hungry/always eating..

[fairyclairy]

Hi,

Didnt really know where to put this thread...

I have a fear of fainting/passing out, dont really know when it started.. but think it came along through everything else i suffer with (emetophobia, health anxiety, panic attacks) ... everything just seems to have blended into one!

But this fear of fainting is really getting to me now... i find myself constantly hungry!! I get shaky and think im gona pass out if i havnt eaten every couple of hours..

I was walking to my room lastnight and suddenly got a hit of panic like i was gona pass out.. i felt like i was falling to the side and felt like i had to eat! So i rushed for a banana and then got myself into such a huge panic attack... so much so, that i didnt sleep and have not gone into work today because i fear it happening again!

I can usually distinguish whether its jus anxiety etc, but lastnight really shook me up!

I never used to be like this... i could ge hours without eating, really didnt think about it! But now, its constantly on my brain... wondering when i can next eat and plan my day around my eating times. I go to sleep with a banana next to me just incase i wake up in the middle of the night hungry....... i seem to not be able to stand the hunger feeling and see it as a threat, so i constantly eat so i dont get that feeling and to stop myself from passing out!!

Has anyone else had anything like this? Im getting so worked up thinking theres something wrong with me.... but i know deep down that it is just anxiety and im not actual ill (diabetic, low blood suger etc etc)

I know the mind is a powerful thing and can make u believe things that arnt true...... so i could really do with some reassurance on this!

Im kinda worried to go docs too incase they DO find something?! xx

[fairyclairy]

Just writing on here to get it to the top of the forum again because i could really use some advice about it... thnku x

[anthrokid]

Heya Fairy,

I'm like that too. I have to eat every couple of hours or I get icky and dizzy and just all round funny feeling.

I just make sure I eat every couple of hours, something like a pear or a banana or a packet of sultanas. My doctor says that a lot of people who suffer from anxiety benefit from eating this way because we often use so much energy with our anxiety that we don't notice but it affects our body :)

[jothenurse]

I also feel lightheaded a lot, but my problem is that I get nervous if I do eat. My stomach is always a little off and I feel gaggy a lot. So, I have lost about 20 pounds. It's like if I eat something, then I'm afraid I'm going to get an upset stomach and I have a fear of throwing up. I have some vitamin deficiencies that I am supposed to be taking vitamins for, but I have a med phobia so when I do take them the next day I think my stomach is worse because of the vitamins (B12 and folic acid). I'm thinking I may take them just every other day. I feel a lot of pressure to eat because of my weight loss and vitamin deficiencies. Anybody else have this problem? I've tried eating small amounts more frequently, but can't seem to maintain or gain any weight. I supposed it's from all the anxiety. Sometimes I wonder if they are missing something.

[willitstop]

i too have to eat every couple of hours or i feel week and dizzy.
it must be quite common so try not to worry as you wont pass out through not eating every couple of hours, i went for 11 hours yesterday without eating and didnt pass out was hungry but didnt pass out haha.

[David86]

I was about to post a thread about the exact same thing. I have a fear of fainting, I suppose it's an irrational fear as I've never fainted in my life (touch wood!) I feel shakey and uncomfortable if I feel like I've not had enough to eat, sometimes I feel almost seasick and as though the ground is moving beneath me. In the past I've had myself convinced I have Hypoglycemia and I know I should go to the Docs but I'm weary of having blood tests done because they caused me so much anxiety last time I had them.

I'm pretty sure that it's all down to my anxiety because over the past year it's come and gone, surely if it was medical I'd have it all the time! Also on occasion it doesn't go away after I've eaten which it should do if it were due to low blood sugar, apparently. It drives me insane though when it's happening and makes it hard for me to work and to plan things with friends because I'm always worried about not being able to eat if I feel shakey, which then seems to cause a panic attack.

Snacking is making it difficult to lose weight too! Though I'm trying to keep more fruit for when it comes on rather than chocolates:doh:

[fairyclairy]

You've described me david... i too convinced i had hypoglycemia or something like that, but i was scared to go to the doctors for blood tests because all iv ever heard was people passing out during blood tests!! Its soooo incredibly frustrating..

Mine also has come and gone, and if im busy doing something and realise iv not eaten for 4-5 hours i think to myself - if i was really ill, i would have felt shaky etc but bcos iv got my mind off it.. its stopped, so must be anxiety and all in my head!

I plan things around this aswell and make sure i have snacks with me if im going out for long periods of time.... i stick to fruit though because of the natural sugars in it which in my brain tells me theyl stop me from fainting!

My CBT therapist told me i have to challenge this and not eat even if im shaking, weak, dizzy etc because iv got to prove to myself that i am not ill and i will not pass out.... but iv not been that brave yet! lol x

[David86]

I'm really sorry this is happening to you but I'm so glad I'm not alone! Hopefully that doesn't sound like the most selfish statement ever...

There's a couple of things I do know and hopefully they will be of some benefit to you. I had a really bad stomach bug a couple of months back and as a result ate absolutely nothing for 24 hours, I got huge head rushes when standing up but I did not faint once. The light-headedness I had then is totally different to what I feel when I'm anxious and I've found it can be slightly comforting to remember that when I have stress related dizziness etc. I just think "Well if I didn't faint then when I was ill and had no food, why should I faint now" It's by no means a miracle cure but it does seem to help as long as I've not gotten myself too worked up! Do you have anything like that you could think about?

Also, in regards to testing ourselves... It's terrifying to think about and knowing my luck I'd "test" myself by not eating then actually not eat enough and faint because of that! I always take thingts to extremes...:)

Having said that, after reading your post on the forum yesterday afternoon I decided to give it a try. I'd just had a fairly large pasta meal and within half an hour I was getting the odd tingly/hungry sensation. I knew I couldn't possibly be hungry so I decided to wait it out and see what happened. I got myself really really panicked although I didn't have a panic attack. I decided to go for a walk to take my mind off it and do you know what? It worked. Gradually the "hunger craving" went away, I still had some of my other anxiety symptoms ( I seem to get extreme tension in my neck and shoulders which seems to throw me off balance) but the feeling I can only describe as "low blood sugar" just went! I managed to go from 4pm to about 9pm without eating or snacking and the awful hungry dizzy feeling seemed to pass.

It was great while it lasted! I'm sitting here now stressing out before work as per, worrying if I've had enough to eat again!

I've been thinking about getting a book on overcoming food cravings as that seems to be essentially what we suffer from.

I hope you have a better day today, I'll report back later on if I discover anything else:yesyes:

Can I ask how your anxiety started? Mine started when I actually had a "fainting" episode at a restaurant (although I didn't faint, I think it was 2 pints of Coke on an empty, hungover stomach that did the damage!) I've always had the link between anxiety and eating - did you have something similar? Feel free to PM or email me any time, hopefully we can beat this together.

[fairyclairy]

No dont be daft, it doesnt sound selfish! Im glad im not the only one too because i thought i was! Its reassuring to know someone else is suffering from this because it reinforces the fact that its just anxiety!

Yeah, iv also had periods where iv not eaten because iv been genuwinely unwell or something - so i tell myself, if nothing bad happened then, its unlikely to happen now!

Thats really good what you managed to do yesterday! U should be very proud of yourself - i try and test myself by not diving for food as soon as i feel the hunger symptom etc and im slowly able to do that more and more.

I dont know if i written this in here before but i was talking to my CBT therapist the other week about this symptom and always feeling hungry etc and she said something which really helped - when we panic or are just generally anxious, all the blood moves to the areas it thinks it needs to be to fight whatever danger our body thinks we're in... i,e, the legs and arms etc so we can run faster! Therefore, the blood leaves the stomach, which makes us feel hungry and empty... this is apparently a common symptom for anxiety!! But we're not actually hungry... it just feels like we are because our digstive system is abit messed up.... iv tested this theory and managed to concentrate on other things when feeling hungry and the hunger has just disappeared when iv calmed down etc! - Hope thats helped u alittle

My fear first started in high school.... it all started when i was sick on the first day in high school and from that day, iv had a hugeeee vomit phobia! So much so, i didnt eat outside the house for fear of being sick infront of people etc... so it got to about 3pm one day in school and id not eaten anything all day and id not even drank etc and stood up in my classroom (which the heating was stuck so it was absolutly boiling in there) and i just fell to the floor... i didnt loose unconciousness but fell to the floor all wobbly.... so thats how this fear started!! So now, i eat so i dont pass out, but once iv eaten i worry im going to be sick.. so its just one big vicious cycle! Im getting help with my vomit phobia now though which is slowly working so once we've done that, we're moving on to this fainting fear x

[charlie20]

Hey! I am EXACTLY the same but only at work/when out.

Befpre I go to work I have a MASSIVE bowl of poridge...by the time I get to work im hungry and freaked out that I will faint. Im not diabetic (my mums a vet and got me a stick to wee on :p) but i feel shakey and lightheaded....its horrid,,,im steadily putting on weight and its really getting me down...i cant exercise enough to keep it off! When im home for a day i eat nothing for hours without even noticing,,,i dont get it! At work i cant go 2 mins, although when i get to lunch time im not hungry (and so spend the afternoon worrying about if i ate enough)....I am so much better anx wise...i can do the whole tesco thing and sit at my desk all day...but only if i have eaten something and have some orange juice nearby Just In Case...I cant shake the dependency I have on food. May try to test it tomorrow...we shall see...i used to have an awsome figure...now its going :( I hate it :(

[fairyclairy]

Hey Charlie20..... im the same with the weight thing!! Its bludy annoying... i too used to have a great figure, flat stomach, toned, size 8..... but now, its just getting bigger and bigger :mad:
Im the same at work, i have my breakfast at home, then have to have a banana when i get in work, then maybe something else, then lunch, then a snack and so on and so on..... over the last 4 weeks though i have joined Slimming World and it has helped, im steadily loosing weight and eating much, much healthier... i now go longer periods without eating because i know im eating a steady, healthy diet.... i still totally freak out if i get shaky or lightheaded and immediately rush for a banana!

Its horrible isnt it - but iv been told its just another anxiety symptom because of my fear of fainting... very frustrating x

[paula lynne]

Hi ...I read a while ago tha tpeople who suffer badly with anxiety need to eat every 2hrs, or adrenaline kicks in and panic is aroused. It doesnt matter what it is, seet, or savoury, as long as we eat. :shrug:

[paula lynne]

I meant sweet...I need glasses..

[HelenLouise]

Hey!
I get this too! Its horrible!

It is most definately down to anxiety though - I had blood tests 6 weeks ago and my blood sugar was fine.

Apparently its to do with the adaptation response your body goes into when you panic/live with anxiety. It causes the blood to rush to the areas of the body where it's most needed - causing dizzy nauseous feelings.

Its terrifying though.
I too have to try and eat often but then if i go too long without eating - i can't eat. Its so messed up =/ xxx

[kaitlynrebekah]

Hiii!! Oh my gosh I can't tell you how relieved I am that someone else feels this way. Sometimes it is just great to hear that someone else is going through the same thing.

Well, now I can tell you that I feel that same way. I feel like I am going to drop dead if I don't eat every couple hours. Or before I go on a date I'll eat a bunch so I don't get hungry and panic that I'm going to faint. It sounds so irrational now that I'm typing this out. But, it happens. I think we need to realize that hunger is a normal reaction, but our body can handle it. We can go hours without eating, even days. As long as we eat eventually I don't think it will be dangerous. Something that usually helps me is that there is a difference between **danger** and **discomfort**. Hunger is simply a discomfort, and that's exactly what it's supposed to be. It telling us that it's time to eat.

[lofwyr]

I don't have the fear of passing out but the bit about food and feeling sick when I do eat and sick when I don't sounds very familiar. As I write this I am cooking dinner at the grill. I am starving, but afraid to eat as when I do I will then have stomach issues, also related to anxiety, but it sets off my worries as well. Of course worrying that I will have an upset digestive system pretty much makes it happen. Rinse and repeat, meal after meal.

And always hungry, even after eating a big meal, which is caused by an increased production of stomach acid, you might try some Prilosec as it helps era bit there.

[rainfairy]

It's so good to know that there are other people who have this too. I have put on a little bit of weight from eating all the time. I sometimes go 4-5 hours in the morning without eating as I have a set lunch break at work. However, I take a cereal bar in my pocket so I can sneak off into the bathroom for a snack! Shame I can't do the same with a drink. If I don't I feel light headed, irritable, dizzy, can't concentrate. It's horrible and that is all I think about until lunch and I am always the first one out out the door! How do you loose weight when if you eat less or don't eat you feel like this! I hate this but at least I know that it is not that likely that I have hyperglycaemia.

[xvolatileheart]

This is an old bumped post, but it has some really good information in it. I'm currently experiencing this as well, as I've had some terrible episodes where I feel so shaky and faint after not eating for a long time. Now I'm at the point where I'm eating every couple of hours because I feel funny if I don't. I've even gone out and bought a glucose meter so I can prick myself if I get a bad turn again. :wacko:

It does seem to be anxiety related, which makes sense as anxiety really drains the body. Also explains why I'm alllllways tired.