Effects Of Anxiety On Health: The Most Frequent Problems
Anxiety is a psychophysiological state that most people have experienced at some point or another in our lives. However, not all to the same degree, nor during the same period of time. That is to say, suffering from anxiety at a specific moment is not the same as suffering from it for days, weeks or months.
The effects of anxiety on health will vary from one case to another, with short-term and long-term effects being different In this article we explain what these effects are right at the moment of experiencing anxiety, and what they are when we suffer from anxiety for a long time.
As we will see, anxiety does not have a single physiological “target”, and that is why we explain it to you by referring to each of our organs.
Before explaining the effects of anxiety on health, let’s briefly remember what anxiety consists of.
The anxiety It involves a series of alterations in the body, at different levels: behavioral, physiological, emotional. It is an abnormal state of overexcitement, nervousness and tension, in which we find ourselves when our resources are insufficient to cope with the demands or requirements of the environment.
Although there are different types of anxiety disorders, anxiety itself has quite common symptoms. Therefore, today we are going to talk about anxiety in general, and the effects of anxiety on health, since our body “speaks”, and we must listen to it and take care of it so as not to get sick in the long term.
Specifically, now we are going to learn about these effects in initial moments of anxiety, when our body begins to experience it:
1. Skin reactions
The effects of anxiety on health affect our skin. Anxiety causes us to feel stress, and stress increases our blood flow. This causes, in terms of skin tone (face), some people to turn pale, and others to turn red. All this is because, when experiencing anxiety, our sympathetic nervous system sends more blood than usual to different muscles
Furthermore, this response from our body could accelerate premature aging of the skin. Another effect derived from anxiety, in this sense, is an increase in histamine (inflammatory substance), which can increase the probability of suffering from inflammation.
2. Activity of the spleen
The spleen is an organ that belongs to the lymphatic system; It is considered the “center of activity” of the immune system, and facilitates the destruction of red blood cells and platelets.
When we feel anxious, The spleen releases more red and white blood cells, so that our body gets more oxygen (during an anxious episode). Additionally, our blood flow increases by 300 to 400%.
3. Muscle tension
The effects of anxiety on health also affect our muscles. So, when we are anxious, our muscles contract. This is what we call muscle tension. If anxiety lasts over time (or even if it does not), we can suffer muscle pain caused by said tension, as well as migraines, neck pain, stiffness in different areas of the body, etc.
4. Throat problems
Another effect of anxiety on health is throat problems. When we feel anxiety, our bodily fluids disperse throughout the body. This causes some tension and stiffness, which leads to dryness of the throat, as well as difficulties swallowing. A hoarse voice may also appear.
We have talked about the effects of anxiety on health when we suffer from anxiety practically in the moment, but… What happens when anxiety lasts for a continuous period? That other more serious health problems arise. We are going to know these problems through each of our organs:
1. Stomach
At the stomach level, when we suffer from anxiety over a longer period of time, a propensity to suffer from stomach ulcers appears The ulcer consists of a deep injury to the mucosa of the stomach (or duodenum), caused by different factors (aggressive and defensive) of the mucosa.
On the other hand, digestive problems derived from anxiety also appear at the stomach level, as well as changes in our metabolism. This is because when we experience anxiety over time, our body cannot regulate digestion well, which leads to long-term effects on the intestines.
Our body, furthermore, cannot absorb nutrients well, which causes different alterations, such as: diarrhea, burning, sensation of “swelling”, etc. In extreme cases, you can even lose sphincter control.
2. Heart
Another effect of anxiety on health is a greater propensity to suffer from cardiovascular diseases. Cardiovascular diseases affect the coronary arteries, which are related to the heart or blood vessels.
This increased risk of suffering from cardiovascular diseases is due to the fact that our heart rate is continually increasing, and blood pressure is also elevated and we overproduce cortisol (“the stress hormone”).
Other effects that may appear on the heart (or related) are: arrhythmias, hypertension, strokes, heart attacks… As we see, they are very serious symptoms.
3. Lungs
What effect does anxiety have on the lungs? What happens is that our expiratory functions (which allow us to breathe normally) become weaker. Thus, breathing difficulties, asthma problems (which are exacerbated in asthmatic people), etc. may appear.
Specifically, Asthmatic people are more likely to experience a panic attack according to research (2005) carried out at the University of Sao Paulo.
4. Immune system
Let us remember that the immune system is what protects us from harmful agents; Specifically, it prevents us from possible infections or diseases. Thus, another effect of anxiety on health has to do with the immune system.
When we suffer from anxiety, it weakens, and therefore we are much more likely to suffer from certain diseases, because our body is “down” in this sense. The most common diseases to which we are most exposed when we suffer from long-term anxiety are: colds (colds), infections and inflammations
5. Brain
Another effect of anxiety on health affects the brain or its functioning; Thus, changes appear in it, and we can also suffer sleep problems, for example (insomnia, non-restorative sleep, etc.).
On the other hand, Our nervous system (SN) becomes “saturated” and cannot function normally All of this is mainly due to the fact that anxiety also causes psychological symptoms (that is, we also respond psychologically to anxiety).
Other problems associated with mental functioning, caused by anxiety, are: short and long-term memory difficulties, attention or concentration problems, etc. On the other hand, we can also suffer from other symptoms that affect our daily functioning, such as: fatigue, physical and emotional exhaustion, etc.
