5 Physical Reasons Why You Feel Anxious For No Reason

For many, anxiety can be a debilitating disease that brings down their quality of life. Every year, we see the number of people suffering increase — the United States just passed 40 million affected. And the trend doesn’t look like it will turn around any time soon.

With almost 19% of the adult population in the United States affected, it’s a constant and growing problem in western society. Even worse, we know very little about how the disease actually works.

When I began my battle against anxiety, I could understand some of the triggers. Emotional flare-ups driven by stressful workdays or an argument with my wife were easy to attribute the anxiety to.

But I was baffled by the anxiety that didn’t seem to have a source.

Many times, I found myself asking, “ why do I feel anxious for no reason? “

As I began to explore my patterns and actions objectively, I found myself self-sabotaging my mental health in ways I never considered. The good news? By making a few quick changes, I saw a world of difference in my mental health.

Lesser-Known Anxiety Triggers with Quick Fixes

We’re an aggregation of different physical, mental, and environmental factors. What works for one may not work for another.

The problem persists that many modern treatments focus on only the mental. We’re seeing new evidence that this is not enough. Physical factors can drive just as much anxiety as mental factors.

Looking at anxiety through a different lens leads to more robust treatment options.

Most of the anxiety advice online is generic. I wanted to include 5 lesser-known physical problems that contributed to anxiety and how I addressed them personally. These 5 problems below are ones I have personal experience with and can verify that addressing them greatly helped with my anxiety symptoms.

Once again, we’re all different. But I wish these 5 quick changes would have been recommended to me on day 1.

5. Hypoglycemia

I had major anxiety spikes every morning. It felt as if I was waking up with the gas pedal all the way to the floor. Those of us who find ourselves waking up drenched in sweat can relate

It turned out I was hypoglycemic. The morning was the worst for me as my blood sugar was low from not eating all night.

When blood sugar drops, your body releases small amounts of ephedrine (“adrenaline”) to try and raise it back up. This is the same hormone that drives the fight or flight response. Worse, if it stays in this state, your body will release cortisol — another stress hormone. As you can imagine, that hormonal cocktail is not conducive to peaceful mornings.

If you feel increased anxiety in the morning, you should try:

* Having your doctor perform blood sugar testing as part of your next physical

* Eating something first thing in the morning and see if your anxiety dissipates

* Limiting stimulants, such as coffee, before bed

4. Magnesium Deficiency

If you are on a western diet, there is a strong chance you are deficient in magnesium. A mineral commonly found in many foods has been stripped out by many of our food processing techniques.

We’re also now finding that magnesium plays a role in over 300 critical body processes. From the heart to pituitary regulation, magnesium regulates many of our body’s hormonal processes.

Magnesium plays a critical role in how the adrenal gland functions. If magnesium is low, the adrenal gland produces adrenaline and cortisol at a faster rate than what is typically needed. These anxiety hormones cause us to feel overly stressed even if the stimuli is minor.

Sadly, stress saps magnesium from the body as well. If we aren’t supplementing it through healthy foods, then we put ourselves into a negative feedback loop.

Stress drains magnesium, we feel more stressed than usual, we lose more magnesium, and so on.

If you feel you may have magnesium deficiency:

* Have your doctor perform a metabolic panel to check your magnesium levels

* Eat healthy non-processed foods like almonds, leafy greens, and yogurt

* After talking to you doctor, supplementation may be an option as well

There are many studies, including this one, touting the benefits of magnesium supplementation on anxiety. While it did not cure my symptoms, it definitely lessened the severity of my symptoms.

3. Vitamin-D Deficiency

Most of us know vitamin D as the vitamin that comes from the sun and helps keeps our bones strong. While both of these are true, vitamin D does much more than that. It’s thought that it helps over 900 body and gene processes.

Our ancestors spent most of their time outdoors so levels of vitamin D were never a problem. With modern-day culture promoting more time indoors, many of us don’t get the amount of sunlight required.

In fact, 70% of adults do not have the recommended levels of vitamin D in their bodies right now.

Vitamin D, like magnesium, helps regulate body processes associated with anxiety and depression. If you have low vitamin-D levels, this may answer your question of “why do I feel anxious for no reason?”

This can be especially difficult for those of us who live in colder climates where the sun doesn’t shine for much of the year. If you notice you feel much more anxious in colder months or feel vitamin D levels may be a problem, then:

* Have your doctor perform a metabolic panel to check your vitamin D levels

* Spend more time in the sun — some recommend 15 minutes a day is enough to see benefits

* Eat vitamin D rich foods such as fish, yogurt, and milk

* Like magnesium, if a doctor is concerned with your vitamin levels, they may recommend supplementation as well

2. Asthma

One of the lesser thought about the causes of anxiety is asthma. In my case, asthma affected my anxiety in both a mental and physical way.

First, asthma causes an inflammation response in the body. Research is now uncovering that anxiety may be closely related to high-inflammatory conditions in the body. A chronic, un-managed, low inflammatory condition like asthma can trigger and/or worsen anxiety symptoms in those affected as it flares up the central nervous symptom.

When I was finally diagnosed with exercise-induced asthma, I noticed a change in my anxiety symptoms as I began managing my asthma symptoms.

Asthma can also have a mental impact that triggers anxiety. After my first panic attacks, I became extremely aware of when my heart rate increased. I developed an irrational fear of heart attacks and palpitations.

When I would work out, I started getting afraid of my higher heart rates. Many times, I had to walk out of the gym as I lost control of that irrational fear. Through time, I’ve been able to break those feedback loops. But in the beginning, uncontrolled asthma caused large amounts of anxiety in my daily life.

If you have troubles breathing and feel that may be part of your anxiety, I recommend:

* Having your doctor perform breathing and stress tests to evaluate if you have asthma

* Staying reasonably active even with asthma as physical activity can calm anxiety symptoms

* Understand your trigger points and observe them objectively. The odds of a 25-year-old having a heart attack while running a mile are very slim.

I needed to reframe how I handled my negative thoughts around my heart rate. Through getting my asthma control and monitoring my mental processes, I was able to loosen the grip on my heart-based anxiety.

1. Alcohol Use

Limiting, and eventually removing, alcohol was the biggest physical change I made to quell anxiety. Alcohol withdrawal was more often than not the answer to “why do I feel anxious for no reason?”

And it’s no surprise as many consider alcohol to be the most dangerous drug out there. It can also be a significant anxiety trigger.

Let’s look at why alcohol does to the body relating to anxiety.

The brain balances your responses to stimuli through different neuro-chemicals. Some of those chemicals excite mental processes while others dampen them down. This balance allows your brain to function optimally if everything is in order.

The brain balances the anxiety response through the neurochemicals GABA and glutamate. As glutamate increases, anxiety rises. GABA is then released which lowers your heightened anxiety back to normal.

Alcohol elevates GABA activity and, in turn, causes the drinker to feel more relaxed. This relaxed response is why alcohol is often abused in people with anxiety and depression. As GABA becomes more prevalent through continued use, more glutamate is needed to balance.

What happens when we stop drinking suddenly?

After constantly compensating higher levels of GABA with higher glutamate, the body continues producing higher levels of glutamate after the alcohol is gone. So now the body is producing higher levels of anxiety hormones without alcohol/GABA to balance it out. More anxiety hormone, more anxiety.

This hormone imbalance drives anxiety withdrawal symptoms. When I would try and quit, the anxiety and shaking would be overwhelming. I never made the connection that my anxiety spiked 2 to 3 days after my last binge.

If you believe your alcohol use may be causing your anxiety, I recommend:

* Stopping alcohol consumptions and objectively monitoring your anxiety

* Consuming non-alcoholic versions of alcoholic drinks to simulate the experience

If you are concerned about your alcohol use, please contact a doctor or addiction service before quitting cold turkey. There are many very negative side effects (including tremors and death) that a doctor may want to monitor you for if usage has been prolonged and severe.

Also, the anxiety from stopping can be overwhelming. This can drive many to go back to drinking to ease the symptoms. This negative feedback loop can last a lifetime. A doctor can prescribe medication to assist in the quitting process and increase your chances of decreasing alcohol usage.

Final Thoughts on Anxiety Treatment

Western society gives us the impression that anxiety and depression mean we’re broken. We see small blobs sluggishly moving across the screen in anti-depression commercials. Media portrays these diseases in a way that discourages people to not talk about it.

For those of us who deal with anxiety, it’s important to remember the big picture. We aren’t broken individuals fighting an unwinnable battle against our disease. Whether the reason is physical, mental, or even emotional, it is possible to overcome it. We must be our own health investigators and take responsibility for finding solutions.

These 5 methods are personal but made a world of difference to me. Some may work for you and some may not. As we try out new things and get to know our bodies more, we create a book of solutions that help us finally find peace.

Originally published at https://workingmanszen.com on October 25, 2020.