Everyone has anxiety from time to time, but chronic anxiety can interfere with your quality of life. While perhaps most recognized for behavioral changes, anxiety can also have serious consequences on your physical health.

HEART RACING

When you’re dealing with something stressful and your adrenal glands churn out hormones like adrenaline and cortisol, receptors in your heart react by speeding up your heartbeat. This enables you to pump more blood to your big muscles. But if you’re dealing with anxiety, that racing heart could just make you feel more nervous in a vicious cycle.

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SHORT OF BREATH

Your blood circulates oxygen around your body. When your stress response boosts how quickly you are sending blood around your body, your breathing might increase to provide you with more oxygen. By slowing down how quickly you are breathing, you have more of a chance to get the oxygen you need. You also engage your nervous system, which may help you feel calm.

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Photo Credit : pennmedicine

TOUGH SLEEPING

A person with anxiety might have a tough time falling asleep, staying asleep, or might have restless and unsatisfying sleep. Elevated levels of hormones like cortisol and adrenaline make it hard to get a good night sleep, since your body may not be able to relax enough to rest. The racing thoughts that can come with anxiety are no recipe for great sleep, either. It’s not just that anxiety contributes to sleep problems. Sleep issues such as insomnia can make you more prone to anxiety.

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DRIPPING SWEAT

Sweating is a common side effect of anxiety disorders. When your sympathetic nervous system gets activated, it can influence the sweat glands basically all over your body. You have two kinds, eccrine, which cover most of your skin and apocrine, which are only on body parts that have a lot of hair. Both types of sweat glands can cause anxiety-induced perspiration.

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ALWAYS SHAKY & EASILY STARTLED

Shaking and trembling can be a cause of anxiety-induced hormone surges. Also, trying to anticipate unknown threats is a common feature of anxiety. You would practically jump out of your shoes if someone taps you on the shoulder on an anxious day.

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GET COLDS EASILY

Some people tend to get sick more often in periods of high anxiety. Your immune system doesn’t function well. This could mean that you’re more susceptible to issues such as the common cold, flu, cough and etc.