Everyone feels anxious from time to time. It’s normal to worry about your grades, your finances, your family, or face anxiety around an upcoming performance or social event. However, this “normal” level of anxiety is temporary. It fades as soon as the stressor or trigger resolves.
For people battling anxiety disorders, worry and fear are constant, disrupting everyday life. These symptoms often build gradually, persist in the background, and get worse when left unaddressed. As a result, people with an anxiety disorder tend to experience a slew of physical side effects.
If you’re facing symptoms of anxiety, and those symptoms feel unwavering, you too may be concerned about your physical health. You may be familiar with the short-lived heart palpitations, or the constant turns in your stomach, but now beg the question: What does anxiety do to your body long-term?
Below, we’ll explore the short- and long-term effects of anxiety on the body, especially when left alone.
Breaking Down the Physical Effects of Anxiety
Anxiety is a broad term used to describe a number of mental health conditions, including generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), panic disorder, and social anxiety disorder. Anxiety may also be used to infer anxiety attacks, which are short-term episodes of overwhelming worry and fear. Each condition can impact the body differently, but their effects can be summarized into a couple key buckets.
Short-term effects of anxiety:
When anxiety surfaces, the physical effects can feel debilitating. These typically last for a short period of time, or as long as the trigger is present (e.g. an upcoming presentation at school). Intense symptoms can be managed in the moment, but generalized worry and stress can interfere with one’s ability to get good sleep or relax, ultimately exacerbating anxiety’s physical effects.
Anxiety attacks and panic attacks are short-term episodes that occur in many people facing anxiety. These attacks can bring about powerful physical symptoms like:
- Rapid heartbeat or heart palpitations
- Shortness of breath
- Trembling
- Sweating
- Chest pain
- Nausea
- Sense of choking
- Dizziness
- Chills or hot flashes
- Intense fear of death
- Intense fear of losing control
- Detachment from reality
Outside of these immediate, in-the-moment effects on the body, anxiety can also cause short-term issues with sleep, appetite, motivation, and energy.
Repeated panic attacks or anxiety attacks can signal a deeper-seated anxiety disorder. Each anxiety disorder will trigger different physical symptoms, which might come and go over time. These include:
- Generalized anxiety disorder: Sleep disturbances, restlessness, fatigue, muscle tension
- Post-traumatic stress disorder: Frequent nightmares or flashbacks, trouble sleeping, hypervigilance
When anxiety disorders like these are present and left untreated, the physical side effects can build and get worse. They can lead to longer-term health conditions, which are described below.
Long-term effects of anxiety:
When anxiety is not managed or addressed, it can last for a long period of time. And, over that time, it can take a significant toll on the body. It leaves your body in “fight or flight” mode, which eventually puts a strain on your overall health.
As explained by the American Medical Association (AMA), untreated anxiety can cause a number of physical and mental health conditions. These include, but are not limited to:
- Depression, as anxiety and depression often co-occur
- Cardiovascular disease
- Elevated blood pressure
- Substance abuse disorders
- Chronic pain
Additionally, the AMA states that the lack of sleep caused by anxiety can increase a person’s risk for other long-term health effects. Long-term sleep deprivation has been linked to heart disease, dementia, type 2 diabetes, and even cancer, according to John Hopkins Medicine.
Other long-term health effects associated with anxiety include, but
- Asthma and other breathing issues
- Digestive disorders, such as Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)
- Tachycardia and heart attack
- Issues with memory and brain function, due to elevated cortisol levels
- Overall, a weakened immune system, leading to frequent infections and ailments
What Anxiety Does to Your Body: A Recap
There is no denying the connection between physical and mental health; anxiety is a key example of that relationship. Whether it’s in the form of a panic attack or ongoing, consistent worry and fear, anxiety has the power to produce potent physical symptoms.
In summary, anxiety can affect various systems in the body, including our:
- Cardiovascular system, whether it’s a racing heart or an increased risk for heart disease
- Respiratory system, with hyperventilation and shortness of breath being common
- Musculoskeletal system, as persistent anxiety can lead to chronic muscle tension and pain
- Gastrointestinal system, with a temporary upset stomach or ongoing digestive disorders being common in those with anxiety
- Neurological wiring, as anxiety can contribute to high cortisol levels, thereby reducing one’s ability to concentrate, retain information, and make decisions over time
How to Manage the Effects of Anxiety
Anxiety doesn’t just live in your thoughts—it lives in your body, too. From muscle tension to digestive issues, fatigue to a racing heart, chronic worry can take a real physical toll. Anxiety puts your body in over-drive and requires it to work over-time, which can detriment your systems for the long haul.
The good news is that the symptoms of anxiety are treatable, and with the right support, your body can return to a more balanced, regulated state.
If anxiety’s physical effects are interfering with your sleep, work, relationships, or overall quality of life, it is time to seek professional help. A licensed therapist, primary care provider, or other mental health treatment professional can help identify the root cause of your symptoms and create a treatment plan tailored to your needs. Treatment for anxiety often includes a combination of psychotherapy, medication, and lifestyle changes. Learn about Turnbridge’s treatment programs for anxiety today.