9 Physical Things Anxiety Does to Your Body
In this video, learn nine mild to serious health problems that researchers have linked to stress and anxiety.
Anxiety might be best known for its most obvious symptom — chronic worrying and feeling “on the edge” — but this common mental illness can actually usher in a range of symptoms that are seemingly unrelated to the brain.
Not sure if you’re feeling temporary stress or worry or an actual anxiety disorder? Here are signs of a mental health disorder you shouldn’t brush off.
References
American Academy of Allergy Asthma & Immunology. (2020). Asthma triggers and management.
Anxiety and Depression Association of America. (n.d.). Understand the facts: headaches.
American Dental Association. (n.d.). Teeth grinding.
American Heart Association. (2018). Managing stress to control high blood pressure.
Anxiety and Depression Association of America. (n.d.). Facts & statistics.
Dettore, D, et al. (2013). Anxiety and female sexual functioning: An empirical study. Journal of Sex and Marital Therapy.
Food Forum, Food and Nutrition Board, Institute of Medicine. (2015). Relationships among the brain, the digestive system, and eating behavior: workshop summary. Chapter 2: Interaction between the brain and the digestive system. National Academies Press.
Gelenberg, AJ. (2000). Psychiatric and somatic markers of anxiety: identification and pharmacologic treatment. Primary Care Companion to the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry.
Harvard Medical School. (2021). Pain, anxiety, and depression.
Harvard Medical School. (2021). The gut-brain connection.
Marques-Vidal, P, et al. (2006). Are oral health status and care associated with anxiety and depression? A study of Portuguese health science students. Journal of Public Health Dentistry.
Newsom, R. (2023). Depression and sleep. Sleep Foundation.
U.S. National Library of Medicine. (2021). Fatigue.
U.S. National Library of Medicine. (2021). Weight loss - unintentional.
U.S. National Library of Medicine. (2022). Women and sexual problems.
Vanwesenbeeck, I, et al. (2014). Associations between common mental disorders and sexual dissatisfaction in the general population. British Journal of Psychiatry.
For additional resources or to connect with mental health services in your area, call SAMHSA’s National Helpline at 1-800-662-4357. For immediate assistance, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988, or text HOME to 741-741 to reach the Crisis Text Line.