What symptoms does long-term anxiety cause in the body?

Anxiety is a common psychological phenomenon. Short-term anxiety generally has less impact, but long-term anxiety may cause physical symptoms such as dizziness, headache, palpitations, chest tightness, irregular menstruation, dysmenorrhea, nausea and vomiting, abdominal distension, indigestion, stomach pain, etc. Some men may also experience symptoms such as frequent urination and urgency. Generally speaking, it can be summarized as symptoms of the nervous system, cardiovascular system, endocrine system, digestive system and urinary system.

neurological symptoms

Common symptoms include dizziness and headache. Contraction or squeezing headaches are mostly caused by long-term anxiety leading to tight nerves and excessive muscle tension in the head, face, limbs and other parts of the body.

cardiovascular system symptoms

Patients with long-term anxiety will experience rapid heartbeat, palpitations, chest tightness, pressure, difficulty breathing, and even a sense of suffocation in severe cases. Symptoms generally last for several hours and do not show significant improvement after rest or medication.

endocrine system symptoms

Long-term anxiety may lead to insomnia and dreaminess, which can affect the body's endocrine system and cause symptoms of endocrine disorders. For example, some female patients may experience irregular menstruation, dysmenorrhea, light menstruation, or amenorrhea.； Male patients may experience symptoms such as erection difficulties and premature ejaculation.

digestive symptoms

Long-term anxiety can stimulate sympathetic nerves to constrict blood vessels, cause gastric mucosal ischemia, slow down gastrointestinal motility, increase gastric acid secretion, and aggravate gastric mucosal damage. Symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, bloating, and indigestion may occur ； It is also accompanied by loss of appetite, dry mouth and bitter mouth, uncomfortable abdominal distension, and alternating constipation and diarrhea.

urinary tract symptoms

Common ones are frequent urination and urgency, which are mostly caused by long-term anxiety that affects the nerve control of the urinary system.

It is recommended that patients who clearly have an anxiety state, or who have already developed the above symptoms, actively go to the psychology department or psychiatry department of a regular hospital for diagnosis and treatment. Under the guidance of a professional physician, they should take anti-anxiety and antidepressant drugs regularly to relieve symptoms of anxiety and depression and improve sleep.

At the same time, psychological treatment is provided, through professional analysis and individualized treatment by psychologists, to provide guidance, improve patients' cognition, fully realize the correlation between disease and psychology, strengthen psychological assistance, and relieve psychological pressure. Stabilize emotions, allow patients to express and vent their emotions reasonably, participate in recreational activities appropriately, conduct self-relaxation training, and learn psychological defense and coping methods.

References

[1] Ding Juan. Brief Neurology[M]. Changchun: Jilin Science and Technology Press, 2019: 539-542.

[2] Jiao Lili. Comprehensive diagnosis and treatment of clinical internal diseases[M]. Qingdao: Ocean University of China Press, 2019: 246-243.

[3] Lei Yuan, Qing Hui. Research progress of traditional Chinese and Western medicine on the correlation between chronic gastritis and anxiety disorders [J]. Research in Traditional Chinese Medicine, 2019: 70-73.