What are the physical symptoms of anxiety disorder?

Anxiety disorders typically manifest with physical symptoms such as chest tightness and palpitations, dizziness and headaches, gastrointestinal discomfort, muscle tension, and numbness in the hands and feet. If these symptoms occur, it is recommended to promptly visit a正规 hospital for evaluation and diagnosis. Specific details are as follows:

1. Chest tightness and palpitations

Anxiety triggers sympathetic nervous system activation, leading to increased heart rate and enhanced myocardial contraction, resulting in chest tightness and palpitations. Patients often feel tightness in the chest, rapid breathing, and a heightened awareness of their heartbeat, with symptoms worsening during periods of emotional stress.

2. Dizziness and headaches

Anxiety disrupts the normal constriction and dilation of cerebral blood vessels, affecting cerebral blood flow. At the same time, tension in head muscles pulls on nerves, causing dizziness and headaches. Headaches are often characterized by bilateral throbbing pain in the temples, while dizziness is commonly accompanied by a sensation of floating or unsteadiness.

3. Gastrointestinal discomfort

Emotions are closely linked to gastrointestinal function. Anxiety causes abnormal gastrointestinal motility and imbalanced secretion of digestive fluids, leading to gastrointestinal discomfort. Patients may experience nausea, acid reflux, bloating, or alternating diarrhea and constipation, with symptoms becoming more pronounced after eating.

4. Muscle tension

During anxiety, the body enters a state of stress response, causing unconscious tightening of muscles throughout the body in preparation for perceived threats. Prolonged tension leads to chronic muscle tightness. Patients often report stiffness and soreness in the neck, shoulders, lower back, and back muscles, and may find it difficult to relax their hand muscles even when trying to release a clenched fist.

5. Numbness in hands and feet

Anxiety can lead to hyperventilation, causing excessive expulsion of carbon dioxide and resulting in respiratory alkalosis, which in turn causes numbness in the extremities. Patients often feel tingling or stiffness in the fingertips and toes, and in severe cases, may experience limb twitching or spasms.

If the above symptoms appear, there's no need to panic immediately. First, visit a hospital to rule out underlying physical illnesses. In daily life, practice deep breathing and progressive muscle relaxation exercises to reduce tension, maintain regular sleep patterns and avoid staying up late, and reduce caffeine intake. When symptoms occur frequently, seek timely professional help from a psychologist or psychiatrist to avoid delaying appropriate intervention.