7 Common Symptoms Of Anxiety Disorders [Backed By Research And Stats]
Anxiety is becoming increasingly common nowadays, especially in the younger generation. Every one of us has gone through a phase in our lives when we are anxious because of the challenges we face.
That’s because it comes as a natural response to the daily activities and difficulties that come along with our everyday responsibilities.
But, we need to understand that an anxiety attack is a completely different thing. When you experience anxiety for longer periods of time, i.e. six months, only then it can be classified as a disorder and you qualify to seek anxiety treatment.
And not everything, such as low energy and temporary sadness, can be included in the symptoms of anxiety disorders. And unfortunately, nowadays one in every three people assume themselves to be the victim of an anxiety attack while in reality, they are not.
So to give you clarity on the topic, I am sharing some symptoms of anxiety disorders, that almost every patient come across.
7 Common Symptoms Of Anxiety Disorders
There are many different types of anxiety disorders. But recognizing if you have one is always the first step.
So here are the 7 recognized symptoms of anxiety disorders to help you gain clarity. You can use these symptoms as a litmus test for yourself.
1. Exaggerated Worrying
Extreme worrying about small daily things is the most common sign that every anxiety-affected person experiences. Research shows that constant and severe worrying about small daily things is a major sign that you’re going through a type of anxiety disorder
But there is a checklist to know if you’re facing this symptom.
Firstly, in order for you to confirm it as a sign, your worrying must be so intense that you are unable to concentrate on important tasks.
Secondly, the extreme worrying over small daily activities must occur consistently for a long period of time i.e. six months. Because it’s possible that you’ve taken a lot of stress in response to any problem and you are worried as a result of that.
If you face these, then you surely have the most common symptom of an anxiety disorder.
2. Always Feeling Fatigued
I’ve lived with people suffering from anxiety and can tell that they aren’t in high spirits for extended periods of time. They are always out of energy and usually complain about various pains while they haven’t done anything tiring.
Thus, it is a possible symptom.
And, it isn’t clear what causes fatigue to occur during an anxiety disorder. It might be a consequence of other symptoms of anxiety disorders like muscle tension.
Yet, it doesn’t really affirm you of possessing an anxiety disorder. That’s because some researches suggest that fatigue and low energy can also be a sign of depression.
So we need to keep in mind that fatigue is not enough evidence to declare that you are suffering anxiety.
But as i’ve seen it in people, it is a potential symptom.
3. Feeling Aroused Or Disturbed
People suffering from anxiety are prone to unwanted fears. They develop fears in their mind over things that logically doesn’t matter. And as they feel scared, their mind sends the signals and their sympathetic nervous system becomes active.
As a result anxiety patients experience sweating, rapid heart rate, and sweaty and shivering hands. This is because their mind assumes that they’re in danger.
Moreover, their body transfers their blood from their digestive system to their muscles, preparing for a situation where they need to run or fight.
This sign is extremely irritating and painful for an anxiety patient, perhaps the most devastating.
On top of that, research tells us that arousal doesn’t go away easily for people suffering from different types of anxiety disorders. So they experience it for an excessive period of time which also disturbs their sleep.
4. Lack Of Quality And Quantity Of Sleep
Sleep is an essential activity that takes place to refresh our bodies. While we sleep, our mind gets the rest it needs and we wake up ever so fresh.
Unfortunately, this might not be the case for people dealing with an anxiety disorder. Various studies show us that the majority of anxiety patients can’t sleep well. Waking up in the middle of the night or not sleeping at all is also one of the most common symptoms of an anxiety disorder.
5. Panic Attacks
There are different types of anxiety disorders and one of them is panic disorder. In it, patients experience panic attacks because of the fear they’ve developed in their minds about unnecessary things.
The signs of a panic attack are identical to that of feeling aroused or disturbed. Sweaty palms, shivering hands, rapid heartbeat, fearing for one’s life, and a tight chest and legs are all signs that you’re experiencing a panic attack.
But every panic attack isn’t a symptom of an anxiety disorder. Because panic attacks can also occur in other situations such as intense circumstances.
Panic attacks that occur because of a panic disorder have one thing in common. That is, they show up unexpectedly and regularly for longer periods of time.
6. Disturbed Focus And Concentration
Many people suffering from anxiety disorders complain of disturbed focus and concentration. This can be backed by a research on 157 teens and children suffering from a generalized anxiety disorder. Surprisingly, two-thirds of them reported of facing difficulty in focusing on their tasks.
Besides, an anxiety disorder has been shown to interfere with the working memory of anxiety patients. Working memory deals with possessing short-term information. People suffering from anxiety tend to lose this memory and this badly affects their daily performances.
But Keep in mind that lack of focus and attention is also commonly related to other disorders like depression.
So it doesn’t confirm that you’re suffering from an anxiety disorder but it’s founded in people going through it.
7. Feeling Pressure On Your Muscles
While experiments have been carried out to exactly determine the causes of increased muscle tension in anxiety patients, it is unknown to date why it happens so.
Those who suffer from anxiety disorders can feel tensed muscles throughout their body. And the frequent feeling of it for longer periods makes them addicted to it and makes them desensitized to it. So they’ll no longer notice it.
But we can count muscle tension as one of the symptoms of anxiety disorders because the majority of patients have reported it.
Final Thoughts…
Unfortunately, the constant competition in today’s world has made many of us suffer from different types of anxiety disorders.
But not every frustration and tension is a sign that you’re a victim.
So in this article, I’ve tried to discuss some of the common symptoms of anxiety disorders. They are:
- Extreme worrying
- Feeling tired
- Feeling disturbed
- Lack of sleep
- Panic attacks
- Lack of focus
- Tensed muscles
These were the main symptoms of anxiety disorders that I came upon in my research and I also noticed some of them in my closed ones.
Have you noticed some symptoms other than those mentioned here? Kindly mention them in the comment section to increase all our knowledge.
