Does Anxiety Cause Fatigue?

Anxiety is your body’s natural response to stressful situations or threats.

Specifically, anxiety is a feeling of extreme fear, doom, or apprehension about what’s to come. It’s normal to experience anxiety sometimes, like on the first day of work or before a job interview. However, people who experience anxiety symptoms to the point where it inhibits them from completing their responsibilities and living their lives usually have formal anxiety disorders. As mental health awareness becomes a more common topic of discussion, people ask questions about their symptoms, such as, “does anxiety cause fatigue?” If you’re curious, our drug rehabilitation center offers some insight.

Does Anxiety Make You Tired?

Yes, anxiety can make you feel tired. Fatigue is a common symptom of anxiety. Because many people believe that mental disorders only affect people psychologically, symptoms like fatigue are often written off as a result of some other ailment or issue. Anxiety can occur during a stressful event or even from the way you think of the event. For example, just thinking about being center stage can produce extreme anxiety symptoms. But what does this have to do with fatigue?

Anxiety affects the body via your hypothalamus, pituitary, and adrenal glands. These regions of the brain work together to release various hormones, which prepare you for a fight-or-flight response. Anxiety can also make your brain hyperactive to threats. The amygdala is located in the limbic system and acts as your brain’s watchman, staying on the lookout for any threats or dangers. People with anxiety disorders tend to have enlarged amygdalas, making them even more sensitive to fear and stress.

Given the surge of hormones and the increase of your heart rate and adrenaline, it’s hard to understand why you’re feeling tired after an anxiety attack. Even so, anxiety and fatigue are linked because of your body’s comedown from reacting to stress or fear. Commonly, anxiety causes fatigue after a person has experienced symptoms such as increased heart rate, rapid breathing, shaking, and a surge in hormones like adrenaline. These symptoms are also physical, and once you relax, you may experience just how much energy it took to react that way.

How to Get Rid of Fatigue From Anxiety

Not only is fatigue a symptom of anxiety, but many people who do not receive mental health treatment or ignore this symptom may struggle at work, school, or home. Some other common signs of “anxiety fatigue” include:

• Coffee or caffeinated drinks don’t seem to help
• You still feel tired after a good night’s rest
• You suddenly feel tired before an event
• You experience frequent stomach problems like cramps or diarrhea
• You’re always too tired
• You have a very small appetite
• You cry often
• You have brain fog or lack of mental clarity
• You have a hard time falling asleep
• You experience unexplainable muscle or joint pain
• You wake up frequently during the night

If you've exhibited any of these signs, or if you struggle from “anxiety exhaustion,” below are some tips that can help you get rid of fatigue from anxiety:

• Fatigue usually causes you to ruminate about how bad you feel, which can cause you to be cranky. Instead, distract yourself whenever you are feeling fatigued.
• Gradually increase your level of physical activity. Exercise releases endorphins, relieves stress, and boosts mood. Exercising regularly can also help you sleep better at night.
• Avoid sugar and caffeinated drinks that can cause a crash after boosting your energy levels.
• Manage your stress by journaling, self-care days, yoga, meditation, and practicing any other relaxing activity you enjoy.
• Change up your sleeping arrangements. Sleep in a cool, quiet, and dark room. Establish a regular bedtime, limit your naps, and avoid too much screen time before bed.
• Talk to a therapist.

Not only does anxiety cause fatigue, but ignoring your symptoms can be a catalyst to other problems in your life. If you don’t have anxiety but know someone who does, you can help a family member, spouse, or friend with anxiety by motivating them to get treatment.

At Banyan Treatment Centers, not only do we offer various drug treatment programs, but we also treat people who suffer from mental disorders like anxiety, depression, schizophrenia, attachment disorder, and more. Call us now at 888-280-4763 to learn more about our mental health facility in Florida.