Anxiety effecting heart rate

[Coop20]

Hello, I’m new here and i don’t really know where to start.

Since Wednesday last week i have had a higher heart rate. On Wednesday i had a shock and reacted badly, nothing major looking back but at the time i was at home alone and terrified (to say the least) buy a loud bang. I know I’ve had anxiety for a long while but never has it been so hard to deal with since the past few months, progressively getting worse and the slightest thing will make me stress, I’m super sensitive to sound and if anything bangs or the fire crackles i jump out of my skin and my heart rate jumps up, it will eventually come down usually fairly quickly. However after Wednesday it hasn’t come down. I’m now feeling VERY run down. I’ve had blood tests and an ecg since and bloods showing an infection/inflammation and ecg seems normal but that heart rate was high.

I guess my question really is, is this anxiety? I’m always very on edge now it seems and worry constantly but to the extreme. My job is stressful too, when I’m working I’m stressed and now that I’m off sick I’m stressing about catching up. It’s a massive circle and my doctors are going in circles. I don’t know what the next step is to be honest. If i now have an infection i need to get better.

[Hidden]

Hi and welcome! You say you have an infection? It's weird how the body works. I went to the doctors awhile ago only to learn that I had an infection. That was news to me. I told her I didn't feel sick. I had lots of stress yes, but I sure didn't feel sick. According to the doctor, it didn't matter whether I felt sick or not. Blood tests don't lie; I had an infection. She said that stress can take a huge toll on the body and actually manifest itself physically.

I had abdominal pain recently and was in the hospital for extensive testing. I was certain something was wrong. It turned out everything was fine. My pain is nearly gone. Now I only notice it when I get stressed. I am now certain that this was another case of stress manifesting itself physically. Not in the form of an infection this time, but in the form of abdominal pain.

I hope this helps and I hope you feel better soon😊

[Coop20 in reply to Hidden]

Thankyou for your response it does help!

This massive stressful moment i had on Wednesday really knocked me for six and i was incredibly scared alone and it all started from then to be honest. It was like i have some sort of ptsd or something it’s very strange. It really feels like my whole body has felt it and is really struggling. I have no idea where the infection and inflammation is but possibly my nose or chest. Stress always seems to be the cause with me. I’ve just ordered a lot of stress relief things from Amazon to try to calm down.

[Hidden in reply to Coop20]

You're very welcome! Yeah, it's weird how stress can affect us in so many ways. I'm sorry it was really scary for you. I'm glad you ordered stress relief things! That's great and I hope they help!

[Coop20 in reply to Hidden]

Fingers crossed hey! I need to get back to work!

[Hidden]

Hi I am sorry you are experiencing this. My heart rate goes up and down continuously as I react to outside stimulus. So I understand that. I think something to try is to work with coping skills and see if that brings your heart rate down. Not saying to just stop panicking but do things like mindfulness or grounding that help to calm you. If when you use the coping skills your heart rate goes down it's more than likely anxiety. You said it yourself you are always on edge and you have a lot of stress. Make sure to take time during your day to practice self care. And always remember to be kind and patient with yourself.

[Coop20 in reply to Hidden]

Thank you for this as well, my heart rate does seem to be connected to when i know I’m stressing. In a way this makes the stress worse as i know and realise I’m doing it to myself in a way! Vicious circle isn’t it. But yes i do listen to calming videos and sounds which helps take my mind off things momentarily. I just find that I’m very jumpy and things that i can’t control tend to really effect me.

[Hidden in reply to Coop20]

So two things here. First, you know the thought pattern now think about it. If you know your stress raises your heart rate. Tell yourself that. It will help you to feel calmer in the moment. I know it sounds weird but trust me it works. Look up mindfulness I think it will help you a lot.

second in the meantime listen to this song. It has been shown to lower heart rate and blood pressure, along with easing anxiety in people. I know it sounds to good to be true but it is. You an also look this up too. It's not guaranteed to work but it should help out a bit.

youtube.com/watch?v=UfcAVej...(Not working as expected?)

[Coop20 in reply to Hidden]

I will definitely look more into mindfulness and the song as well thankyou, I’m very open to anything that will help me right now. I’m less inclined to believe that there is anything medical apart from infection affecting me currently.

[Hidden in reply to Coop20]

Fair. I hope you are able to do some self care today. I think the song will be really helpful to you. Remember you are valuable and you are worth taking care of.