I've had anxiety off & on for years, and now it's on. I'm wondering if this utter exhaustion is part of it. I've been waking up almost every night with adrenaline rushes, nausea and my heart racing. Went to cardiologist & everything checked out fine. I used to be athletic and active, but lately, even if I don't do much of anything, I get SO tired I feel like I could literally collapse. I have to lay down and sometimes I start to panic because of how weak I feel. I don't understand why I feel this bad. When I get like this, my eyes also feel tired & irritated. I don't have the energy to do my normal chores. Weeds are taking over my garden. My family needs me back. Can stress/anxiety cause such exhaustion? Anybody else get this?
Anybody else REAL exhausted?: I've had... - Anxiety Support
Anybody else REAL exhausted?
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Usagold
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Many other members of this venue will answer with more information, but my answer to your last question is Yes. My experience with anxiety is connected to PTSD for 17 years.
Hi Usagold. Yes, very likely there is a strong connection. I would also explore other possibilities like bacterial or viral infections, overuse of antibiotics, parasite infections, or heavy metals poisoning. Perhaps you could do a supervised cleanse. Just know that with a detox you may feel worse before you feel better.
Yes. I've been there and have felt the same thing
Could be silent acid reflux which I've just found out I have.
It can cause breathlessness and sweating when doing even light activity, nausea & heart palpitations.
I don't feel any burning in throat with it but top of my stomach feels horrible and mouth tastes strange when waking.
I was taking lansoprazole for it but stopped a while ago after finding out i'm intolerant to maize and the breathlessness, sweating, heart palps and extreme fatigue has come back.
I am following this because I have every symptom you're having and have horrible anxiety. I'm curious if anxiety truly causes all of this!
Hey Elizabeth, I followed you too. So, how are you feeling? I've had anxiety issues for years, but I had gotten better. Now I'm in the toilet again- panic attacks almost every night (IF that's what it is), heart racing & skipping mainly in the night, sick feeling in stomach, tightness or "discomfort" in my upper stomach all the time, I can't handle stress at all, I'm exhausted and can't do much of anything, or if I do chores, the feeling in my stomach gets worse and my heart races and I have to lie down. My eyes feel dry & irritated too. I am trying to be positive but I am worried that I won't get better. How bad I feel is making me nervous.
I've had anxiety since childhood, but only had my first panic attack this year and I'm 36. That was in April. I've had 30-40 panic attacks since. I was diagnosed with severe anemia in May and my doc said that's what triggered my panic due to lack of oxygen to my brain, heart, and organs. My anemia is getting better, but I now have panic disorder from that trigger. It's horrible. I have chest pain, shortness of breath, dizziness, insomnia, headaches, fatigue, and depression. If I leave the house at all, I freak out. I've taken FMLA from work but have to return next week. If I even think of doing chores or exercise, I get scared my heart will give out even though I've had it thoroughly checked and it's healthy as can be. I'm a prisoner in my own body
I wondered if anemia could be a factor, so I got my iron checked. It was 13.5, but my ferritin was only 25. My doctor said that would not cause my symptoms. And, I do have a history of anxiety and I got way worse after my mother died indicating stress is a factor. Also, if low ferritin was causing my "panic attacks" in the night, would they last 15-20 mins, or is that more typical of an anxiety induced episode? Wouldn't the fast hr be more constant if it was due to low ferritin?
My panic attacks last different amounts of times. And a ferritin of 25 WILL absolutely cause panic attacks and high heart rate. I have an insane genius of a doctor that says ferritin should be at 100 and he's absolutely right. I still have symptoms and my ferritin is 40 now. My lowest was 14.
I know I have had many different symptoms but have read and come to think that the tiredness is some way linked to the release of cortisol from the adrenal cortex within the adrenal gland of the brain; do to moments of stress and anxiety. And then as I remember, which I suggest you doubled check me, is that the only way to remove the cortisol from your system is by sleeping. Another thing in my case is the anxiety causes so many racing thoughts that my mind either just gets so fatigued or I am subconsciously wanting to rest to avoid further anxiety. That at least is my 2 cents. I hope it helps. Please keep posting.
It sounds like we have a lot in common and we need to learn to not fear the symptoms of our anxiety. I need to read Claire Weekes' book again. It helped me tremendously last time I was anxiety ridden. I keep telling myself "it's not my heart. It's just fear causing my heart to race and skip." But, somehow I will still think I'm having heart failure or a permanent arrhythmia when it gets going again. The reason I can't go out in public right now is more because any little bit of stress from my social anxiety makes me worse overall. I can't heal if I keep damaging my damaged nerves.
You aren't going to believe this, but I'm reading one of her books as we speak. It has helped me so much! And yes, I have to constantly say to myself "Your heart has been checked more than once".
I read your post and feel exactly the same you are not alone
Hi Jayce1000, Welcome to the Anxiety Support Forum. You will find a wonderful group of men and women of all ages always willing to listen and understand what you are going through.
We share our journey with anxiety and it's issues because we all care. Nice to have you with the group.
If you have Facebook, you need to join the Anemia-Iron deficiency support group and read all the symptoms people have with ferritin below 50. It'll blow your mind how wrong doctors are.
Oh wow! I don't have fb. But, how do I get my ferritin up? Will taking iron raise my iron, which is already 13.5 too much? What is a safe way to take iron with least side effects? Thank you for your help!
My doc put me on 325mg of ferrous sulfate daily. That's only 65mg of elemental iron, and your body will only absorb 20% of that at a time. Your iron also needs to be near 100 along with ferritin. Hemoglobin needs to be at LEAST 13 to successfully and efficiently carry oxygen to your brain and organs. Do you know what your hemoglobin is? I would suggest what my doc did to raise ferritin and iron quickly, and it has worked for me. Take iron first thing on an empty stomach with orange juice. For about a week, it'll hurt your stomach probably, but it's worth it to take away some of your anxiety and panic. Also, iron deficiency can cause a ton of other issues, including causing your heart to work harder. Just an FYI. It's more serious than people realize.
When I said my iron was 13.5, that's my hemoglobin. That's why I'm confused since it's normal but my ferritin was low (25). I don't know if it's ok to raise the hemoglobin much higher trying to increase ferritin, but I am going to take your word for it. I'm going to start on ferrous sulfate right away. I do clearly have anxiety issues too, but maybe the low ferritin is making it worse. Maybe that's got something to do with these spells of my heart racing, which is my worst symptom.
Yes you can safely raise ferritin even if your hemoglobin is high. Mine is also 13.5 but doc wants ferritin at 100 so I'm on it till then. Just have your blood checked every couple months if you can. I had anxiety all my life and it was manageable until my anemia was severe. It exacerbated it a million times worse. You should get SOME relief from it if you raise your ferritin. More oxygen to your brain and organs makes a body happier.
Hi, I’ve been reading yours and usagolds comments about anemia and found it interesting as I have a disease called Babesiosis which basically destroys your red blood cells and can cause anemia, and then which causes an horrible headache. Anyway I have been taking b vitamins, molasses for iron and drinking chlorophyll for it...and it did help it because I went to the urgent care for something after I had been doing that for a little bit and they tested several thing and she said my hemoglobin was higher for a girl, but I don’t think she thought it was a bad thing as she said to keep doing what ever I was doing.
Anyway those are just things that have helped me if any reads this
You are sleep deprived I've been there. I had to take medication to help. Usually I'll sleep like 1 or 2 hours a night waking a million times in a panic. Did you know most panic attacks are actually nocturnal? It's because you have no control in your sleep. After sleeping that way for a week or 2. I'll sleep 12 hours a day for a few days because my body is just done. The last episode that was lasting was in the winter. I was under a lot of stress financially and I also think I have seasonal depression. I got into talk therapy. Now it's only once a month or less if I'm lucky I'll have the nocturnal episodes. I have generalized anxiety disorder, OCD and major depression so I'm exhausted every day no matter what. I can pick up a few toys then I need to sit down and so on. Exercise really helps but it's very hard I was walking at least 1 hour daily and felt amazing. I had to force myself but after a while I was gaining my endurance back. Then I got sick and my daughter got sick and then I went to through a Panic episode and I had to start all over. You have to just keep starting over when you fall or when you fall behind you have to force yourself to keep going. If you fall over someone will call 911 LOL that's what I tell myself
Yes, I hope I will be able to build up to at least a daily walk again. Ok, it's 4am & I just had one of my nocturnal attacks, my question is IS THIS PANIC or something else (low ferritin, heart abnormality, viral, heavy metal poisoning...)?? I did have a nervous stomach when I went to bed, but I was sleeping good when my dog moved around and woke me up. I noticed I didn't feel good. I felt my neck and my pulse was fast (probably around 110 bpm), I felt a skipped beat, then another, my heart went faster, I didn't feel all that nervous or panicky. I propped up on pillows, took deep breaths & told myself "just relax, it's just anxiety," but something told me it wasn't, it seemed to take off on it's own with very little fear, but by now I felt afraid, wondering how fast it was going to go, wondering if I would get adequate circulation, wondering if the paramedics could get here in time, I had thoughts that I might die this time, but tried hard to not worry. I checked it on my BP monitor, my BP was high for me, 142/85, and my heart rate was 150bpm! With lots of PVCs. I got scared! This lasted about 14 mins and my BP started coming down, the hr also slowed down until now close to my normal, 94/64 and 74 bpm. What do you think these attacks are? My cardiologist thinks it's either inappropriate sinus tachycardia meaning it just races up for no reason or panic attacks, but he says it is still normal sinus tachycardia & won't kill me.
I'm not a doctor but I have felt the same exact way. My therapist says people with anxiety often think there's something wrong with their heart or other things wrong. Anxiety causes 100's of symptoms. I feel like you have panic disorder like I do but I'm no doctor and even I often think even right at this moment there's something else wrong. I saw your ferritin and recently had my checked the test says 13-126 is within normal range so yours is in that range. I wake feeling the same way. I'm miserable today woke up feeling out of it butterflies in stomach and everything. Another day to spend fighting the panic. I think this episode is from stress of my baby starting school. I'm really nervous
I've not been fearing any of my symptoms for about 8 months but all my symptoms are exactly the same. Not fearing means I can fall straight sleep at night and my heart rate when waking feeling horrendous is normal at 60bpm whereas when I had anxiety with it it was 80-90.
Some mornings I feel relaxed but as soon as my stomach grumbles and acid Is released my whole body gets tense and stressed the sickness comes on, my face starts burning and I get muscle twitching, trapped nerves and breathlessness.
Going for a walk when like that just makes it worse and pressure builds on my chest then get back home exhausted and sweating.
Anxiety can cause the excess stomach acid and it's the acid that causes the symptoms.
It can happen the other way round though which is what happened to me, I developed a food Intolerance but couldn't figure out what it was so was still eating it causing my stomach to produce tons of acid to try and digest it, but now my stomach is so messed up because I took too long to figure out what it was.
Hey there @usagold ! There is a combination of what’s going on with you .... number one stress does offset the amygdala and you’re teaching it to stay alert .... once on high alert for so long and you relax that’s usually when a anxiety/panic attack comes in ...... during the panic attack your adrenaline glads are being overly used (picture ringing out a towels and the water that’s coming out of s towel is your energy) so once the amygdala was over stimulated and adrenaline glass are overly used ..... your body and brain has exhausted it’s self .....then the fatigue sets in... and also fear .... fear of the panic/anxiety ... “when is it gonna happen again?” ... scientifically your body wen through a lot and it’s trying to recover .... then the depression sets in because your mind races and races trying to figure out why and how did this happen and the physical effects of what you are going through weighs down on you !!! So lack of interest , staying in bed because your body needs to recoop!
I can relate to your post because my first panic attack lasted for 5 days ... and after that I couldn’t do anything but be bed ridden, honestly it’s pretty normal what you are going through, this is going to be a journey for you and you WILL get better !!
Have you spoken with your dr yet ?
You can message me anytime I have a ton of insight on how to over come!!
Oh ! As far as stress goes .... it’s a huge factor as to preventing your brain and nervous system to relax ..... so once it’s all built up in your body it has to release ....
I hope I made sense !
Hello! Yes and the funny thing is, I thought of this just the other day. I had to do about 6 hours of mind-bending math homework and I was so tired, I felt like I was going to drop. I had coffee and everything, but nothing worked. At the time, I knew I was so tired due to the stress and mental exhaustion, so I wasn't concerned, but I thought back to how exhausted I was when I let stress ruin me and I'm like, "how was I worried about this?? Of course I'd be tired from that!" You seem to be doing better now and you're correcting negative thought processes. AWESOME!!
Usagold in reply to
You must be smart! All that math! Yes, it's a different kind of exhaustion, isn't it. And that's one of my biggest problems still, too. Even though I'm better & have less anxiety symptoms, I still can't do as much as I used to do. I wonder if it is part of anxiety or a separate issue? When I work, or if I do too much, I get that tense, nervous exhausted feeling. I recognize it now as the warning flag. If I keep pressing on, I become symptomatic. I don't fear the symptoms, but they do represent stress, so I try to listen when my body shouts enough.
in reply to Usagold
Very smart of you to recognize that. From my experience, the anxiety caused adrenal fatigue as a result of me being so "fight or flight" all the time. It's actually a lot deeper than that. The body is so connected, but that would be a books worth of info lol
And nooo I wish I were Better at math. At my college we've got to get in 6 hours of math a week on a timed program(participation grade), so I usually knock it out in a long evening.
Usagold in reply to
Rockster, some counselors recommend you keep going, they say it's just a feeling caused by anxiety, and you keep right on working in spite of that exhaustion. If it's adrenal fatigue though, seems like you should stop going and rest, which I was trying to do, but is that the way agoraphobia starts? I had stopped going to church & other places due to anxiety and sheer exhaustion. I'm going now, but some days, like yesterday, when I overdo it, it comes back with a vengeance. What do you think mathematician?
in reply to Usagold
There's such a fine line with giving yourself rest and not going somewhere just to avoid the seemingly inevitable anxiety. I pretty much stayed at home all the time, but this created a more severe case of anxiety. So I had to force myself out of my comfort zone to establish a new baseline, and be just as comfortable in stores or at church as I was at home.
in reply to
I seriously felt like I was about to die when I'd do these things, as silly as it sounds.
in reply to Usagold
And forgive me for being sporadic but my thoughts are a bit jumbled. The type of rest I have to give myself is a mental rest. So while my training is intense and also doesn't help the adrenal fatigue, it's not the root cause of my fatigue.
When the body is stressed, digestion shuts down. So when you're constantly stressed, your body is really malnourished and when you become malnourished, the anxiety cycle kind of runs on its own at that point. The small mental pathway from the constant synapses of negative thinking builds into a mega-highway and -as you can see- it gets worse and worse unless you change your thinking patterns. Small steps here, because Rome wasn't built in a day, but it will go away with constant work.
See what type of blood type you are and see what types of foods you should eat and which ones you should avoid. Then take a pro and pre-biotic for your gut health. Our bacterial makeup greatly affects our emotions. Supplement with Magnesium Glycinate and start taking some fish oil along with a multi-vitamin daily. This isn't a cure-all, but it interrupts the anxiety stuck in the "on" position enough for you to really view things clearly and have a bit more control.
Also, have your husband or a professional give a full body massage. Massage your palms, soles of feet and right around your navel. As you can see, emotion is a very physical thing! And when we hold back emotion or if something traumatic happens to us, that trauma is stored in our muscles and particularly our muscle fascia. Which is a network of nerves that coat our muscles. This fascia has 5 points where they all meet, our palms, soles, and just below the navel, so that's why it's important to have these areas particularly massaged.
Have a full body stretching routine and in particular, stretch your Psoas Major. This muscle is directly connected to your brain through a major nerve and when this muscle is tight, it stimulates a fight or flight response immediately, without us knowing about it. Avoid simple sugars (to a point, you still need quality of life) and get rid of all artificial sweeteners. Next, which is the most important, claim the peace that God offers so freely to those that search for Him with all their heart, soul, and mind. That peace is yours. Life isn't easy and it won't get any easier, but you will become so much stronger from this. When you start to fear or have negative thoughts, raise your hands and give it to God. Say, God, it's yours. And really give it to him.
I was just just thinking last night and something became apparent to me. I know what blind faith is now. Blind faith isn't believeing God and Hos love without any proof -the proof is everywhere! Blind faith IS believing God's promises in the midst of storms, no matter what you're facing. Face those fears head on as if you were blind to the presence of the fear itself because that's Gods battle, not our own.
This is long winded but i hope this helps!
Usagold in reply to
Thank you so much for the great post! I'm doing a lot of what you suggest-- fish oil, magnesium, multivitamin, working on my thinking, massage, but I have not looked into eating according to blood type. My sister was doing that, but I was skeptical. I did not know that about the psoas muscle! Or the fascia. Interesting! Good point- we need to relinquish ALL control to God don't we. If we really realize who He is, and that He's already in the future, we really don't have anything to fear. He tells us that over & over. And, yes, our trusting is tested during the storms. My thought for the day-Not me, but Him. Thank you for the encouraging words!
in reply to Usagold
Yup. I was skeptical as well, a dietician friend of mine said they don't endorse it, but they cant deny it either. It works great in my experience.
Is there a reason why you included picture of yourself?
No, haha, I'm not very good with technology & I thought it was going to be little. I had seen someone else's post with a picture & this was my 1st post so I didn't know. When I saw how big it was, tried to take it off, I don't like it being on here, but couldn't figure out how to remove it. Do you know how?
Following as I get the night symptoms . Over it
Do u take any meds to control ur anxiety?
Do u take any meds to control ur anxiety
You know, I had a bout with anxiety 20 years ago after my dad died, and I ended up taking a SSRI for 8 months. It was hell at 1st, but it did eventually help me calm down and I did get better. This time, even though my anxiety has been much more severe, I decided not to take meds, although I do take a low dose beta blocker to help with my heart rate.
I am convinced it is possible to completely recover from anxiety disorder without medication. Meds artificially calm you down and numb you to your fears, which some people might want, but you have to realize that when you come off the meds, you're right back at square one. For some people, anxiety might never recur, so that's fine, however, I want to learn coping strategies. I want to know where I went wrong and how to fix it. I believe God allowed this, so I would see what I've been doing wrong all these years. So, I'm trying to trust, face my fears, accept the symptoms and change my thinking so maybe I can keep my nerves from ever getting over-sensitized again. The good days inspire me to keep trying.
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