Anxiety is a complex condition that can be caused by various internal and external factors. However, the chemicals in our body – most notably epinephrine (adrenaline), serotonin, and dopamine – play a key role in determining our mental and emotional state.
Continue reading to learn more about the chemistry of anxiety, the common symptoms to look out for, and how brain chemicals can impact anxiety levels.
In this post:
What is anxiety?
Anxiety is an emotion characterised by worry or fear. As well as feelings of unease, it can have physiological effects such as sweating, heart palpitations, nausea, and an increase in blood pressure. Everyone feels anxious from time to time, particularly when they’re in a stressful or worrying situation.
For most people, feelings of anxiety can be triggered by specific stress factors like work deadlines or pressure, relationship problems, and traumatic or worrying events. It’s the body’s natural response to the fight-or-flight instinct and is designed to keep us safe.
However, anxiety can become a disorder when these feelings of unease become persistent, excessive, and unspecific. If anxiety is interfering with your normal functioning and daily life, for example, disrupting your sleep or causing insomnia, you should speak to a healthcare professional.
According to the NHS website, you may be diagnosed with generalised anxiety disorder if you’ve been experiencing intrusive thoughts, excessive worrying, and other related symptoms for at least six months. However, anxiety can be hard to diagnose because some of the symptoms are similar to those of other mental health conditions like depression.
Stress can also be mistaken for anxiety but, unlike the latter, it doesn’t linger. Although it has some of the same symptoms, stress is usually short-term and in response to a specific threat.
There are several types of anxiety disorders. Some of the most common include:
- Agoraphobia – a condition characterised by an intense fear of going outside or being with a crowd.
- Medical condition anxiety – a type of anxiety that’s induced by a physical health problem, which may lead to panic attacks.
- Generalised anxiety disorder – a long-term condition that causes you to feel anxious or worried all the time, even about ordinary daily routines. The worrying is typically out of proportion with the circumstances.
- Panic attacks – a sudden and intense feeling of terror or impending doom that triggers a severe physical reaction. A panic attack may last for several minutes and can occur for no apparent reason.
- Substance-induced anxiety – a type of anxiety that can be triggered by illicit drugs, medications, or toxic substances.
- Separation anxiety – a fear of being separated from someone close to you. It’s normal for young children to develop separation anxiety at some point, however, if the symptoms continue as they get older or persist into adulthood, it could be a sign of a more serious separation anxiety disorder.
What chemicals impact levels of anxiety?
As with many mental health conditions, anxiety disorders have complex causes. Someone’s personal history or background, genetics, physiological conditions (including other underlying diseases) and socioeconomic factors can all play a role.
However, many scientists believe the following brain chemicals have the biggest impact on anxiety levels:
- Epinephrine – More commonly known as adrenaline, epinephrine is a hormone and neurotransmitter that prepares your body for the flight-or-fight response. It’s released when we experience some kind of threat. Epinephrine stimulates the release of glucose into the bloodstream and causes your heart to beat faster and your breathing to quicken. It also makes your muscles tense and your brain more alert. If the stress is only psychological, adrenaline can trigger feelings of anxiety.
- Serotonin – This neurotransmitter is primarily responsible for regulating sleep. If someone has insufficient levels of serotonin, they may suffer anxiety due to lack of sleep.
- Dopamine – Otherwise known as the happy hormone, dopamine is responsible for stimulating the brain to feel pleasure or ecstasy. Overproduction or replacement of dopamine in the brain by using illicit drugs can result in dopamine intolerance and addiction. If the chemical stimulus isn’t present, it can lead to depression and anxiety.
- Norepinephrine – This chemical functions as both a hormone and a neurotransmitter. Also known as noradrenaline, it has a similar function to adrenaline during a fight-or-flight situation. In medical emergencies, norepinephrine is used to increase and maintain the patient’s blood pressure when the heart rate slows to a dangerously low level. Excessive amounts of this hormone can cause heart palpitations and worsen anxiety.
- Gamma-aminobutyric acid – Commonly used as a medication to treat anxiety and prevent seizures, gamma-aminobutyric acid is a neurotransmitter that inhibits the ability of neurons and nerve cells to receive and send signals.
Symptoms of anxiety
Anxiety has a range of mental and physical symptoms, which can vary from person to person. Although some of these may be mistaken for stress, generalised anxiety disorder is persistent and usually interferes with your daily life. Some of the common symptoms of anxiety are:
Fatigue
People with an anxiety disorder often feel tired or fatigued, mainly due to hormonal changes or imbalances. Their constant worrying may also be causing them to lose sleep. As a result, they might not feel like going to work or performing their usual daily routine.
Higher irritability
Anxiety can make you more irritable and you may find yourself getting annoyed by simple or trivial things. Irritability can be triggered when our senses are over-stimulated.
Continuous feelings of worry
Sustained worrying about specific or generic things is the main psychological symptom of anxiety. Sufferers may experience irrational thoughts and a constant feeling of dread, which can sometimes be coupled with panic attacks.
Stomach & muscle pain
The release of fight-or-flight hormones like adrenaline can often cause gastrointestinal problems such as diarrhoea or constipation, which may result in stomach and muscle pain.
What chemicals are used in anxiety medication?
The combination of medications used to treat anxiety disorders may vary depending on the specific type of anxiety and the severity of the condition.
For example, gamma-aminobutyric acid is used to inhibit excessive neural transmissions and stimulations. Antidepressant medications, such as serotonin, reuptake inhibitors and benzodiazepines are also prescribed to treat anxiety disorders.
Organisations & help for anxiety
Anxiety disorders can require medical and psychological treatment, so it’s important to seek help if you think you might be suffering from this type of condition. It may take time, but anxiety can usually be controlled through medications and psychological therapies. Support groups, in addition to family and friends, are also helpful in managing anxiety disorders.
There are various national and international organisations that support people suffering from anxiety. You might even want to set up your own informal local group to help others in your area.
Here are some organisations in the UK that can help you deal with anxiety:
Anxiety Care UK
anxietycare.org.uk
Anxiety UK
03444 775 774 (helpline)
07537 416 905 (text)
anxietyuk.org.uk
British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP)
bacp.co.uk
Hub of Hope
hubofhope.co.uk
Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT)
nhs.uk/service-search/find-a-psychological-therapies-service
NHS Services Finder
nhs.uk/service-search (England)
111.wales.nhs.uk/localservices (Wales)
No More Panic
nomorepanic.co.uk
No Panic
0300 7729844
nopanic.org.uk
Samaritans
116 123 (freephone)
jo@samaritans.org
Freepost SAMARITANS LETTERS
samaritans.org
Triumph Over Phobia (TOP UK)
topuk.org
Summary
An anxiety disorder is characterised by persistent feelings of unease and worry, often for no apparent reason. It can also cause physical symptoms such as fatigue, insomnia, heart palpitations, muscle pain, and stomach ache.
There are various factors involved, but brain chemicals like epinephrine, serotonin, and dopamine can have a significant impact on anxiety levels. Just like many other mental health problems, anxiety disorders are usually treated with medication and psychological therapies.
