GUIDE
Physical Symptoms of Anxiety: Palpitations, Shortness of Breath and a Doctor First
A racing heart for no reason, tightness in the chest, not getting enough air, trembling, dizziness, nausea… Anxiety can produce very real physical symptoms, and they can frighten people more than the anxiety itself. This guide explains which symptoms a doctor should assess first, why anxiety feels like this in the body and how symptoms can turn into a self-feeding loop.
Anxiety readies the body for action: the heart speeds up, breathing quickens, muscles tense; this is uncomfortable but usually not harmful. If a symptom is new, severe or does not fit a health condition you know about, or if there is chest pain, shortness of breath or a feeling of fainting, a doctor should assess it first.
Why Does Anxiety Feel Like This in the Body?
A racing heart, quick breathing and tense muscles are the body’s ways of getting you ready to act. Attention can sharpen, the heart can beat harder, muscles can tense, digestion can take a back seat. It is uncomfortable, but often not harmful. The physical symptoms of anxiety that the NHS lists include a faster, irregular or more noticeable heartbeat, dizziness, headaches, chest pains, loss of appetite, indigestion, stomach cramps and nausea, diarrhoea or constipation, sweating, breathlessness, feeling hot and shaking.
Some of the same symptoms can also come from a health condition. Palpitations, for example, often come with stress, anxiety, lack of sleep, caffeine or alcohol, but can also come from conditions such as anaemia, an overactive thyroid or a heart rhythm problem. Telling which it is is a doctor’s job, not this guide’s.
How Symptoms Feed Themselves
The chain can run like this: you notice a sensation, the mind reads it as “something is wrong”, fear rises, the body prepares even more and the sensation grows. On top of that, when breathing speeds up with anxiety, the carbon dioxide level in the blood drops briefly; that drop can by itself create dizziness, tingling in the hands, chest tightness or a sense of distance. These are uncomfortable, but they usually ease as breathing slows. What grows the loop is often not the sensation itself but the meaning given to it. That does not mean the symptom is “imagined”: the sensation is real.
What grows the loop is often not the sensation itself but the meaning given to it.
One Small Step You Can Try Once
This step may not suit everyone; you do not have to force it. The module “Understand Your Body’s Alarm” (7 sessions) in Calm Anxiety: Blisswell covers trying to read body sensations as preparation rather than danger, noticing early signals, trying tools such as grounding and letting go of tension, and building a personal body-alarm plan. Its first session also reminds you to see a health professional about a new or severe symptom. The breath tool is tried as a way of opening a little room rather than an escape; if you have asthma, a respiratory condition or a heart condition, follow your own doctor’s advice.
When to Get Support
If symptoms keep coming back, are happening more often, last longer than a few minutes, or if you have a heart condition or a family history of heart problems, see your family doctor. Even when a doctor finds no cause, if symptoms and the fear of them narrow your life, it makes sense to see a mental health professional. If you have a sudden wave of intense fear and it is the first time, or it keeps happening, talk to a doctor too. If you have thoughts of harming yourself, call your local emergency number without waiting (911 or 988 in the US, 999 or 116 123 in the UK, 112 in Europe). For more, see the guide when to seek professional help for anxiety.
Frequently Asked Questions
What physical symptoms can anxiety cause?
The NHS lists a faster, irregular or more noticeable heartbeat, dizziness, headaches, chest pains, stomach cramps and nausea, diarrhoea or constipation, sweating, breathlessness, feeling hot and shaking. All of these can also come from other health conditions; a doctor tells the difference.
How can I tell whether palpitations come from anxiety or the heart?
You cannot tell for certain on your own; that is a doctor’s assessment. Palpitations are common and usually not a sign of anything serious, but if they keep coming back, last longer than a few minutes or you have a heart condition, see your family doctor. If chest pain, shortness of breath or a feeling of fainting goes with them, call your local emergency number.
Can anxiety cause chest pain?
Yes, chest pain can happen with anxiety and panic; the NHS describes an often sharp, continuous pain triggered by worries or a stressful situation. Even so, do not self-diagnose: if the pain is sudden, squeezing or spreading to the arm or jaw, or comes with sweating or shortness of breath, call 911 in the US, 999 in the UK or 112 in Europe.
Why does anxiety cause shortness of breath?
When anxiety rises breathing speeds up; that briefly lowers the carbon dioxide level in the blood and can create dizziness, tingling or chest tightness. This is uncomfortable but usually eases as breathing slows. For shortness of breath that is new, severe or does not go away, see a doctor first.
What can be done about physical symptoms?
A doctor’s assessment first; then trying to read sensations as preparation rather than danger, calling attention outward (grounding) and trying letting go of tension as a small experiment are common directions. No method comes with a guaranteed result; if symptoms are weighing on you, see a professional.
When should I see a doctor or a professional?
For new, severe or recurring symptoms, a doctor first; for chest pain, shortness of breath or a feeling of fainting, call your local emergency number without waiting. If symptoms and the fear of them narrow your life even when a doctor finds no cause, or if there are thoughts of harming yourself, see a mental health professional.
References
- NHS. Anxiety, fear and panic. www.nhs.uk opens in a new tab
- NHS. Heart palpitations. www.nhs.uk opens in a new tab
- NHS. Chest pain. www.nhs.uk opens in a new tab
- NHS Every Mind Matters. Anxiety. www.nhs.uk opens in a new tab
- National Institute of Mental Health. Anxiety disorders. www.nimh.nih.gov opens in a new tab