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Anxiety not only impacts your mental health but also, your physical health too. Overtime, untreated and continued episodes of severe anxiety can start to have some negative effects on your health. The good news? There’s a lot you can do to limit the potential negative effects of anxiety on your health. As an added bonus, taking actions towards improving and protecting your physical health can also reduce your anxiety levels, giving you the best of both your mental and physical health. So, let’s dive right into the top 5 tips to prevent the negative effects of anxiety on your health
Negative Effects of Anxiety on Your Health
The negative physical effects of anxiety can vary from person to persona and may include muscle tension, reduced immune response, shallow breathing, shortness of breath, and even hyperventilation. It can also cause insomnia and other sleep-related issues. Severe and prolonged anxiety can also lead to other stress-related conditions, such as high blood pressure and cardiac issues.
These issues can then lead to other health problems. For example, anxiety can make it difficult to fall asleep and stay asleep. Sufferers from anxiety-induced insomnia can’t effectively deal with their anxiety when they are exhausted. This creates a cycle that is often hard to break.
The good news? Anxiety is treatable!
How to Prevent The Negative Effects of Anxiety
While it can be intimidating to learn about the negative effects of anxiety, it’s important to understand the potential risks so you can actively prevent them by treating your anxiety.
Engage in Regular Exercise
Regular exercise prevents anxiety from taking its toll on your physical health. It doesn’t have to cost a thing. If you’re reluctant to take up a gym membership, you can still get regular exercise for your body and mind. When you look for opportunities for physical activity, you’ll be amazed at how many there are.
Take the stairs instead of the elevator. Go for walks along the beachfront or through a local park. Go on a hike with your family. Remember to complement your new activity levels with the right nutrition, though, like a liquid protein you can take with you on your outdoor activities.
Take your dog for a walk. If you don’t have a furry friend of your own, volunteer to take a neighbor’s dog for a walk. Indeed, you may want to look into getting a pet if you don’t have one. Spending time with animals is a great way to relieve stress and anxiety.
Get Enough Good-Quality Sleep
It can be difficult to effectively deal with anxiety when you are exhausted. A lack of sleep impacts your cognitive abilities so you inevitably experience further anxiety about your day-to-day issues. So, if you want to counteract the effects of anxiety on your health, ensure that you get enough good-quality sleep.
Unfortunately, anxiety can also make it more difficult to fall asleep and stay asleep. This creates a cycle of insomnia and anxiety about it that can be hard to break. But there are a few things you can do to promote more restful sleep at night.
The important things to remember are to avoid stimulants before bedtime, create a comfortable space for sleep, and follow a regular sleep schedule. Once you re-establish a healthy sleep pattern you’ll awake better able to deal with anxiety, and in time you’ll experience less anxiety, too.
Take Omega 3 Supplements
Some studies have shown that anxiety sufferers often have low levels of omega-3 fatty acids in their bodies. Omega 3s provide heart health benefits and are crucial for cell functioning throughout the body. We all need them to be healthy. Unfortunately, the human body does not produce it on its own. That means it has to come from the food we eat. And modern lifestyles are rarely conducive to healthy eating. There is a solution, though.
When you support your body with the Omega 3 supplements you’ll prevent this common negative effect of anxiety on your health. You’ll get all the essential fatty acids your body needs to maintain your health and reduce the risk of cardiovascular issues in the future.
Practice Mindfulness Activities
Meditation and yoga are two mindfulness activities well known for promoting a sense of calm and peace. They are also helpful to prevent the negative effects of anxiety on your health. They may look complicated to beginners, but they are, in fact, easy to do with just a bit of initial instruction.
Yoga classes and meditation classes are more widely available than ever. If your anxiety condition prevents you from interacting with strangers at that point, you can still get started. Look online for yoga classes for beginners and meditation tutorials.
These are excellent practices for promoting inner peace amidst the chaos of modern life. Contrary to popular belief, neither of these ancient arts is tied to any religious or philosophical group. Anyone and everyone can enjoy the benefits, and people worldwide are reaping the benefits for their mental health.
Try Deep Breathing Exercises
One of the most common physical effects of anxiety on health is related to breathing. Anxiety can cause shortness of breath, shallow breathing, and even hyperventilation. Impaired breathing can affect the amount of oxygen available to our body, and put undue strain on our heart and other organs.
Deep breathing exercises have helped countless individuals deal with anxiety before it starts to affect their health. It may do the same for you. Best of all, it’s completely free and you can do it anywhere you feel most comfortable. Just look online for some easy deep breathing techniques to get started.
Deep breathing exercises tackle the problem of anxiety affecting your health, in two ways. It improves mental well-being by lowering anxiety and stress levels and improving your focus. It also improves your physical health by lowering your blood pressure and improving your cardiovascular health.
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Anxiety doesn’t just affect your mental health but your physical health, too. In time, continued episodes of severe anxiety can eventually have many negative effects on your body. The good news? The mental health tips above can help reduce these effects by helping you manage and reduce your anxiety levels before they impact your health.
