Dizziness from anxiety: a survival mechanism

Dizziness due to anxiety is a common symptom of this type of disorder. They are usually described as a feeling of lightheadedness or lightheadedness, accompanied by a sensation of movement disgusting. It is understood that dizziness due to anxiety produces a narrowing of consciousness, discomfort, muscle hypotonia and blurred or tunnel vision.

Thus, sometimes, dizziness can make the body feel like it is swaying despite being still. In others, it can even cause fainting or loss of consciousness and can appear suddenly or gradually.

This type of dizziness It is common when you suffer from anxiety. However, sometimes this symptom is due to other reasons, such as dehydration, increased blood pressure or hypoglycemia and, in turn, can generate anxiety in the sufferer.

Why do they occur?

Basically, the general negative emotion and fear that anxiety produces activates the nervous system, affecting the sympathetic nervous system. This activation causes muscle tension to increase and breathing and heart rate to accelerate.

However, if the threat or stimulus that generates stress (which could be a thought) does not disappear, the physical response continues, exhausting the body and causing it to react by losing muscle tone and leading to dizziness. That is, dizziness It is a bodily response to cope and survive the activation generated due to a situation of real or perceived danger.

So, on the one hand, anxiety dizziness occurs due to hyperventilation, which causes oxygen in the blood to increase rapidly when faced with a threat, in order to generate more energy. This gives rise to a greater sensation of suffocation, numbness of extremities and, therefore, dizziness.

On the other hand, what is called vasovagal presyncope occurs. In it, due to the increase in heart rate and the dilation of blood vessels, the parasympathetic system itself will cause the frequency to drop sharply and bring less blood to the brain. At this time, a weak or complete loss of consciousness occurs.

It is important to know that dizziness, although experienced very negatively, is not dangerous for those who suffer from it. Nevertheless, It is necessary to be attentive and rule out that they are due to another condition. medical. Therefore, it is useful to take into account the frequency with which they occur and, above all, whether they always occur in stressful situations or not. In the same way, there are many people who suffer from dizziness and are unaware that it is a product of anxiety.

Neurobiology of anxiety dizziness

Dizziness, on a physiological level, They are produced by the activation of the vestibular system. This system is responsible for the sense of body posture, balance and movement. To respond to this, the system begins in the inner ear, whose formation informs the position of the head with respect to the ground and the speed of movement.

The vestibular system is connected to the limbic system, specialist in emotional information such as fear and anxiety. Specifically, both systems connect in the parabrachial nucleus, in the brainstem bridge. Its functions include temperature regulation, taste, blood sugar control, pleasure and bodily arousal.

In this sense, there are several neurotransmitters involved in dizziness due to anxiety. This area is related to glutamatergic neurons, which produce the state of wakefulness. On the other hand, Cortisol levels have been linked to anxietyreaching the conclusion that chronic stress is the main reason for dizziness.

How to face them?

Mainly, if you suffer from dizziness due to anxiety, or anxiety in general, It is best to go to a specialist to reduce this state and provide yourself with tools that help you manage it better. As part of that process, one of the most important aspects of managing anxiety is learning to identify the symptoms.

To do this, you must observe your own body and when they usually happen. In this way, and With the right tools, when you start to notice the appearance of dizziness, you can do something to minimize it..

For example, through relaxation techniques. Learning quick and effective use of relaxation takes time. However, diaphragmatic breathing techniques are very simple and can make anxiety and dizziness disappear quickly.

Furthermore, in general, We will work on the beliefs that generate anxiety through cognitive restructuring. With the work of a psychologist, the thoughts that trigger anxious episodes will be analyzed; Little by little, they will be modified and replaced by other, less harmful thoughts.

Finally, to reduce the probability of suffering from dizziness due to anxiety, general health care practices are recommended: such as maintaining good sleep hygiene or a balanced diet adapted to our daily caloric expenditure.

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