Hi BrainStuff, it’s Cristen Conger here.
Listen, I get anxious.
I get anxious.
I mean, I'm anxious right now!
But hey, it’s a totally normal and healthy
response, that keeps us from doing things
that might actually be dangerous, like sticking
your hand in a fire.
But, when anxiety is so pervasive that it
interferes with your daily life, it becomes
a disorder.
And most researchers believe that disorder
begins in your brain.
There’s several types of anxiety disorders:
phobias, PTSD and OCD are just a few.
But let’s focus today on “General Anxiety
Disorder,” which affects close to 7 million
adults and is twice as likely in women.
Maybe you’re worried about money, health,
family or work.
Despite reality, you’ll expect the worst.
The symptoms include: restlessness, fatigue,
difficulty concentrating, irritability, muscle
tension and sleep disturbances.
The symptoms officially become a disorder
when you can’t control your worry for at
least 6 months.
You may still be social, or even employed.
Or even hosting YouTube videos!
But people with general anxiety disorder can
have difficulty carrying out even the simplest
of daily activities.
Experts believe that general anxiety disorder
is caused by both biological factors and life
experiences, a combination of nature and nurture.
But anxiety is also recognized by many as
an emotional response with neurobiological
roots in your brain.
Simply put, the neural pathways in our brain
sometimes lead to irrational anxiety.
And stressful situations encourage us to develop
associations with those pathways, by influencing
which neurochemicals pass through them.
The same way you learn to tie your shoe, you
can also learn to be anxious.
One stressful thing (like being stuck in traffic)
leads you to think of another stressful thing
(like a car crash you survived), activating
a part of the brainstem called the locus ceruleus.
This triggers the symptoms of anxiety by releasing
norepinephrine into your spinal cord and parts
of your brain, while hormones like adrenaline
and cortisol spread through your body.
It’s supposed to initiate an analgesic response,
to suppress pain and initiate defense when
you’re under threat.
Like, if you were actually in a car crash
and injured.
But when there isn’t an actual threat, all
we’re left with is the jitters of anxiety.
We don’t have enough time in this episode
for a full accounting of the treatments available
for anxiety disorders.
But you should know that only one-third of
the people suffering from anxiety are actually
getting help, even though it’s highly manageable.
Treatment usually involves a combination of
“cognitive behavioral therapy” (aka talking
to a therapist) and medications to relieve
the symptoms.
Other treatments include relaxation techniques
like meditation, improved nutrition, exercise
and adequate sleep.
Some medications will change your brain chemistry
temporarily (and some even dispute that),
but they’re not a cure for anxiety.
For that you’ll need to change your neural
pathways’ associations by learning new behaviors
through therapy.
This method of learning new everyday strategies
can be slow going and repetitious, but scans
show that you can literally change your brain
with enough practice.
So, do you suffer from anxiety?
How do you manage it?
Let us know in the comments.
And for more about brain chemistry, psychology
and total dread, make sure to visit us at
howstuffworks.com.
