Can anxiety cause numbness in legs?

Do you occasionally experience a tingling sensation or numbness in your legs, accompanied by feelings of unease and stress? It could be more than just poor circulation or the need for new shoes. Anxiety is known to manifest itself in many physical ways, including muscle tension and increased heart rate. But can it also cause numbness in your legs? Let’s explore this peculiar phenomenon.

The nervous system: A quick refresher

Before we dive into how anxiety affects our bodies, let’s quickly refresh our memories on the nervous system. Our nervous system is divided into two main parts – the central nervous system (CNS) and peripheral nervous system (PNS). The CNS consists of our brain and spinal cord while PNS comprises everything else.

The PNS can be further broken down into Autonomic Nervous System (ANS) consisting of Sympathetic NS (fight-or-flight response) & Parasympathetic NS (rest-and-digest), Somatic sensory & motor nerves serving skin/muscles; Visceral sensory & motor nerves serving organs^1.

Understanding anxiety:

Anxiety is much more than just feeling uneasy or worried about something specific – it’s a mental health disorder characterized by persistent fear and worry about everyday situations^2. Anxiety disorders are one of the most common mental illnesses worldwide – affecting around 4% to as high as 33% of people throughout their lives^3.

Different types of anxiety disorders:

  1. Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)
  2. Panic Disorder
  3. Social Phobia / Specific Phobias
  4. Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)

While these conditions often have different triggers, they all share some similarities such as intense apprehension that gets worse over time without proper management.

Individuals with an anxiety disorder may interpret routine events such as making mistakes at work or forgetting an appointment, as threats to their well-being and quickly become anxious. They may have persistent fear about something specific, such as being in a confined space (claustrophobia) or witnessing social embarrassment (social anxiety).

How does Anxiety manifest itself physically?

As more people speak candidly about living with anxiety disorders, there has been a growing recognition of the physical symptoms that individuals experience alongside psychological distress. In fact, anxiety often manifests through “somatic complaints,” which can include everything from headaches to diarrhea^4.

According to research from Harvard Medical School^5; sustained mental stress causes the body to release hormones like cortisol and adrenaline into our bloodstream – compounding any physiological effects. This buildup over time can lead to chronic health problems such as heart disease, digestive problems, migraines headaches etc.

Physical symptoms include:

  • Persistent muscle tension
  • Tightness in chest
  • Rapid breathing / Hyperventilation
  • Increased heart rate
  • Insomnia
  • Fatigue

Furthermore, there are instances where severe stress could trigger complete paralysis termed Conversion Disorder (CD)^6.
Cases of CD is quite rare but it highlights that high levels of emotional stress can cause physical manifestations existing outside typical anatomy/physiology explanation.

But what about numbness in legs? Could this be one weird symptom?

The connection between Anxiety & Leg Numbness

The question we set out at the beginning was whether anxiety specifically caused leg numbness rather than just general stress. While there are many potential reasons for feeling tingling sensations or numbness in your legs – including nerve compression due to tight clothing or injury – it is entirely possible that feelings of anxious tension could also contribute.

Whenever someone experiences heightened levels of anxiety or panic attacks they tend towards shallow rapid firing respiration patterns leading inevitably hyperventilation thus limit availability blood flow/oxygen supply travelling down the body’s peripheral nerves. Resultantly, you may end up with a numb sensation in the limbs without a proper cause^7.

Moreover, our body tends to produce “numbing” responses under high-stress environments which could contribute further. For example: when we injure ourselves quite severely from performing an activity like running; The natural reaction of our body would be producing numbing chemical molecules around that area – as it helps distract us from immediate pain and aid recovery^8.

So there is no definitive answer. Still & all – anxiety and numbness are closely interlinked.

Should I see my doctor if it’s persisting?

If you find that your leg numbness or tingling isn’t simply a fleeting symptom that disappears as soon as stress levels decrease, then you might start questioning its source/cause. It’s always better safe than sorry to consult with your Doctor when vague symptoms arise^(citation needed)— especially if they persist for several days or even weeks.

Additionally, muscle/bone related issues due to faulty posture/work-from-home habits (e.g., prolonged sitting) could impact peripheral nerves too leading towards similar sensations mentioned aforetime

Potential tests :

  1. Electrodiagnostic Studies
  2. Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scan
  3. CT Scan

Your doctor will ascertain any potential medical implications after examining the nature of your concerns.

In what circumstances should I be genuinely concerned?

In rare instances where severe nerve damage has occurred in combination with other neurological signs such as weakness /dizziness etc – You should visit a hospital emergency department immediately for urgent medical attention (citation needed)

It also goes without saying, individuals who have already been diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), panic attacks or Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) tend to live more stressful lives causing them higher chance of negative physical manifestations ‘Citation Needed”

To make sure anxiety doesn’t lead to more physical and emotional distress, always be proactive about your mental health. Therapies such as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy(MBCT) & medication could help alleviate anxiety symptoms.^9

What can we learn from this?

While numbness in the legs is not a symptom usually associated with anxiety disorders initially, it becomes obvious why this may occur after delving into the subject matter deeper.

Differentiating between harmless leg numbness vs when you should consult your doctor boils down to trusting intuition and exercising caution – especially where feelings of dreariness manifest periodically or consistently

It’s also essential not to neglect our Basic wellness habits like Diet/Nutrition/Exercise/Sleep which are known precursors towards better vascular/nervous system functioning.

References:

  1. “Peripheral Nervous System: Definition, Function And Facts – In Brief.” Biology Dictionary
    2.“Anxiety Disorders,” National Institute of Mental Health.
    3.Epstein RM et al. Generalized Anxiety Disorder; JAMA (2018); 319(12):1237-1240.
    4.Kroska EB , Miller TW ; The bidirectional relationship waiting times for therapy across many possible somatic signs : Review Literature;
    5.Stress Symptoms: Effects on your body and behavior – Mayo Clinic.
    6.Conversion disorder: medlineplus.gov
    7.”Understanding Hyperventilation.” Alina Bradford,
    8.“Therapeutic Neuromuscular Electric Stimulation Increases Blood Flow After Exercise :: Nationwide Children’s Hospital.”
    9.”Psychological treatments for generalized anxiety disorder.: Jama Psychiatry.

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