How To Control Anxiety Muscle Spasms
Muscle spasms are involuntary reactions, and they generally go away within a few minutes. That means that there isn’t much you can do in a middle of a spasm to stop it, and if you’re still struggling with anxiety you’re likely to keep struggling with muscle spasms. However, there are a few things you can try to reduce not only the spasms, but how much worry the spasms cause you.
- Move More Because those with anxiety tend to be inactive, moving more often can decrease the likelihood of a spasm. Getting up and walking around more often is a simple and easy way to start, and can quickly have you getting the blood flowing through your muscles.
- Exercise Exercises uses up unused adrenaline, which in turn should decrease the likelihood of a spasm. Exercise itself may increase spasms, however, as the muscle recovers. But in these cases your brain will process the exercise as an “excuse” for the spasm. If you’re someone that responds to your spasms with anxiety, you may experience less anxiety knowing your spasm was caused by your workout.
- Drink Water Of course, hydration is always an important tool for reducing muscle spasms. If your drink is fortified with electrolytes it may be beneficial as well, as electrolyte loss may also be the cause of some spasms.
You can also consider taking vitamin supplements like magnesium, and some experts recommend stretching when the muscle has a tendency to spasms.
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How To Control The Twitching
The twitching can often be very disruptive – sometimes beyond “annoying” – and many people find that the spasms cause them further stress about their health or their anxiety.
Controlling these twitches isn’t easy, because your nerves typically function automatically and when they fire they cannot be stopped. Controlling your entire nervous system could actually be dangerous if it were possible, because you need to make sure that your nervous system works automatically in order to keep yourself alive.
But there are some ways to potentially decrease the frequency and severity of these spasms. Possible options include:
But since spasms will always continue to occur if you still suffer from anxiety, you’re going to need to make sure that you’re also committed to controlling your underlying anxiety disorder.
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Can Stress Cause Back Pain
The short answer is yes, stress can lead to back pain. It all depends on your natural response to stress. While some people manifest stress in their minds, running through different problems and potential solutions, others manifest it physically. This physical reaction may be unnoticeable to the individual and the people around them, but it is significant enough to eventually cause pain.
When stress manifests physically, it causes us to tighten our muscles, particularly the muscles around our shoulders and down our spine. It is the tension of these lower back muscles that causes us to experience pain, and is known as Tension Myositis Syndrome.
The biggest issue with Tension Myositis Syndrome`is that it can easily start off a cyclical pattern of pain. Those who are stressed will feel sore, which affects their mood and makes them less active. This not only impacts their social life, as the reduced movement also causes their muscles to weaken and tighten up further, leading to more pain. Additionally, the worry of the pain can cause people to become even more stressed, which then results in more pain.
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The Most Common Stressors That Cause Back Pain
Strictly speaking, stressors are defined as any internal or external factors that affect the function of an item. In the case of your body, that could be physical stress and/or psychological stress.
Dr. John S. Michels is a pain management specialist with a thriving practice in the Dallas/Fort Worth area of Texas. Hes an award-winning physician and former NFL champion with personal as well as professional experience in overcoming stress and its effects on your overall well-being.
Recognized as one of the best doctors in Dallas by patients and colleagues, Dr. Michels is passionate about delivering truly effective treatment solutions that eliminate pain while addressing the underlying cause of your discomfort.
Find out what he has to say about stress and how its linked to the most common pain complaint of all back pain.
How To Treat Muscle Twitching
If you are training your body and if you don’t have any of the aforementioned diseases, muscle spasms are the symptoms of a quality workout, but not necessarily. If you are an athlete who is on intense workouts and training, then muscle spasms are going to be normal for you. However, there are ways you could reduce the frequency of their occurrence.
Manage your stress using different relaxations techniques like yoga or meditation. By exercising regularly, you could also reduce cortisol levels in the body that leads to stress.
Get sleep around six to eight hours every night. Optimal sleep helps your body recover and heal faster.
If none of these more holistic treatments help with your muscle twitches, your doctor may suggest staying a safe distance from screens and flickering lights if your twitches are related to light sensitivity. You can also receive Botox injections for facial spasms or Clonazepam if you’re dealing with epilepsy.
The point is that most muscle twitches are nothing to worry about and can be treated with a few simple lifestyle shifts. However, if you’re worried that your muscle spasms don’t seem to be going away, definitely see your GP.
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Sexuality And Reproductive System
Stress is exhausting for both the body and mind. Its not unusual to lose your desire when youre under constant stress. While short-term stress may cause men to produce more of the male hormone testosterone, this effect doesnt last.
If stress continues for a long time, a mans testosterone levels can begin to drop. This can interfere with sperm production and cause erectile dysfunction or impotence. Chronic stress may also increase risk of infection for male reproductive organs like the prostate and testes.
For women, stress can affect the menstrual cycle. It can lead to irregular, heavier, or more painful periods. Chronic stress can also magnify the physical symptoms of menopause.
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Why Is My Muscle Twitching
A muscle twitch occurs when your muscle involuntarily contracts and relaxes. But myoclonus refers to more than just muscle twitches. Hiccups, feeling startled and the way your body jerks as you drift off to sleep are also examples of myoclonus. In short, everyone has likely experienced some sort of myoclonus before.
What’s happening when you have a muscle twitch is that, for some unknown reason, your brain is sending electrical signals to your muscles, making them contract involuntarily. While the actual reason for muscle twitches is unknown, they’re often tied to other issues going on in your nervous system or muscular system.
Long story short, muscle twitches aren’t considered medical issues in and of themselves, but they can be a sign of a larger medical issue. So now, let’s go into some of the common causes of muscle twitching.
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How Long Does It Take For Anxiety Twitching To Go Away
When muscle twitching symptoms are caused by apprehensive behavior and the accompanying stress response changes, as the anxious and stress response changes come to an end, this anxiety symptom should subside. Keep in mind, it can take up to 20 minutes or more for the body to recover from a major stress response.
Involuntary Twitching On One Side Of Your Face
Since most people have typical hemifacial spams, the first symptom is usually when muscle contractions start around your eyelid. Although this is not always too disruptive, it can cause tearing of the eyes or closing of the same. Twitching is often more pronounced in situations of anxiety or simply when you are tired.
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Spasms Can Occur At Any Time
Unlike many other anxiety symptoms, muscle spasms may occur even when you do not have any other obvious signs of anxiety. That’s actually one of the reasons that some people get more anxiety when they have spasms – it surprises them and makes them feel as though something must be wrong with their nerves or muscles.
What Does A Colon Spasm Feel Like
The severity of colon spasm symptoms can vary from person to person. Here are some signs and symptoms of a colon spasm that can occur:
- Pain. Sudden severe abdominal pain, especially in the lower abdomen and on the left side, is common with colon spasms. The pain can vary in its intensity with each spasm.
- Gas or bloating. These signs may occur any time of the day, regardless of diet.
- Sudden urge to use the restroom. The muscle contractions of a colon spasm can speed up bowel movements, so when a spasm occurs, you may find you need to use the restroom quickly.
- Changes in bowel movements. Alternating between diarrhea and constipation in bowel movements can occur in people with colon spasms.
- Loose stool. The inconsistent motility may prevent your body from fully forming feces, so stool from a bowel movement may be loose.
- Mucus in stools. Clear or white mucus may appear in bowel movements if you have colon spasms. Mucus in your stool is also a symptom of IBS.
- bacterial infection in the gut
- a bowel or intestinal obstruction
Colon spasms share many of the same symptoms as IBS. Thats why its important to make an appointment with your doctor and work to determine if your symptoms are the result of a spasm or caused by an underlying condition like IBS.
Its unclear why colon spasms happen, even when the underlying cause is identified.
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What Is Muscle Twitching A Sign Of
Muscle twitching can be a sign of lactic acid build-up, anxiety or stress, vitamin deficiencies, too much caffeine, dehydration, certain medications including corticosteroids, or more serious conditions like a spinal cord malfunction.
It’s vitally important to get to the bottom of what your muscle twitching is a sign of so that you can more easily address the issue. In most cases, muscle twitches aren’t much to worry about. But still, understanding what they could be a sign of is worth paying attention to.
If your muscle twitching is continuous or chronic, it’s best to speak with your GP or a health professional to ensure it’s nothing more serious. From there, you can better understand what steps will be best to take.
Can A Panic Attack Cause A Seizure
Anxiety and panic attacks are two commonly confused medical conditions due to their overlapping symptoms. In some cases, symptoms of anxiety attack manifest as intense episodes of a panic attack. These symptoms include:
- Sharp Chest and Abdominal Pains
- Hot Flashes or Chills
- Feeling Disconnected from Self or Reality
- Numbness or Tingling Extremities
Panic attacks are not known to cause neurological seizures, especially in people without epilepsy. However, there is a strong correlation between PNES and panic attacks in people with epilepsy. A recent study concluded that 83% of participants with PNES also reported accompanying panic attacks. While these study results suggest that panic attacks can trigger PNES, conclusive research is still imminent.
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When Should I Worry About Muscle Twitching
Most muscle twitching isn’t serious. However, if your muscle twitches and spasms are a chronic or persistent issue, it’s best to bring it up with your doctor.
It’s important to address chronic muscle twitches because it could be a sign of more serious health issues including Lou Gherig’s disease, muscular dystrophy, Isaac’s syndrome, spinal muscular atrophy and more.
Keep in mind that anxiety and stress could be what’s causing your muscle twitch, so do your best not to worry. Again, in most cases, muscle twitching is perfectly normal and there’s likely nothing seriously wrong. However, if you do find yourself becoming exceptionally worried, make an appointment with a GP or physio to address any potential problems.
Characteristics Of Anxiety Twitching
The muscle twitching caused by anxiety can be seen in individual muscles or in groups of muscles. It may stay in one muscle group or move randomly around your body.
The twitching may last for a few minutes or go on for hours or longer. It may get either better or worse when youre trying to sleep. Some people report their twitching to get worse as stress and anxiety increase, but it doesnt seem to ease very fast when the anxiety is over.
Any muscle group can be affected by anxiety twitching.
Muscle twitching doesnt even always need anxiety to occur. Even in times of calm, your muscles can misfire, in a sense.
And there isnt anything that you can do to stop your muscles from twitching. The more you pay attention to the twitching, the more your muscles twitch. Also, you cant relax the twitching away.
The longer youve been anxious, the more likely youll experience anxiety twitching. Even at times when youre not anxious.
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Can Anxiety Trigger Muscle Spasms
Anxiety can also cause muscle spasms. The most common reasons for spasms include: Muscle Tension Anxiety causes a considerable amount of muscle tension, and muscle tension can lead to both cramping and spasms. Muscle tension is a lot like exercise it tires out the muscles and causes them to spasm as a result.
How Can I Manage Cricopharyngeal Spasm Symptoms
In addition to medical treatments, there are also ways to manage cricopharyngeal spasm symptoms at home. For example:
- Practice mindfulness, meditation or other relaxation techniques.
- Drink warm beverages to help relax your throat muscles.
- Eat smaller meals throughout the day. This helps the throat muscles stay relaxed for longer.
- Gently massage your neck and throat.
- Take supplements to reduce cricopharyngeal spasm. Magnesium may be particularly helpful.
- Keep track of factors that make your symptoms worse then avoid them.
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When Should I Be Worried About Eye Twitching
Generally speaking, eye twitches are not something to worry too much about. Eye twitches are one of the most common types of muscle twitches that many people experience. Often, twitches in your eyelid signal a variety of causes including stress, smoking, wind, bright lights, excess caffeine intake, lack of sleep or an underlying eye issue.
If your eyelid is the only area that’s twitching, you’re probably just overstressed or feeling anxious and you could benefit from some relaxation. You might need to improve your sleep routine or cut back on the coffee.
However, if your eyelid is twitching in conjunction with other muscle twitches in your facial muscles, these might be signs of a deeper problem and you should get checked out by your GP or a physio.
All in all, eye twitches are normal and common. To treat or prevent them, you simply need to figure out what’s causing the issue and taking care of it.