Anxiety is a widespread mental health condition that affects roughly 3.1% of Americans,[1] mostly women. It can occur at any moment throughout a person’s life and is frequently made worse by particular stressful events or transitions.
There’s a good probability that in addition to psychological and emotional symptoms, you’ve also had physical ones-especially if you’ve ever had an anxiety or panic attack. Anxiety’s physical manifestations may cause discomfort, worry and occasionally even be frightening.
Pain around and in the chest is one indication that can be especially disturbing. Some people who suffer from anxiety experience this sensation a lot, frequently during panic or anxiety attacks.
So if you’re someone who experiences such symptoms, this post is for you. You can learn more about anxiety chest discomfort, including its causes, symptoms, helpful ways to control it, and most importantly, how to sleep better with anxiety.
How To Relieve Chest Tightness From Anxiety?
Anxiety-related chest pain[2] can also resemble the physical signs of a cardiac event, resulting in a trip to the emergency room. Unfortunately, this costly and time-consuming approach frequently results in undiagnosed patient problems.
In this article, you will find 4 helpful ways to relieve chest tightness from anxiety.
- Sleep.
- Meditation.
- Breathing exercises.
- Cognitive behavioral therapy.
4 Helpful Ways To Reduce Chest Tightness
Sleep
Many individuals with anxiety problems have difficulty falling asleep. Lack of sleep impacts mood, leading to irritability and occasionally sadness. During various stages of sleep, vital processes take place that either leave you feeling refreshed and energized or aid in memory formation and learning. When an anxiety problem is addressed, sleep typically becomes better.
Take the following actions for a good night’s sleep:
- Avoid caffeine,[3] which can take up to eight hours to wear off and is present in coffee, many coffees and teas, chocolate, and soft drinks. If you experience panic attacks, you should completely avoid caffeine because many people who suffer from it are extremely sensitive.
- Avoid distractions like a TV or computer in your bedroom by keeping it cold, dark, and silent. Avoid reading in bed while using a gadget since lighting from the LCD can make your brain believe it is daytime. Replace your uncomfortable mattress right away.
- Cannabidiol (CBD) is frequently employed to enhance sleep and lessen anxiousness. Your doctor may be able to guide you regarding the best CBD oils for sleep. By ensuring the body moves through the typical stages of sleep without undue disruption, CBD may benefit patients with insomnia by improving their sleep quality.
Meditation
The brain can be calmed, and anxious thoughts can be slowed down with the help of relaxation techniques, including meditation and other calming techniques (such as counting, journaling, and visualizing).
Even a brief meditation, practiced for countless years, can help reduce tension and reestablish inner tranquility. In addition, numerous websites, including YouTube, provide free guided meditations without special tools.
Breathing Exercise
Calming breathing methods[4] take a few minutes and may be done anywhere. However, setting aside time to focus on deep breathing, which involves inhaling for 5 seconds through your nose and expelling for 5 seconds through your mouth, might be beneficial.
Allow the breath to enter and exit your lungs deeply to get the most out of the exercise. This procedure aids in reducing breathing frequency.
Additionally, you can experience stiffness in certain body areas, such as the muscles in your neck. You can assist your muscles in regaining movement by including mild rotations and stretches.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
The goal of cognitive behavioral therapy, sometimes known as CBT, is to reframe unhelpful or false beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors. For example, it can be beneficial to distinguish between ideas and feelings grounded in reality and those resulting from anxiety.
The right brain vs the left brain dominance perfectly fits here, and the right brain frequently has an emotional focus. Signals from the lower brain and bodily experience, memories, emotions, and imagery primarily regulate anxiety. It’s probable the right hemisphere briefly takes control during anxiety attacks.
Amygdala[5] is part of the brain that perceives stress or discomfort. It floods the body with hormones, such as the stress hormone cortisol and the anabolic steroid adrenaline. It triggers the fight and flight response to make the body powerful, quick, and strong.
Causes Of Chest Tightness
- Gas/Bloating.
- Blood pressure increase.
- Muscle strain.
- Hyperventilation.
Symptoms Of Chest Tightness
- Numbness in specific parts.
- Tension, Tightness.
- Persistent discomfort in your chest.
- Chest muscles twitch or spasm.
- Burning sensation.
- Dull pain.
- Stabby sensation.
- Pressure.
Why Anxiety Causes Chest Tightness
One of the many terrifying signs of worry is tightness in the chest.[6] Even though anxiety can appear physically in many different ways, chest tightness is the type that is most dangerously linked to illnesses like heart attacks and stroke.
This is due to the negative association between chest discomfort and serious medical issues. This can be very intimidating for people unfamiliar with the physical impacts of stress and worry.
The cerebral hemisphere comprises the right and the left lobe. The corpus callosum, a group of fibers, connects the two sides. Along these fibers, the exchange of signals between the right and left happens, but when a person feels anxious, the information doesn’t flow easily.
When Should You Consult A Doctor?
Anxiety chest pain shouldn’t be disregarded, even if you have anxiety. Consult a doctor if you have persistent chest pain so they can determine the source and rule out a serious cardiac condition like cardiovascular disease.
It might just be chest pain brought on by anxiousness, but it’s better to be certain. The right medical care can treat cardiac diseases and anxiety-related chest pain.
A counselor and doctor can recommend therapy (such as cognitive behavioral therapy) or medication to help you manage your anxiety if it affects your quality of life.
Medical attention can change a person’s life by relieving symptoms such as chest pain.
Conclusion
Anxiety can also result in a range of physical ailments. While anxiety chest tightness may initially feel alarming, it will pass quickly. It’s crucial to control the underlying cause of anxiety, which is chest tightness.
It’s a blessing that many methods and resources are available to ease your worry and stress. It will make you feel more in charge of the anxiety and lessen the accompanying anxiety symptoms if you know the available solutions.
Frequently Asked Questions
Left-sided chest pain could be brought on by anxiety. However, one should seek quick medical assistance because it may indicate pericarditis or a heart attack.
In most cases, chest pain brought on by anxiety will start quickly and fade quite swiftly.
Chest pain that doesn’t go away or worsens over time could indicate a heart attack. They should seek medical assistance immediately if this occurs.
Techniques include deep breathing, continuous muscle relaxation, visualizing, and confronting illogical thinking.
