The 5 physical symptoms of anxiety – and how they can be mistaken for coronavirus
ANXIETY is a normal response to dangerous or threatening situations.
And with all the change, loss and uncertainty the coronavirus pandemic has brought to our daily lives, it's natural that many people will be feeling more anxious than usual.
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When people think of anxiety it is often the psychological symptoms that tend to first spring to mind, but there are also some very real physical signs linked to anxiety that are worth being aware of.
When we experience anxiety our body experiences a chain of events that is designed to help us when we are in situations of real danger: this is known as the ‘flight of fight’ response.
As a result of this response, we can experience a range of physical symptoms that we may not initially realise are linked to our anxiety.
These symptoms may include a tightness in your chest and shortness of breath.
However, these are also two symptoms of coronavirus - which has infected over 157,000 people in the UK.
As Dr Sarah Jarvis, clinical director of , says: "Some of the symptoms of anxiety and panic attacks – feeling short of breath, palpitations, dizziness etc – are sometimes also seen in coronavirus."
And this overlap can make it hard to determine what is really going on in the moment when you’re spiralling.
Here, we take you through the physical symptoms of anxiety - and how to tell that it's definitely anxiety and not coronavirus.
1. Shortness of breath
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), if you have coronavirus your chest may begin to feel tight or you begin to feel as though you cannot breathe deeply enough to get a good breath.
Despite this, this is something those experiencing a panic attack or anxiety may also experience.
Dr Jarvis recommends people take a few minutes to check in with themselves and try to steady their breathing.
She says: "The symptoms of panic attacks tend to settle if you concentrate on your breathing and take very slow breaths.
Symptoms of panic attacks tend to settle if you concentrate on your breathing
Dr Sarah Jarvis
"Try tummy breathing - put one hand on your chest and the other on your tummy.
"You should aim to breathe quietly by moving your tummy with your chest moving very little."
If you were able to calm yourself down and find a steady breathing pattern within those few minutes, you may not be dealing with coronavirus.
On the other hand, shortness of breath associated with the Covid-19 infection is progressive in nature and can become life-threatening over a period of hours to days without medical care.
In coronavirus, if you're experiencing severe shortness of breath you may also have persistent pain or pressure in the chest, new confusion or inability to arouse and bluish lips or face.
2. Hot flashes
When the body experiences stress or anxiety, it releases adrenaline which increased blood flow and an uptick in body temperature.
This could be confused with Covid-19 as having a high temperature is one of the key signs of coronavirus.
Medics recommend finding a cool place and trying relaxation techniques like meditation or deep breathing to help manage your stress, and therefore relieve the hot flash.
However, if relaxation techniques don't ease your temperature - try taking your temperature and if it reaches at least 100 degrees Fahrenheit (37.7 degrees Celsius) it could be a sign of coronavirus.
The NHS say you can also tell if you have a fever when you feel hot to touch on your chest or back.
Dr Jarvis adds: "Panic attacks don’t come with fever and virtually never with a persistent cough – these are the classic symptoms of coronavirus."
✓ Stay connected
Connecting and checking in with each other is more important than ever and can help ease the stress caused by all the news.
BUT remember you can always mute WhatsApp groups and Facebook groups if you’re finding them too overwhelming.
✓ Switch off
Avoid news that could make you feel anxious and choose the stuff that’s practical and helpful.
If it helps check the news and decide on specific times you’re going to do it (9am and 5pm, for example).
✓ Let out your feelings
Having that realisation that you’re feeling overwhelmed or annoyed at trivial things? Totally normal.
Finding it tricky to adjust to an unfamiliar way of living? Yep, normal.
Letting family or friends know you’re finding times tough? Well, that should be normal too.
In fact it’s completely normal to feel overwhelmed or upset about a lot of this.
✓ Keep up your daily routine
Strike a balance between having a routine and making sure each day has some variety.
It can be hard to begin to accept this new normal.
If you’re finding the change difficult, it might help to build yourself a new routine – getting up, eating and doing familiar things at set times can help you to feel a little more in control of the situation.
But also change it up a little. Learn simple daily physical exercises you can perform at home.
Keep a To-Do list so you can see you’re achieving something.
3. Digestive issues
People with anxiety may notice general stomach pain, constipation, diarrhoea, or other kinds of GI distress, she explains.
A lot of this may boil down to what experts call the , which is a communication system between your brain and the enteric nervous system, that governs your digestion.
This connection is why stress can so easily mess with your poop.
There’s also the fact that anxiety-induced lifestyle choices like eating foods that don’t agree with you or not exercising can affect your digestion as well.
Similarly, people might experience digestive issues, such as diarrhoea, when they are infected with coronavirus.
Researchers analysed data from 204 patients with Covid-19 in China’s Hubei province and they discovered that 48.5 per cent of these patients arrived at the hospital with digestive symptoms such as diarrhoea, vomiting or abdominal pain.
However, the researchers stated that these digestive symptoms were usually accompanied by more typical signs such as a dry cough and high temperature.
When you’re dealing with something stressful and your adrenal glands churn out hormones like adrenaline and cortisol, receptors in your heart react by speeding up your heartbeat.
This enables you to pump more blood to your big muscles so you could theoretically flee or combat a threat.
However, a racing heart rate can also signal coronavirus.
Elevated heart rates could indicate you’ve got signs of an infection, which in this climate could be Covid-19
Dr Asif Munaf
As Dr Asif Munaf, an NHS consultant, explained - elevated heart and breathing rates could indicate “you’ve potentially got signs of an infection, which in this climate could be Covid-19”.
If it's an anxiety attack, your heart rate should settle if you concentrate on your breathing and take very slow breaths.
However, if it's coronavirus your heart rate is likely to remain fast - especially during any form of exercise or movement.
5. Muscle pains
If you are suffering from anxiety, your muscles tense up as part of your stress response.
Holding parts of your body so rigidly for prolonged periods can lead to pain - and many people with anxiety report feeling tight in their neck, back, or shoulders.
Similarly, some Covid-19 patients experience muscle soreness.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), about 15 per cent of all coronavirus patients experienced body aches or joint pain.
These aches are triggered by chemicals called cytokines - which the body releases while responding to the infection.
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However, again, muscle pains in coronavirus patients are usually accompanied by other more well-known symptoms.
If you are worried about your symptoms, you can visit the .
To protect others, do not go to places like a GP surgery, pharmacy or hospital.
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