Can anxiety heighten your senses?

[packcrew812]

For the past 4-5 days, I've been able to feel my heart beat through my chest. Most of the time I feel okay, just a little off but then other times I can just feel my heart pounding. It's the worst at night when I'm trying to sleep. Last night especially because I managed to convince myself that I had an irregular heartbeat. And it seems like whenever I start thinking about how fine I feel, it comes back. I just graduated from college a few weeks ago and am moving to a new state for a job in a week so my parents think it's anxiety but I'm going to the doctor tomorrow just to make sure. I feel (more like hope?) that's all it is because I've been looking up symptoms for things like heart palpitations, heart disease, and anxiety and I found this (anxietycentre.com/anxiety-symptoms.shtml) and basically everything I've experienced is on there (headaches, head pain that comes and goes, body shaking, racing heart, heart palpitations, etc.) Anyway, now I'm super nervous and am noticing every little thing and thinking about how if it's normal. Can anxiety heighten your awareness to little aches and pain like that?

Oh and I've never had any previous heart conditions and this is the first time I've experienced heart palpitations or whatnot.

There's also been a little chest pain but it's not that bad and when it does hurt, it's usually only for a minute or so before it goes away. For the most part I don't feel all that stressed/anxious but this is constantly on my mind.

Any insight?

[alankay]

Yes indeed. Alankay

[AnxietyInstituteSA]

Those exerinecing an irregular heartbeat should certainly be checked out by a medical doctor to rule-out any heart-related problems.


An irregular heart beat is not necessarily something to be concerned about and fairly common. All types of arrhythmias are occur in healthy people. Many times, those with an irregular heartbeat may not even know of its existence until a physician tells them.

For anxiety sufferers, however, an irregular heartbeat is a symptom they are very aware of and a common complaint. It may not actually be that there is a higher rate of irregular heartbeat for anxiety sufferers but that anxiety sufferers are more aware of its occurrence. Many with anxiety problems tend to have a heightened sensitivity to feelings in their body (heart beat, breathing, hot/cold, dizziness, etc.) and, as a result, be more likely to end up in the doctor's office or emergency room with anxiety-related symptoms.

​Having acute anxiety can be such an intense and sometimes terrifying experience, similar to trauma, that our body may develop an acute awarenses to anything associated with its occurrence (racing heart, shortness of breath, etc.). Moreover, the condition of anxiety has the ability to cloud our judgment of the severity of these symptoms (thinking we're having a heart attack, feeling like we're out of control or going to die, etc.).

The debilitating fear and apprehension some experience as a result of their irregular heart beat should be recognized as a psychological response related to a real, physical symptom.

You may benefit from deep breathing excersises and progressive muscle relaxation to help your body and mind counteract the stress response.

[sandyrdh1]

Those exerinecing an irregular heartbeat should certainly be checked out by a medical doctor to rule-out any heart-related problems.

An irregular heart beat is not necessarily something to be concerned about and fairly common. All types of arrhythmias are occur in healthy people. Many times, those with an irregular heartbeat may not even know of its existence until a physician tells them.

For anxiety sufferers, however, an irregular heartbeat is a symptom they are very aware of and a common complaint. It may not actually be that there is a higher rate of irregular heartbeat for anxiety sufferers but that anxiety sufferers are more aware of its occurrence. Many with anxiety problems tend to have a heightened sensitivity to feelings in their body (heart beat, breathing, hot/cold, dizziness, etc.) and, as a result, be more likely to end up in the doctor's office or emergency room with anxiety-related symptoms.

​Having acute anxiety can be such an intense and sometimes terrifying experience, similar to trauma, that our body may develop an acute awarenses to anything associated with its occurrence (racing heart, shortness of breath, etc.). Moreover, the condition of anxiety has the ability to cloud our judgment of the severity of these symptoms (thinking we're having a heart attack, feeling like we're out of control or going to die, etc.).

The debilitating fear and apprehension some experience as a result of their irregular heart beat should be recognized as a psychological response related to a real, physical symptom.

You may benefit from deep breathing excersises and progressive muscle relaxation to help your body and mind counteract the stress response.

How do you overcome skip heart beats due to anxiety? I feel calm and relaxed don't seem to be worried but still have them everyday. If its just anxiety as the doctors say, why does it skip everyday for the last 6mths. Is there something I can do to train my mind to stop these skip beats or am I just doomed forever with them:(

[packcrew812]

Thanks for all the replies. I'm still so nervous to go to the doctor. I keep feeling like there's pain in my chest but then when I stop to think about it most of the time it's gone. And an off and on feeling that there's something in my throat. And last night was awful. I was so scared that I was going to die in my sleep. :(:eek: I tried these stress relief apps that I downloaded for my iPhone which seemed to help and calm me down a lot and was able to sleep. I kept waking up though which is pretty typical for me, especially the last week when I've felt like my heart was pounding. I just hope this is all anxiety. Apparently a lot of people in my family have had anxiety in the past so I guess it's in my genes. I just want to stop feeling like this.