can there be any longterm effects of prolonged anxiety?

[bryster]

I suffer from anxiety.. Unlike most anxiety it is caused by muscle stress (of my eyes to be precise). The symptons however are the same. Can prolonged axiety cause any longterm effects? Thanks :)

[txmom]

I suffer from anxiety.. Unlike most anxiety it is caused by muscle stress (of my eyes to be precise). The symptons however are the same. Can prolonged axiety cause any longterm effects? Thanks :)

Recent studies have suggested that people who suffer from chronic, untreated anxiety have shorter lifespans, on average, than people who do not, or former anxiety sufferers who are treated.
Although it's hard to take this kind of study seriously from a scientific standpoint (because "correlation does not equal causation"), it's certainly thought-provoking.
I believe we lower our bodies' natural defenses when we give in to anxiety.
I know my immune system goes to hell, and I get sick a lot, when I'm not eating or sleeping properly because I'm suffering from a lot of stress and anxiety.
I think that, over a lifetime, this state of not taking care of oneself because one is worried/anxious/stressed can lead to a pattern of high risk behavior (lack of exercise and sleep, improper diet, possible alcohol, tobacco, and substance abuse) that can significantly compromise one's lifespan, opening the door to the possibility of heart disease, stroke, and various cancers.

Empirical studies have shown that more people who suffer from anxiety are smokers- HEAVY smokers, at that- than the general population which does not suffer from anxiety.
I'll bet more of us also use alcohol and narcotics, in an attempt to self-medicate (although I personally do not).

So in that way, yes. I think there can be long-term, health threatening consequences to anxiety.
Living in low-grade terror and dread is simply not healthy in any way.

But perhaps you're actually talking about whether panic attacks can directly cause a heart attack or stroke.
To the best of my knowledge, the answer is no.
Panic attacks do not harm one's heart, brain, lungs, or any other organ, although they sometimes feel like they will.

Good luck to you.

[vaio]

I suffer from anxiety.. Unlike most anxiety it is caused by muscle stress (of my eyes to be precise). The symptons however are the same. Can prolonged axiety cause any longterm effects? Thanks :)

how do you know your anxiety is caused by muscle stress? please give details