Why Does Anxiety Nausea Happen?
When people think of anxiety, they often think of the mental component: worry, fear, or a sense of dread. However, it’s common for anxiety to cause physical symptoms, too. Headaches, muscle aches, shortness of breath, sweating, lightheadedness, and nausea are just a few possibilities. Here, we’ll explain why anxiety in day-to-day life can sometimes cause physical symptoms—nausea and digestive issues in particular—and then discuss tips for treatment.
What exactly causes anxiety-related nausea?
Everyone may experience anxiety differently, whether it’s routine nervousness or a clinical anxiety disorder. In general, however, physical symptoms are often a part of this experience. This is because mental stress and worry automatically trigger the fight-flight-or-freeze response in humans. This response causes the body to release the stress hormone, cortisol, as well as adrenaline to prepare you to respond to immediate, impending danger. These hormones do their work by:
Tensing the muscles
Increasing the heart rate and blood pressure
Sharpening the senses
Expanding the airways
Sending increased oxygen to the brain
Fight, flight, or freeze is thought to be a mechanism that helped our early ancestors survive, since it increases our chances of escaping from or neutralizing a threat. When you’re feeling anxiety about a conflict with a friend or the health of a family member, fighting or running away is not usually what will help—but the body triggers this response anyway because of your fear, worry, or anxious thoughts.
That’s why people often experience physical symptoms as a result of stress and anxiety, because the fight-flight-freeze response gets triggered. When it comes to nausea, stomach cramps, gastrointestinal issues, and other symptoms that are related to digestion, the direct reason is typically that the cortisol and adrenaline released as part of the body’s automatic response entered the digestive tract, which can cause stomach upset. With chronic stress or anxiety, this may happen repeatedly and cause irritation in the lining of the stomach—which may lead or contribute to complications like irritable bowel syndrome in more severe cases.
How to tell if nausea is from anxiety
There’s generally no way for you to tell for certain if your nausea is related to anxiety, something else, or a combination of factors. That said, checking in with how you’re feeling and what’s going on in your life right now might help you identify if it’s likely to be anxiety. For instance, you may be able to identify certain worries or stressful situations that have been on your mind lately. You may also be able to look for other symptoms of anxiety that you may be experiencing, such as irritability or trouble concentrating.
Identifying your current vulnerabilities could also help you recognize if anxiety is a likely culprit. For example, say you have an important exam or work project due at the end of the week. This could be causing anxiety and related symptoms like nausea—but what if you don’t normally feel that anxious in this type of situation? Consider if there may be other factors at play that could be exacerbating your anxiety and leading to additional physical symptoms like nausea, such as:
Having consumed a significant amount of alcohol recently (“hangxiety”)
Having consumed caffeine lately
Being dehydrated, even mildly
Being socially isolated and feeling lonely
If you are struggling with substance use, contact the SAMHSA National Helpline at (800) 662-4357 to receive support and resources. Support is available 24/7.
If some of these apply to you today, it could be that you’re feeling especially anxious and may be experiencing symptoms like nausea as a result.
Occasional anxiety vs. anxiety disorders
Virtually everyone will experience feelings of anxiety at some time or another. Occasional anxiety is normal. However, it may qualify as one of the mental health conditions under the umbrella of anxiety disorders when these feelings are persistent, difficult to control and interfere with daily life.
According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, there are various types of anxiety disorders, any of which could potentially contribute to feelings of nausea. For example, someone with generalized anxiety disorder may experience this anxiety symptom as a result of frequent worry about possible future events. A person with panic disorder could feel nauseated due to the fear they feel at the prospect of having another panic attack. A person with social anxiety disorder might experience nausea the night before a social event.
If you’re routinely experiencing nausea along with other anxiety symptoms, it’s generally recommended that you meet with a mental health professional like a therapist or psychiatric provider for evaluation and treatment advice. Treatment options for anxiety disorder usually include therapy and anti-anxiety medication. Occasional, nonclinical anxiety could also cause nausea from time to time, but since an untreated anxiety disorder could result in more serious health consequences, it’s typically worth investigating whether one may be at play.
Tips for managing physical symptoms like nausea
In addition to meeting with a healthcare provider to address any underlying causes and a mental health professional to get evaluated for an anxiety disorder, there are some measures you can take to manage anxiety-related nausea yourself. First, taking measures to relax and soothe your mental state at the moment can be helpful since this may help quell the fight-flight-freeze response and its physical manifestations. Examples of ways to calm yourself in the moment include:
Engaging in breathing exercises or mindfulness practices
Doing a grounding exercise
Practicing progressive muscle relaxation
Listening to music you enjoy
Taking a bath
Participating in light exercise
It can also help to engage in activities to soothe your stomach specifically. Drinking mint or ginger tea is one example, as these both can be beneficial for the digestive system, and hot water may help relax the muscles of the stomach and digestive tract. The simple ritual of enjoying a warm cup of tea could also produce anxiety-reducing benefits.
Finally, paying closer attention to your eating habits might also decrease anxiety-related nausea. Eating foods that are gentle on the stomach—not overly spicy, greasy, or salty—might decrease stomach upset. Getting enough sleep, making sure you stay hydrated, and limiting or avoiding alcohol may also be advisable, particularly if you’re vomiting and not just feeling ill.
If you've been vomiting consistently for 24 hours or experiencing anxiety and nausea regularly enough that it's disrupting your life, seeking immediate medical attention is generally recommended. Vomiting itself can be a serious symptom, and it’s possible that it isn’t caused by anxiety, which is why being evaluated for other underlying conditions can be important.
How therapy can help with anxiety and related symptoms
If anxiety or related symptoms are causing you distress or disrupting your life, it may be time to seek professional support. Whether you suspect you may have an anxiety disorder or are interested in learning coping tools for occasional worry, a therapist may be able to help. They can support you in identifying the root causes of your anxiety, learning to identify and shift distorted thoughts that may be contributing to anxious feelings, and developing techniques and strategies for managing symptoms.
If the thought of calling therapy offices to find availability and make an appointment and then traveling to in-person sessions triggers additional anxiety, you might explore online therapy instead. You can use a platform like BetterHelp to get matched with a licensed therapist and then meet with them from anywhere via phone, video call, and/or in-app messaging. Research suggests that online therapy can produce “sustained, clinically meaningful improvements” in symptoms of anxiety, similar to in-person therapy. If you’re interested in online therapy, see below for some reviews of mental health professionals at BetterHelp.
Counselor reviews
"Gregory was responsive, direct, and helpful during the time we worked together. I would recommend working with him if you struggle with anxiety. Very approachable and nonjudgmental methodology."
"Carmen has helped provide me with tools that help me better manage my anxieties and insight into reducing my stress and finding balance within the different activities in my life. She is supportive, encouraging, and helps me to see things from a more positive outlook."
Takeaway
Why do people just not like me?
It’s generally unlikely that people don’t like you, especially if they’ve never met you before. These feelings of dread or fear of others’ perception can be a common symptom of anxiety disorders (such as social anxiety disorder) and can be successfully addressed via support in cognitive behavioral therapy.
If you’re experiencing these thoughts and feelings, it can be important to seek help when possible. If left unchecked, you could experience other physical symptoms and emotional distress due to anxiety disorders or related conditions. These can include rapid breathing, nausea and vomiting, or nausea caused by anxiety disorders that is not accompanied by vomiting.
What causes a person to not like people?
There are many factors that can contribute to a person’s decision not to like someone else. They may feel frustrated by a person’s behavior, or they may simply have conflicting personalities.
If you believe that someone doesn’t like you, it can be important to remember that this isn’t always the case. They may be experiencing their own difficulties, or they may not even be thinking about you at all.
Putting yourself in a position of nervousness over the possibility of someone not liking you can increase the body’s response that’s associated with nervousness and stress. This can lead to associated nausea, heightened stress hormones (such as cortisol) and other physical symptoms—which can cause nausea, vomiting, nervousness and agitation.
Should I be worried if people don't like me?
Do people truly not like you? This thought may simply be an inaccurate assumption, possibly fueled by anxiety symptoms or a related mental health condition.
If people truly don’t like you, that may not be cause for concern. They may simply have a conflicting personality type, or may be experiencing their own difficulties—possibly coloring their perception of you in an inaccurate way.
Hyper-focusing on this concern can lead to a rush of cortisol—a physical phenomenon that can occur when the body releases stress hormones to address anxiety symptoms or any other source of stress that might trigger fight-or-flight.
If you believe that people don’t like you, you might consider connecting with an online therapist. They can help you to build up your coping skills to address the perceived dislike; supporting you in healthier patterns of living and addressing any areas of concern that you might have.
What to do if people don't like you?
If you believe that people don’t like you, it can lead to emotional and physical symptoms—such as agitation, nervousness, anxiety-related nausea and other unpleasant experiences.
Anxiety nausea feels overwhelming to many and can prompt additional feelings of stress and dismay. This can affect your physical and emotional health, disrupting healthy sleep habits and leading to tension in your body.
Learning how to tell if nausea is from anxiety can be a helpful step to managing physical and mental symptoms that can otherwise be disruptive. Online therapy can also be a helpful way to process this perception, as your therapist can offer you supportive strategies and insight to address these thoughts and fears directly.
How do you accept being disliked?
It can be difficult to accept the thought that someone might not like you. However, it is possible to do. Understanding that different people may be looking for different things in a friendship can be a good place to start. Additionally, you can choose to believe that you have your own unique set of skills and personality to bring to a friendship—and that you’ll be able to forge a connection with the right people at a later point in time.
Is it normal to be disliked?
It can be normal to be disliked. Few people get along with everyone! Accepting this possibility is often the first step to emotional freedom for many, and can be a source of joy, in a way. You may only “mix well” with the people who you’re intended to be with and who have similar values and traits. This possibility can open up a world of possibilities to you, both socially and emotionally.
Is it ok not to be liked?
It can be okay not to be liked. Dislike can be an integral part of many social relationships and experiences. People can cope with dislike by accepting this possibility and exploring new frontiers worry-free—grounded in the belief that the right people and relationships will come in time.
Is it normal to be disliked by some people?
It can be normal to be disliked by some people. However, you don’t have to let this possibility overwhelm you. Instead of being frustrated or concerned about the prospect, you can use it as a source of encouragement—as you can be free to explore other connections and relationships.
Is it okay if some people don't like me?
Yes, it can be okay if someone doesn’t like you. In fact, it can be incredibly normal. If you believe someone doesn’t like you, you can take that as a sign to pursue other relationships that may be of interest to you.
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