Will anxiety make you tired?

Anxiety is a natural response to stressful and fearful events. For many people, experiencing anxiety prior to a job interview or during a first date happens as a natural response, which gradually fades. When a threat of some kind is perceived, it may set off the fight, flight, faint, or freeze response in the body. For some, anxiety can be triggered for no reason, and may become problematic.

Regardless or whether anxiety is long-term or a normal jump and gradual dissipation, it can come with feelings of fatigue and tiredness. The physical process triggered by anxiety triggers the release of hormones and neurotransmitters, which cause a chain reaction that prepares your body to fight, flee, faint, or freeze in response to the threat that you’re perceiving. Some of the symptoms of this response in the body are:

• Rapid heart rate
• Quick, shallow breathing
• Trembling, shaking
• Chest pain
• Muscle tension or pain
• Stomach upset, diarrhea, or vomiting

This intense physical process may result in feelings of tiredness. Fatigue after anxiety is a longer lasting feeling of being tired that may leave you feeling drained or weak. If you’re feeling especially anxious, it may interrupt your ability to fall asleep or stay asleep. Anxious rumination or racing thoughts about the trigger of anxiety may often occur. These may disrupt sleep.

Fatigue and tiredness can be indicators of other issues, and so any fatigue that doesn’t clear after a good night’s sleep is something you should talk about with your doctor. Fatigue may also be related to a number of other mental health issues aside from anxiety including depression, chronic stress, and grief.

While anxiety can interrupt sleep, a lack of sleep may also contribute to anxiety itself. Talking with your doctor about sleep disturbances you experience can help you get ahead of this potential contributor to anxiety. A good bedtime routine including a regular bedtime, managing caffeine intake, and turning off electronics an hour or so before bed can help improve your sleep.

Long-term anxiety that is left unmanaged can result in negative impacts on your health. Your immune and cardiovascular systems may suffer as a result. Memory, concentration, and judgment may be impacted as well. If you’re experiencing anxiety that doesn’t seem to resolve itself, is chronic, or interferes with your ability to sleep or function through normal daily tasks, talk with your doctor or licensed mental health professional about treatment.