If you have just found this article, you are probably looking for information to give light on the connection between anxiety and coughing. Possibly, you are wondering how two unrelated conditions can occur at the same time. Though they might seem unrelated, anxiety and cough symptoms have a rational and explainable connection.
When one is under a great amount of stress, the mind and the body undergo many chemical processes to adapt to the pressure and protect the whole organ system from disease. Hormones are released into the bloodstream to activate series of sympathetic nervous activities such as elevated heart rate and blood pressure, altered breathing pattern, decreased bowel movements, profuse sweating and increased muscle tension – all to help and put the body into ‘alert mode’. The increased tension of most skeletal muscles, particularly in the chest, neck, and upper back areas, causes a person to feel a tightening, squeezing or choking sensation. The tightening causes the lungs to fail from expanding fully and taking larger breaths of oxygen. To resolve this choking feeling, the coughing reflex in the brain is activated.
If chronic anxiety and coughing are something you are fairly concerned with, you should know there are actions you can take to alleviate your symptoms.
For starters, you should consult a medical doctor to make sure your cough is not a symptom of another medical condition. While doing so, do not forget to mention that you have anxiety issues, as well. This can significantly help your doctor come up with the accurate diagnosis that fits with your symptoms. After medical tests are done and medical causes are ruled out, try seeking counseling from a mental health professional. But remember, in all circumstances, we advise you against taking anxiety drugs unless you feel there are no other options. Prescription drugs used to treat anxiety are riddled with serious side effects like tolerance, dependence and abuse, with long term use. And so, we recommend that you adopt natural forms of anti-anxiety therapies to help you with your condition.
Taking medications indicated for reducing coughing symptoms won’t probably help that much if the coughing is caused by an existing anxiety disorder. But do not worry, there is a lot you can do in terms of using natural anxiety management techniques. By making simple, important lifestyle adjustments, you can make your condition more manageable. For example, there are certain foods which are widely regarded as anxiety-inducers such as coffee and refined sugars. Hence, you should avoid taking caffeinated beverages and foods with high concentration of refined sugars as much as possible. Instead, try taking herbal teas like kava kava and chamomile. They are effective reducers of anxiety. Chocolate is an anti-anxiety food as well. So, eating a bit of this is not that bad. Also, try foods rich in Vitamin C or eat a little of garlic. They are known for their ability to reduce coughing symptoms.
In terms of anxiety management, there are other things you may want to try such as getting increased physical activity, doing meditation, practicing yoga, arts and crafts, fishing, or any other activity that you can think of which in your opinion can help relax your body and mind. In simple terms, rather than focusing on your cough (which will make you feel more anxious), you should adopt lifestyle changes that will reduce your levels of anxiety. After making the right changes to your routine, you will find that your condition doesn’t seem as overpowering, and certain symptoms (including your cough) will actually tend to disappear.
