If you’re a long time sufferer of anxiety, then you’re probably accustomed to experiencing the most diverse symptoms, both physical and psychological. For example, many people suffering from anxiety disorders are known to experience a numb sensation in their head, face, hands, feet… or just about any part of their body. When this numbness has no valid physical causes, then quite possibly it’s actually a symptom of an anxiety disorder.
It may not be completely obvious how anxiety will cause such an unexpected symptom as feeling physically numb, but that’s actually a common pattern of anxiety disorders. Since this is a psychological condition that feeds on the emotional states of a person, anxiety is known to trigger all sorts of unexpected and inexplicable symptoms. All symptoms of anxiety are usually distressing, which contributes to drawing a vicious circle: the more worried people get over their symptoms, the more intense the anxiety disorder gets, and the stronger and more diverse the symptoms get.
We don’t mean to tell you that you should simply ignore your symptoms of anxiety. In fact, you should always make sure to consult with a medical doctor to make sure your symptoms aren’t caused by any other sickness. But if the physicians can’t seem to find a definite cause to your symptoms of anxiety (whether numb sensations, scary thoughts or strange pains), there’s a good chance you can eliminate your symptoms by treating your anxiety disorder.
There’s actually a simple explanation why an anxiety attack may cause your hand of feet (or any other part of your body) to feel numb; that’s because during moments of great anxiety, your blood surges to your heart and your extremities get reduced blood flow. As such, your hand, feet or even face can get numb as a direct consequence of anxiety.
There’s another good reason why many people experience numbness in their limbs as a cause of anxiety: that’s because many people believe that’s an indicator of a heart attack. So, the least tingling sensation may make you feel anxious, which will make your heart pump faster and your extremities will get less blood. Try to remember this next time your anxiety makes you feel numb; move around a little and take your mind off it, and more likely that not your numbness will go away.
