Why You Feel Anxious Without Any Reason: The Hidden Science Behind Unexplained Anxiety

People often have various emotions, and one of the most frequent is anxiety. Examples of instances when someone may experience anxiety include an exam, interview, or giving a speech in front of others. When someone feels anxious about situations like these, that experience has a cause, and it is the body’s way to get ready for an event that is viewed as challenging to that individual.

On the contrary, some people will experience anxiety with no apparent cause. For example, an individual is at home and minding their own business, or having a day similar to any other day, and then all of a sudden, he or she has a wave of worry, nervousness, or uneasiness come over him or her.

Experiencing anxiety this way can be frustrating and confusing to an individual. An individual may also have many of the following questions:

• Why would I experience anxiety without a cause?
• Why would I experience anxiety without any warning?
• Is there something wrong with me mentally or physically?

Unlike the previous example of anxiety where there is a known cause, experiencing anxiety with no cause does happen at times as well, but rarely. In many situations, the causes are not obvious. There are multiple biological reasons for feeling anxious at times, including the adrenaline and cortisol released into the body. Biological reasons also include chemicals in the body’s brain. In addition, past experiences, experiences of those around the individual experiencing the anxiety, and lifestyle habits of the individual experiencing anxiety can cause anxiety without any apparent cause.

Recognizing agents causing your unsubstantiated anxiety is extremely important and the starting point of effective techniques to manage anxiety and improve your overall emotional well-being.

This comprehensive article includes:

• The meaning of unexplained anxiety
• The impact of stress hormones on the brain
• Hidden psychological triggers of anxiety
• The importance of healthy sleep, food and exercise
• How the brain's chemicals produce feelings of anxiety
• Scientific research regarding anxiety and mental health
• Practical techniques for leg un substantiating anxiety

Once finished reading this article, you will bet/grasp deeper scientifically-based explanations for understanding anxiety and provide you effective methods/strategies to rebuild calmness and stability in your life emotionally.

What is Unexplained Anxiety? 

Unexplained anxiety is different than typical anxiety because it occurs without any noticeable trigger. 

Individuals who suffer from this type of anxiety may experience: 

• Having a fast heart rate 
• Trouble concentrating 
• Less energy 
• Tension in muscles 
• Breathing problems 
• Worry all day 

These types of symptoms resemble classic anxiety experienced during stressful situations, but the anxiety often occurs without anyone external stressor present. 

Patients will often mistakenly believe that the cause of their anxiety is unknown or unfounded, but generally anxiety occurs as a result of some cause that is linked to both the brain and body. 

How the Brain Works During Times of Stress and Perceived Danger

Anxiety is caused by the way your brain responds to stress and perceived danger.

The amygdala is a part of your brain that helps you recognize how you feel about things and how to respond to those feelings, including when you feel threatened. The fight-or-flight response starts with the amygdala. It signals the brain that there is perceived danger and your body goes into fight-or-flight mode.

When the amygdala signals perceived danger, it will cause your body to release stress hormones. The three primary stress hormones are:

• Cortisol
• Adrenaline
• Norepinephrine

When your body releases those hormones, it prepares you to respond quickly to perceived danger.

According to a study done by Harvard Medical School, oftentimes the amygdala can become hyperstimulated and react to stimuli that are not perceived threats. That explains why people will feel anxious even in safe environments.

Accumulated Stress and Anxiety

One of the most common reasons people experience unexplained anxiety is that they are living with undetected or unresolved stress (accumulated).

When a person is under stress, the stress doesn't disappear immediately after the stressful episode; rather, it builds over time.

Some examples:

• Work issues
• School issues
• Relationship issues
• Money worries

Even if you are not thinking about these issues any longer, if your body is still under a high degree of stress, your stress response is still activated.

According to a study done by the American Psychological Association, chronic stress can keep the body's stress response system activated for long periods of time.

Cognitive Function and Stress:

Stress can have a negative impact on one's ability to think clearly and will affect how emotionally stable a person is. In the article we did covering brain fog from stress, we explored how prolonged exposure to stress is correlated with poor mental clarity and emotional instability. 

Brain Chemistry and Unexplained Anxiety:

Another significant factor in experiencing unexplained anxiety is brain chemistry. 

The brain uses chemical messages called neurotransmitters to regulate emotional and mood states. 

Some neurotransmitters that play a role in anxiety include:

• serotonin
• dopamine
• GABA

When neurotransmitter levels become imbalanced, a person will experience anxiety-like symptoms without having a triggering event occur.

For example, when a person has low levels of serotonin, they will likely experience:

• higher anxiety levels
• emotionally unstable moods

There has been much research through the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) that confirms that neurotransmitter imbalance is responsible for many anxiety disorders.

These imbalances may be impacted by genetic factors, an individual's lifestyle, or their surroundings.

Sleep and Anxiety:

Sleep is incredibly important for regulating mood/emotion and supporting your mental health. 

When your brain doesn't receive enough sleep/rest, it becomes extra sensitive to stress and negative emotions.

Studies from the University of California at Berkeley have shown that poor sleep leads to higher levels of activity in the amygdala (the emotion alarm center of your brain). Therefore, people who experience chronic sleep deprivation will experience heightened levels of anxiety than someone who sleeps well.

Impaired sleeping patterns also affect regulation of hormones and slow down the brain's ability to process emotions appropriately.

Because of this, an individual who does not sleep properly frequently experiences feelings of anxiety, but cannot explain how these feelings arose.

The Impact of Excessive Thinking

Excessive thinking is another major factor contributing to anxiety that is difficult to explain.

Many individuals unconsciously replay memories from previous events or consider what future events may occur.

As a result of this ongoing mental activity there is often a feeling of inner turmoil, in addition to any physical or mental stress experienced due to outside circumstances.

Excessive thoughts can include:

• "What will happen if I make a wrong decision?"
• "Did I make a mistake before?"
• "What is going to occur in my life the next day?"

Some thoughts or patterns of thinking will create a constant state of readiness for the brain, thus creating symptoms of anxiety.

The Effect of Hormones on Anxiety

Hormonal regulations have an effect on an individual’s mood and emotional balance.

An individual who goes through stages or periods in their life in which their hormones fluctuate often has unpredictable episodes of anxiety.

Hormonal cycles can often take place during periods of time such as:

• Adolescence
• Menstrual cycle
• Pregnancy
• Menopause

The hormonal fluctuations of an individual also can affect one’s response to stimuli such as nerves or the way they cope with stressful situations.

Anxiety Triggered By Lifestyle Factors

Various lifestyle choices can put you at risk for developing anxiety disorder(s), even if they appear to be harmless.

For example:

• Too much caffeine (more than four cups a day)
• Poor diet
• Sedentary lifestyle
• Always plugged into technology
• Irregular sleeping habits

Anxiety is often aggravated by caffeine due to its stimulating effect on your nervous system and its effect on your heart rate.

One study from the Mayo Clinic shows that the more caffeine you have in your system, the greater the likelihood that you'll experience anxiety.

Social Media and Anxiety

Modern day technologies have introduced new types of psychological stressors into our lives.

Social media puts constant pressure on us to compare ourselves against other people, sets unrealistic expectations for us, and gives us information that may be negative.

All of these things create an underlying amount of needless stress in your mind.

Even if you're not consciously aware of these stressors, your brain continues to work on them.

Eventually, this accumulation of mental strain will result in experiencing anxiety.

Anxiety Fluctuates With Your Physical Health

There is a connection between physical health and mental health.

Physical health can impact anxiety symptoms in a variety of ways.

Some potential contributors could be:

1. Thyroid disease
2. Vitamin deficiency
3. Irregular blood sugar
4. Chronic illness

An individual who is vitamin B12 deficient or has low magnesium levels may affect the functioning of their nervous system.

Since the brain is affected by physical conditions, individuals may intermittently experience anxiety symptoms without a specific cause.

Moreover, when you consume an improper diet or do not drink enough water, you can affect how well your brain functions, and how stable your moods are. We will discuss this relationship in more detail when we discuss the relationship between diet and anxiety.

Why Anxiety Sometimes Appears Suddenly

Anxiety may appear suddenly but develops slowly, usually over time through the accumulation of many small stressors until the nervous system is overwhelmed and the brain produces an anxiety response even when there is no clear external trigger. For example, think of a glass being filled with water. Initially, nothing appears to happen, but once the water has filled the glass, adding a single drop of water will create an overflow of water.

Once you understand this, it becomes easier to see why anxiety may feel like an event that occurred in the moment even though its cause could have been developing over the past week(s) or month(s).

Ways to Treat Unexplained Anxiety

You may feel overwhelmed by unexplained anxiety, but there are numerous strategies available to help restore your emotional balance.

Improve Your Sleep Habits

Proper sleep habits are vital to help you regulate your emotions and release stress hormones. Good sleep habits include having a regular sleep schedule, limiting screen time before bedtime, and creating a calming bedtime routine.

Practice Mindfulness and/or Relaxation Techniques

Mindfulness helps calm the nervous system and reduce overthinking and can be done with many different techniques including meditation, deep breathing, yoga, or progressive muscle relaxation that lead to the brain moving from a state of being in stressful mode to relaxing mode.

Get Regular Exercise

Exercise is one of the best natural treatments for anxiety. Exercise has many benefits, such as:

• Reducing the level of the stress hormone cortisol.
• Increasing serotonin production in your brain.

Eat Balanced Meals

Brain Performance & emotional well being are directly related to food choices.

Nutrition has a great impact on your mood; nutrients such as omega-3 fatty acids, magnesium and B vitamins may assist in controlling moods, and decrease anxiety.

Nutritional sources include: 

• Fish
• Nuts
• Dark Leafy Greens
• Whole Grains

Decrease Caffeine & Exposure to Electronics

Decreasing caffeine & screen time can reduce the effects of stress on your nervous system.

Taking breaks away from your electronic devices will give your brain time to recover from constant stimuli.

When to Get Professional Help

In most cases you will experience occasional anxiety, but there are times where excessive anxiety may be cause for concern and may necessitate professional assistance.

Mental Health Professionals can provide an assortment of therapies such as:

• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
• Stress/management training
• Emotional Support and Counseling

Seeking assistance is an important step to improving mental health and overall well being.

Conclusion

There may be times when you will find yourself feeling anxious without an apparent stimulus however there are several causes of that anxiety.

Factors such as stressors, brain chemistry, sleep, lifestyle and experiences can impact the way your brain responds to emotional distress.

By having an awareness of the factors that may be causing you to feel anxious without a specific trigger; will allow you become more aware of other factors that may be having an effect on their mental health.

With the proper tools to understand, create supportive habits, & employ effective coping techniques individuals can decrease anxiety & develop a higher level of emotional resilience.

 

Also read: 

How Study Stress Destroys Your Memory Before Exams (And How to Fix It Fast)