Anxiety may cause symptoms that feel like they’re affecting your head. These could include brain fog, pressure, headaches, and dissociation.
The symptoms of many mental health disorders show up cognitively, emotionally, and physically. Anxiety is no exception. This common mental health condition is linked to various symptoms that can span the entire body, such as:
- heart palpitations
- weakness
- insomnia
- stomach issues
- fatigue
People with anxiety may experience a range of symptoms affecting the head. These can result from physical symptoms of anxiety as well as disorders that may occur alongside it.
Keep reading to learn more about how anxiety may affect your head and what to do about it.
Certain physical symptoms associated with anxiety can cause unfamiliar or uncomfortable feelings in the head.
Symptoms that affect the body’s circulatory system, like heart palpitations and temporary spikes in blood pressure, can cause feelings in the head like:
- dizziness
- a choking sensation
- sweating, blushing, or hot flashes
- lightheadedness
- fainting
Other common anxiety symptoms include:
- headaches, including during migraine episodes
- dissociation and a lack of connection with reality
- derealization and depersonalization
- fatigue
- insomnia
- brain fog, or an inability to think clearly
- racing thoughts
- rumination and obsessive thoughts (especially with OCD-type anxiety)
- pressure in the ears or head
- ringing in the ears (tinnitus)
- pain in the head
- numbness or tingling in the head
- heavy and quick breathing rate
Scientists have also found connections between anxiety and physical, cognitive, and emotional sensations that seem to mainly affect the head. A few common ways that anxiety can affect your head include:
- negative self-talk
- constant worry
- racing thoughts
- rumination
- obsessive thoughts
Researchers have also linked anxiety and migraine, a neurological disorder that causes headaches and other symptoms. People with anxiety disorders are
Migraine and anxiety disorders are both influenced by the limbic system, a part of the brain responsible for emotional and behavioral responses. The overstimulation of this system occurs with both disorders, which can also contribute to anxiety and migraine.
Seizure-like episodes and some neurological issues may also
Anxiety vs. anxiety disorders
Occasional anxiety is a part of everyone’s life. But if fear or worry begins to adversely affect your life, it may be an anxiety disorder. Anxiety disorders include:
Developing an anxiety disorder may be influenced by a mix of genetics and a person’s situational environment, including lifestyle choices and upbringing.
These disorders sometimes co-occur with depression or other mental health disorders, worsening the symptoms. They may also increase your risk of other health conditions.
Eliminating the underlying cause of the weird feelings or pressure in the head requires treating the underlying issue.
These sensations and other symptoms of anxiety can also be symptoms for other types of mental health problems, such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, or neurological disorders like migraine. Determining the underlying cause can help you seek appropriate treatment.
Treatment for anxiety may include talk therapy to develop coping techniques and sometimes antidepressants or anti-anxiety medication. Certain lifestyle behaviors may also help reduce anxiety. These can include:
- yoga and mindfulness
- meditation
- therapy animals
- art therapies like music and drawing
- exercise
Some people may also use medical cannabis or CBD as a treatment for anxiety. But it’s best to talk with a doctor before trying it, as it can make anxiety worse for some people.
More research is needed to determine how successful cannabis and CBD are in treating anxiety.
If you suspect you might have an anxiety disorder, if the weird feelings in your head do not go away, or if the feelings happen again, consider scheduling an appointment with a mental health professional. The same is true if the feelings in your head are so severe they interfere with your everyday life.
You should also schedule a physical exam with a medical professional for any onset of physical symptoms, even if you suspect they are a result of a mental health condition. Anxiety-like symptoms can also result from certain health conditions that may need treatment.
Anxiety is a common human experience. However, some people experience the emotional, physical, and cognitive symptoms of anxiety on a more frequent and intense basis than others. Those who do may have an anxiety disorder.
Anxiety is known to manifest in various ways throughout the body, including in the head. Anxiety is a highly treatable condition, and in time and with effort, symptoms can become manageable.