Everyone experiences anxiety, even children. In fact, being unable to do so can be the sign of quite a serious problem. In our hazardous world, anxiety is a strategy that the body uses to help the mind recognize and keep well out of the way of danger. As with most mental illnesses, it’s not the presence of anxiety alone that creates problems. It is more about how severe it is and how much it gets in the way of life.
Most people feel anxious at some time in their lives. However, about five per cent of people experience severe anxiety but rarely seek professional help. Anxiety is a mixture of physical and mental symptoms. They are part of what psychologists call the fight or flight response. When the body is under threat, it automatically prepares either to defend itself or run.
Anxiety is a normal reaction to stress. It helps one deal with a tense situation in the office, study harder for an exam, keep focused on an important speech. In general, it helps one cope. But when anxiety becomes an excessive, irrational dread of everyday situations, it can become a disabling disorder. Effective treatments for anxiety disorders are available, and research is yielding new and improved therapies that can help most people cope with anxiety disorders lead productive and fulfilling lives.
However, studies have shown that having a healthy diet may reduce signs and symptoms of anxiety. Although food can’t cure an anxiety disorder, consider some changes to your diet:
Avoid or limit caffeine intake as much as possible. Caffeine is present in many soft drinks, not just tea and coffee and it can set up its own vicious cycle. It can speed up heart rate and disrupts sleep which are signs of anxiety. Trying to overcome tiredness by drinking more caffeine only makes the long-term problems worse.
Avoid too much alcohol. Similarly, alcohol can worsen the symptoms of anxiety and disrupt sleep. Many people reach for a drink to calm their nerves, but the consequences of overindulgence can outweigh the benefits of initial relaxation. For some, a hangover, insomnia and dehydration make one feel worse than before one had a drink, and the depressants in alcohol can make you feel sluggish and anxious. Alcohol, like a simple sugar, is rapidly absorbed by the body. Like other sugars, alcohol increases hypoglycemia symptoms; excessive use can increase anxiety and mood swings.
Eat complex carbohydrates. During anxious times, turn to comforting carbs. These foods act as a mild tranquilizer by increasing the amount of serotonin, a calming neurotransmitter, in the brain. Complex carbs, such as potatoes, wholewheat bread and pasta, take longer to digest than sugary simple carbs like white bread, so one can stay fuller longer and blood sugar is likely to stay steady, eliminating stress and anxiety. Carbohydrate-rich meals and snacks are thought to increase the amount of serotonin in the brain, which has a calming effect.
Be sure to drink eight or more glasses of water a day. Dehydration can lead to fatigue, headaches and stress. One should be well hydrated and drinking lots of water a day can decrease symptoms of anxiety.
Take multivitamins and mineral supplement. B vitamins, whose role is to unlock the energy in food, are crucial, particularly B-6, which helps manufacture serotonin in the brain. Choose a daily supplement that supplies 100 per cent of the daily recommendation of all vitamins and minerals.
Although tension and daily stresses are unavoidable, one can relieve tension and manage stress and anxiety better by what a person do and don’t eat.
