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Appetite Loss Due to Anxiety

Millions of Americans cope with anxiety disorders every day. Like depression, anxiety can affect eating patterns and lifestyle. When the brain and body try to combat horrible feelings of anxiety or panic, they quickly become exhausted and no longer put a priority on food, focusing instead on desperate attempts to avoid anxiety and panic attacks. Someone grappling with panic and anxiety may stop eating, forget to eat, or feel so anxious and scared that he cannot handle food and its digestion.

  1. Dysphagia and Dry Mouth

    • Dysphagia is the term used when someone has trouble swallowing. Many people who have problems with anxiety and panic attack have a recurring "lump in the throat" during anxious phases or panic attacks. It is common to have dry mouth during stressful attacks. Saliva production stops and the sufferer feels as if he is choking if he tries to swallow.

    Digestion Cessation

    • Digestion stops during a panic attack or anxious phase. The body switches on the flight-or-fight response and every part of the body that is not used for protection or is not vital is turned off. This includes digestion and the intestinal processing of food. Someone with severe and recurrent panic attacks or anxiety may reject food, and may feel nauseated. He cannot handle food well when digestion has stopped and his concentration is fixated on the anxiety or panic.

    Exhaustion

    • After the attack, the suffered will probably be exhausted from battling the frightening feelings. He may have a tense body and dry mouth, be unable to swallow, and may have numb legs. The last thing on an exhausted person's mind is eating. He will simply want to rest and find some sort of comfort.

    TMJ

    • Temporomandibular joint syndrome, or TMJ, is caused by stress, grinding of teeth or locking one's jaw in a certain position for a long time, which can be automatic, unconscious behavior when anxious people are upset. TMJ results in dislocation between the mandible and the temporal bone, making it difficult or physically impossible to eat. TMJ syndrome causes chronic pain in the jaw a popping sound in the ears.

    Conclusion

    • There are many self help books for anxiety and panic as well as psychiatric drugs that help the condition. Anxious people must find the root of their problems before they can begin to lead a normal life again which includes healthy eating choices.

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