Still, psychologists say it’s not shocking to think that worries about your well-being may lead to worse health. Fears around health can spark a chain reaction that ultimately has an impact on your physical health, Thea Gallagher, PsyD, clinical associate professor at NYU Langone Health and cohost of the Mind in View podcast, tells SELF. “Worry and anxiety causes stress and strain on your body,” she says. “It takes up a lot of mental resources, which then take up physical resources.”
Stressing about your future health can impact your sleep, heart rate, and your nervous system, and all of those can contribute to worse health outcomes, Dr. Gallagher says.
It can also do a number on your heart health, Hillary Ammon, PsyD, a clinical psychologist at the Center for Anxiety and Women’s Emotional Wellness, tells SELF. “The body reacts to anxiety in similar ways to how it reacts to fear,” she says. “When we are experiencing these emotions, the body releases [stress hormones] cortisol and epinephrine, along with neurotransmitters like norepinephrine and glutamate. So if someone is constantly worrying about their physical health, it may put these hormones and neurotransmitters in overdrive.”
This can even cause your blood sugar to fluctuate and fuel chronic inflammation in your body, Dr. Ammon adds. Unfortunately, chronic inflammation is linked to a range of serious health conditions, including autoimmune diseases, heart disease, and cancer. “By chronically worrying about their health, individuals unfortunately create more health problems, leaving them more susceptible to additional health issues,” Dr. Ammon says.
One more thing to consider, per Dr. Ammon: When you have health anxiety, you tend to be hypersensitive to what’s happening with your body. “You may notice minor changes, which in turn, likely makes their anxiety worse,” she says. “It is a cyclical pattern.”
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It’s normal and OK to worry sometimes about your health, Dr. Gallagher points out. But the big concern is when you regularly stress about it.
