Feeling tired or fatigued after experiencing anxiety is a common physical response and is often linked to the body's stress response. When you feel anxious or stressed, your body activates the "fight or flight" response, which is a natural survival mechanism designed to help you deal with perceived threats.
During the fight or flight response, your body releases stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline. These hormones trigger various physiological changes to prepare you to deal with the threat, whether it's real or perceived. Some of these changes include increased heart rate, heightened alertness, and redirection of blood flow to essential organs and muscles.
As a result of this heightened state of arousal, your body undergoes several changes that can lead to feeling tired:
Increased energy expenditure: The fight or flight response demands a lot of energy from your body. Your heart rate increases, and your muscles tense up, leading to increased energy expenditure.
Muscle tension: During moments of anxiety, your muscles might be tensed up in anticipation of needing to react quickly. Continuous muscle tension can lead to physical fatigue.
Sleep disturbances: Anxiety can interfere with your ability to sleep well. If you have trouble falling asleep or staying asleep due to anxious thoughts, it can lead to sleep deprivation, resulting in tiredness during the day.
Mental exhaustion: Anxiety can be mentally draining. Constant worry, overthinking, and hypervigilance can exhaust your mind, leading to a feeling of tiredness.
Emotional fatigue: Dealing with anxiety can be emotionally taxing. The intensity of emotions during anxious periods can leave you feeling drained.
Adrenaline "crash": After the initial surge of adrenaline in response to anxiety, there can be a subsequent "crash" as the hormone levels drop, leaving you feeling fatigued and drained.
It's important to recognize that anxiety can manifest in both physical and emotional ways, and feeling tired after being anxious is a normal part of this response. However, if you find that anxiety is significantly impacting your daily life, causing severe fatigue, or persisting for extended periods, it's essential to seek support from a mental health professional. They can help you understand and manage your anxiety and develop coping strategies to improve your overall well-being.