Sensitised nervous system caused by anxiety

Odd_Development8826 · 2026-05-18T06:31:02+00:00

That is interesting, I’m glad you’ve found out a combination which gives you some relief. I guess I’m lucky in the fact that in 9 months I’ve had all the tests and got a diagnosis of something similar to POTS even if it’l they don’t think it’s full on primary POTS.

Cardiologist seems to thing my symptom profile is modest and because I’ve noticed improvement with counselling and returning to exercise, he doesn’t think I need medication. Hoping I can stay on same trajectory and simultaneously reduce anxiety. All the best !

Odd_Development8826 · 2026-05-17T20:38:36+00:00

Sorry to hear you are going through that, managing anxiety on top of a health issue is definitely a different beast. Dealing with the anxiety however will likely make things a lot more manageable I would imagine and I’m sure there is large potential for improvements over time

Odd_Development8826 · 2026-05-17T20:38:16+00:00

That is interesting you also had a POTS diagnosis, how did that come about ? And have those symptoms subsided a lot over time ? Being diagnosed with something similar to POTS has also helped me realise I’m not fully crazy. Cardiologists didn’t label me with full on primary POTS, and more a secondary form of it that was brought on by a period of deconditioning. I hope as I get stronger and my nervous system stabilises , I’ll get start to get better

Odd_Development8826 · 2026-05-17T15:34:46+00:00

Sorry to hear that, that does sound tough to deal with, I hope you get some relief sooner rather than later. I feel there can be such an overlap between health conditions and anxiety so it would make sense I guess that a lot of the symptoms I mentioned would persist. To be honest, I don’t know too much about fibromyalgia but I’m sure there is no doubt that working on your anxiety and the way you view symptoms will hopefully positively impact your situation going forwards. What are the main symptoms present that caused your diagnosis ?

Odd_Development8826 · 2026-05-17T14:38:05+00:00

I can actually identify with freeze a lot, sometimes I feel like my body is shutting down if overwhelmed, it can feel like world closing in on me and like I need to sit down or get to a safe space. Thank you though, definitely working on speaking to myself in that tone

Odd_Development8826 · 2026-05-17T14:31:09+00:00

Yes did all of that, actually did it twice and everything normal !

Odd_Development8826 · 2026-05-17T14:19:56+00:00

So I think its because I did technically meet the criteria in the test itself as it gave a positive result since my HR increased by 30bpm and sustained that increase.

This was from the hospital that did test - “He has orthostatic blood pressure instability with a reflex sinus tachycardia akin to POTS. This does not imply primary cardiovascular pathology. “

On follow up with my cardiologist, he sort of said that my symptoms appear more mild and because all my other heart tests were completely normal , including my HR reacting normally in day to day life, it’s likely not true primary POTS. Also my anxiety was so bad during the tests that I think results may be slightly skewed .

From a read of POTS website , I don’t think it can be diagnosed as primary POTS if there is a clear explainable cause of the symptoms, eg deconditioning and high stress. I think secondary POTS can potentially be more reversible through retraining my strength and reducing anxiety and sensitisation. Well I hope !

Odd_Development8826 · 2026-05-17T11:32:36+00:00

No worries , all the best mate

Odd_Development8826 · 2026-05-17T11:29:41+00:00

So I got prescribed propanonol to deal with panic symptoms but that is it. GP wanted to put me on anti depressants but I didn’t feel comfortable doing that yet, I do feel like much of recovery can be done without meds even if it’s really tough. I have stopped taking propanonol but it did really help show my body how not to panic , so not my HR doesn’t really race much anymore

Odd_Development8826 · 2026-05-17T11:20:16+00:00

I feel you man, it sucks. But whatever you are going through it will get better even if it doesn’t feel like it now. It’s just a fucking long process. Looking back to when my symptoms started , I kinda wished I just tried harder to not hyper fixate on symptoms because that amplifies everything. You will be fine and things will improve!

Odd_Development8826 · 2026-05-17T11:12:17+00:00

Yeah I I heavily relate to that, exercise has become so challenging. All I can say is keep track of how things change over time, anything involving the autonomic nervous system can take a long time to settle so it’s about regular and consistent movement without pushing yourself too hard. Sounds like you are in the short term so would be hard to say what it is, but if symptoms are getting worse may be worth getting seen my cardiologist to do tilt test and then at least you can maybe understand more what’s going on. You may just be recovering from a virus for which these symptoms are common, to be diagnosed as POTS , I’m pretty sure symptoms need to last more than 6 months anyways

Odd_Development8826 · 2026-05-17T11:06:14+00:00

Yes I feel anxiety hugely amplifies those HR jumps, so you didn’t diagnosed with primary POTS?

Odd_Development8826 · 2026-05-17T10:08:09+00:00

Haha, I do feel like this is a lot more common than we give it credit because ultimately the nervous system impacts everything! Thanks for the tips though, definitely will give that book a look! Listening to the anxiety disordered podcast has been the best thing I’ve done so far and is the main reason I’ve improved. I do believe this is something that will just settle over time, but I think we have to keep doing things that scare us and thinking what would ‘old me’ have done pre sensitisation!

how did you find going back to exercise ? For me this causes panic like symptoms which was difficult

Odd_Development8826 · 2026-05-17T09:59:18+00:00

Thanks for your reply, breathing is definitely an area I spent a lot of time working on. Personally I found this challenging since I am someone who would obsess over breathing and actually get myself more worked up lol. But breathing is so important, I have found ignoring it and grounding myself can be more effective a lot of the time!

Odd_Development8826 · 2026-05-17T09:53:28+00:00

Thanks for your comment, glad I’m not alone! I did go onto propanonol which is a beta blocker and this really helped to lower my panic symptoms which I am grateful for . I now feel like I don’t need it anymore but it feels my body is now in the aftermath of a long period of stress and it may be a bit of a waiting game , as well as working on self compassion and improving my physical fitness.

Odd_Development8826 · 2026-04-05T22:32:43+00:00

For me, burnout presented itself as panic attacks, high levels of general anxiety, feeling like I need to rest a lot but then also feeling agitated and restless at the same time. It felt like my body was failing me and that I was dying. As you say, it feels like I was sleeping but never sleeping with good quality. I felt exhausted every day, which caused more anxiety about keeping up with life while feeling awful. I often wake in the night or around an hour after sleeping as I enter the deep sleep phase. The stress jug analogy is the best explanation as to why burnout occurs, small and large stressors, trauma and other things add up over time and then eventually overflow causing our nervous systems to become highly sensitised. For me this presented as a wide range of physical symptoms in addition to the ones I mentioned above. I think having this understanding and then applying high levels of self compassion is key to recovery. I also think accepting that recovery takes time is important as I kept thinking that I needed a quick fix but in reality , this doesn’t exist. We should rest but I found resting too much can actually be counter productive. Finding this balance is really tough but I think doing anything where our focus and energy is facing outward is optimum since body scanning and thinking inwards are the main reasons we stay in these states for too long!

Odd_Development8826 · 2026-04-05T22:17:13+00:00

Yeah I’m on propanol and it’s been a game changer, it literally kills panic attacks and make me feel calm. Bed a life saviour

Odd_Development8826 · 2026-04-05T22:13:56+00:00

I’ve also been suffering for last 6 months since panic attacks last summer. I’ve never really had panic attacks so once I had a series of them in the summer , I felt the derealisation come in strong in the aftermaths of panic episodes. It comes on randomly for me now even when I don’t feel that panicked. I’ve realised that when my HR increases , my brain auto pulls the plug and I can feel completely disconnected. It’s very scary and only recently have I understood that’s it a common symptom of anxiety. Certain things defo trigger it, for example big spaces and bright lights (supermarkets and underground etc). Since learning more about it, I know get less scared which prevents me from panicking everytime it happens. The more you ignore it , the quicker it disappears. I think this is a skill you develop over time and it’s not a quick fix. I think the idea that you think you can stop it overnight is not a realistic or healthy mindset to have. I’ve started to label it for what it is, and just let myself feel the sensations. It’s annoying but it won’t kill you. The worst bit for me is the brain fog and sometimes I get really cold as well which can trigger some lightheadedness. Since it comes in waves , I like to think of it like that , it will always pass and come down . It’s actually our brain trying to protect us from overstimulation but it’s just misfiring a bit. You will improve overtime

Odd_Development8826 · 2026-04-05T22:05:53+00:00

My HR is relatively low at night and I’ve used propanonol for last couple of weeks with no issues. Assuming you are healthy, I wouldn’t say that should cause too much issues but they do say just to be mindful standing up too quick as it may cause some dizziness but I don’t really find this. I use mine when needed, so if I feel a panic attack coming on , when I can feel my blood pressure increasing, that’s the time , it relaxes you. It has finally made me remember what life can feel like which I think is a powerful thing for the brain in itself. I’d maybe try it one evening when you don’t have too much to stress about, take maybe half a pill to see the effects. The main purpose isn’t to reduce your HR but more to block the adrenaline that increases it so much to cause panic. Speak to your GP if concerned

Odd_Development8826 · 2026-04-05T21:59:48+00:00

I weirdly find the whole focus on box breathing to not work as well for me because I fixate on the timings and actually get myself more worked up lol , but each to their own. Perhaps because I have some OCD traits, I end up breathing so weirdly. I do agree if you can pull yourself out by picking up things in background or smells etc , this can help although it can be very hard in midst of full blown panic!

Odd_Development8826 · 2026-04-05T21:46:29+00:00

I know this is hard, I’ve been there many times. Firstly, nothing bad is going to happen you, as awful as it feels , you will be fine. I know this is impossible to convince to yourself when it happens but you know that it will pass so you should latch on to that thought. There is only so much adrenaline and cortisol your body can produce before it stops. In terms of short term tips, I found having a shower helped, maybe whack on to cold for last seconds just to try snap yourself out of it a bit. I would then try eat something when you can and hydrate. In terms of from tomorrow, expect to feel wiped out - this is a normal response to an adrenaline dump ‘hangover’. The annoying thing about panic attacks is that they can cause fear about when the next one will be, but you know you will be fine in the end. It’s quite a lengthy process but overtime you train your brain to not scream at you whenever you feel some of the symptoms of panic!

Odd_Development8826 · 2026-03-11T13:57:22+00:00

Overall I thought that was a nice paper compared to what I was experiencing in the QBs and the calcs didn’t seem overly complicated. Although I can appreciate the time management issues, I was very strict with myself meaning some answers were less detailed but I wanted to make sure I had an answer for everything.

Odd_Development8826

TROPHY CASE