Living daily with neuropathy is a challenge on its own, but it adds anxiety to the mix, and it takes the meaning of challenging to a whole new level. It’s like your body is fighting you, both physically and mentally. If you’ve noticed that neuropathy and anxiety seem to go hand in hand, you aren’t just imagining things.
Anxiety and neuropathy can be closely linked, and experiencing both at the same time is something many people living with neuropathy experience.
Let’s explore this connection together and dive into what can be done to bring about relief.
Anxiety & Neuropathy: Is There a Connection?
We are sometimes asked if neuropathy causes anxiety or vice versa.
The answer is not directly, but there is a connection. While these are two distinct medical conditions, with their own individual causes, anxiety and neuropathy can certainly feed off of each other.
When you are living with neuropathy, nerve pain, tingling, and numbness can induce a state of chronic stress, affecting their mental health. This creates an increase in the production of a hormone called cortisol.
Cortisol: The Link Connecting Neuropathy & Anxiety
Maybe you’re already familiar with cortisol and how it affects the body. While the whole process is complex, in essence, cortisol helps our bodies cope with stressful events or triggers.
Adrenaline production and the fight-or-flight response are related to cortisol. Cortisol also serves additional important functions in the body, helping to control blood pressure and glucose regulation, among other processes.
However, while cortisol is essential, it becomes harmful when levels remain chronically high.
High levels of cortisol cause inflammation in the body, and it can impact nerve function – enter the connection to neuropathy and how chronically high cortisol levels impact pain and overall health.
There’s a cycle where high cortisol levels cause inflammation and pain, which puts the body under stress, leading to…you guessed it, even more cortisol.
When you are living with chronic pain or a disruption in daily function knows how it can lead to a sort of mental catastrophization of the present and the future. You begin to wonder if you’ll ever feel better, if you’ll ever find relief from neuropathy, and how this may affect your life going forward.
This is how the seeds of health-related anxiety are planted.
Cortisol is also implicated in making anxiety worse. High levels of cortisol are associated with more severe anxiety symptoms, to the point that cortisol levels can be looked at as an important biomarker in determining anxiety severity and the likelihood of experiencing anxiety symptoms in the future.
Is Anxiety Making Your Neuropathy Worse?
Here’s some good news. Anxiety doesn’t affect nerve health or function. Having anxiety is not going to damage your nerves in any way.
However, this doesn’t mean that anxiety can’t make your neuropathy feel worse.
Anxiety can enhance our perception of pain, making neuropathy feel more painful and disruptive to daily life. Trust me when I say this isn’t “all in your head” or imagined. It’s a very real phenomenon.
Anxiety makes us more sensitive to everything going on within our bodies, as well as our surroundings. For example, it’s common to be more sensitive to noise or being around crowds/public spaces when anxiety is high. This is the body’s way of protecting itself against the perceived threats that are common with anxiety.
It works the same way with neuropathy pain and discomfort. The source of the pain has not become more severe, but the body and mind are more aware of it, causing you to feel it more intensely.
Anxiety relief can potentially improve neuropathy symptoms in the same way. Treating one doesn’t cure the other, but the impact is significant enough that it can help improve symptoms.
Practical Strategies for Calming the Mind and Easing Neuropathy Pain
While the goal is to heal from or effectively treat both neuropathy and anxiety, we know that this takes time and commitment to the process. There isn’t a single magic pill, shot, or elixir that will cure either of these conditions instantly. Instead, both require small steps that build upon each other every day, restoring the body in a holistic, therapeutic way.
Stress Reduction: Stress has a far-reaching and significant effect on our health. We’ve previously discussed the connection between stress and neuropathy, which you can read more about here. Anything that you can do to relieve daily and chronic stress is going to produce positive changes in your physical and mental health, even if you can’t immediately see or feel it.
Consider spending more time doing things you enjoy, that bring a smile to your face or produce feelings of gratitude. For example, engaging in a hobby, whether it’s old or new, can help relieve stress and create a distraction from the symptoms of neuropathy. Spending time outdoors is also a wonderful way to connect with nature and allow some of that stress to roll off your shoulders.
Movement & Mindfulness: It’s important to continue moving to the best of your ability while living with neuropathy. This can include gentle stretches, yoga, or even a practice like Tai Chi to improve circulation while reducing stress and anxiety.
If even gentle movement causes pain, consider just sitting and breathing. Engage in the practice of mediation or mindfulness to help press the reset button on your nervous system and make you less reactive to neuropathy pain and anxiety symptoms.
Prioritize Restorative Sleep: We all need to get quality sleep, but managing sleep with neuropathy is one of the most important steps you can take, both for relief of anxiety and pain. Even short-term sleep deficiency can cause symptoms of anxiety, and this includes individuals who aren’t prone to anxiety, depression, or any other mental health conditions.
Some steps to take for healthier sleep include setting and maintaining a consistent sleep schedule, limiting screen time from all types of devices at least an hour before bed, and spending at least thirty minutes before bed engaging in relaxing activities, such as mediation, gratitude, or just enjoying the peacefulness with a cup a decaf tea.
The Role of Nutrition: Eating to Support Nerve Health and Reduce Anxiety
If you’re familiar with our work here at Momentum Health Neuropathy Center, you know that we prioritize nutrition in managing symptoms. The very same foods that should be avoided for neuropathy pain are the same ones that can also make anxiety worse.
Food can be a comfort, especially when dealing with the heavy thoughts and emotions of anxiety, combined with symptoms of neuropathy. You might not like what I’m going to say next, but many of the foods we typically turn to for comfort and enjoyment are the very same ones that need to be avoided.
The big ones that need to be avoided are highly processed foods, gluten, dairy, added sugar, and excessive alcohol consumption.
Each of these types of foods can affect the body negatively in different ways, especially once we start to factor in individual physiology. But they all share something in common, and that’s their role as inflammatory triggers.
When working with someone to develop an individualized neuropathy treatment plan, these are the foods that we aim to eliminate across the board, at least until we can potentially eliminate any of them as triggers. In their place, we focus on whole, nutritious foods that support the body and its healing.
For example, foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids can help reduce inflammation and support nerve health, along with magnesium-rich foods and B vitamins. All of these are also important in nourishing the body when struggling with anxiety.
Taking Back Control from Neuropathy and Anxiety
Each person’s journey with neuropathy and anxiety is an individual experience. Both conditions can affect each person differently, making it important not to search for quick fixes, but instead work toward developing lifestyle habits that support both the mind and the body.
Recognizing the connection between anxiety and neuropathy, and making those small, consistent changes, are the first steps to reducing symptoms and regaining control.
At Momentum Health Neuropathy Center, we’re here to help you find relief from neuropathy and share this journey with you. We encourage you to reach out to us for a consultation or call us at 517-883-2479 today.
