Too much anxiety in rare cases can make people bleed — here's why

Anxiety is a state of uneasiness which causes excessive worry in a person and in many cases is a natural response to stress.

As per the American Psychological Association, an anxious person often anticipates impending danger, catastrophe or misfortune. 

It is separable from fear and stress in both its expression and how it shows up in the body. Fear is an emotional response to a perceived threat and likewise, stress is also a temporary state caused by an external trigger.

However, anxiety has been distinguished as an uncomfortable feeling around a threat which isn’t perceivable at the moment. It is future-oriented and a long acting response.

Small amounts of anxiety have been considered a normal anticipatory response to the unknown or future but if the intensity and duration gets prolonged, it gets positioned as a mental health concern.

As per the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (5), if this feeling starts to impair a person’s everyday life and gets stretched up till 6 months or more, it then requires a diagnosis by a mental health professional.

While the exact causes of anxiety are not known, research says it is a combination of genetics, environment and brain chemistry.

Usual symptoms of anxiety

With growing understanding around anxiety, researchers believe that it can affect both emotions and bodily reactions.

While almost everyone encounters stress, an extended exposure to it or unresolved stress can show up as chronic anxiety.

When anxiety gets triggered, it initiates the release of ‘fight or flight’ hormones like cortisol and adrenaline which in turn can start a cascade of physiological changes in the body. 

A rapid heart rate, palpitations, numbness, tingling effect in fingers, shortness of breath and digestive problems are common symptoms associated with anxiety disorders.

As per Healthline, in some people anxiety can cause frequent headaches, fatigue and insomnia.

An unseen side of anxiety

While anxiety is never a direct cause of injury, if its intensity becomes unmanageable, it can cause hormonal disruptions which in turn can cause temporary bleeding or aggravate bleeding disorders.

When a person stays in constant anxiety, their breathing becomes shallow and they breathe faster than usual. This changes both the blood flow and the elasticity of the blood vessels, causing a direct change in the blood pressure.

As per a study published in PubMed, the body maintains an intricate  balance between blood fluidity and clot formation.

Due to a chemical storm caused by the rushing in of survival hormones, this balance can go for a toss.

In less frequent cases, this can either cause more bleeding to occur or if the clotting initiators like fibrinogen get more in amount, it increases chances of clotting-related events like strokes.

As per the study, this becomes riskier in those having bleeding disorders like hemophilia or Von Willebrand disease or metabolic conditions like hypertension or diabetes.

Unmanaged anxiety can also lead to some unusual symptoms like nosebleeds, irregular periods and breakthrough bleeding (vaginal spotting between periods).

Speaking to DH,  Dr. Pratik Gopani, a consulting physician at Zynova Shalby Hospital (Mumbai) said: “Chronic stress and anxiety tend to increase blood pressure temporarily, it can raise the chances of nosebleeds in some individuals, or worsen existing conditions like piles, ulcers, or even gum bleeding that can be unsettling. People experiencing anxiety may also develop habits such as excessive scratching, nail biting, or teeth grinding, which can result in minor bleeding.

“In women, chronic stress may sometimes disturb hormonal balance and affect menstrual bleeding patterns, causing them to have some sporadic bleeding between two menstrual phases” he said.

The expert also cautioned against ignoring bleeding symptoms which could be caused by other underlying conditions and not confuse them with anxiety.

“One must not avoid unexplainable bleeding in any circumstances. Blood in vomit, stools, urine, coughing blood, or heavy, unexplained bleeding may point to infections, clotting disorders, gastrointestinal diseases, or other medical emergencies. So, it is always better to get it checked with an expert,” said Dr.Gopani.