Anxiety And Burning Inside The Body

Causes

1. Stress response

Anxious behavior, such as worry, activates the stress response, causing many body-wide changes that quickly prepare the body for immediate emergency action.

This survival reaction is often referred to as the fight or flight response, the emergency response, the fight, flight, or freeze response (some people freeze when they are afraid like a “deer caught in headlights”), or the fight, flight, freeze, or faint response (since some people faint when they are afraid).[1][2]

Visit our “Stress Response” article for more information about the stress response and its many body-wide changes.

Some of the stress response changes include:

• Quickly converts the body’s energy reserves into “fuel” (blood sugar) to provide an instant boost of energy.
• Increases heart rate, respiration, and metabolism due to the boost in energy.
• Stimulates the nervous system, increasing nervous system activity so that we are more sensitive and reactive to danger.
• Heightens most of the body’s senses to be more aware of danger.
• Shunts blood to parts of the body more vital to survival, such as the brain, arms, legs, and vital organs, and away from parts less vital for survival, such as the stomach, digestive system, and skin.
• Suppresses digestion so that most of the body’s resources are available for emergency action.
• Creates a sudden urge to void the bowels in preparation to fight or flee.
• Causes muscles to tighten.

The more anxious you are, the more dramatic the stress response and its changes.

Any one or combination of changes can cause a burning sensation anywhere on or in the body.

Since stress responses push the body beyond its balance point (equilibrium), stress responses stress the body. As such, anxiety stresses the body.

Anxious behavior and an active stress response is a common cause of a burning sensation inside the body.

As long as a stress response is active, it can cause this common anxiety symptom.

Many people notice a “burning inside the body feeling” when anxious or stressed.

2. Hyperstimulation (chronic stress)

When stress responses occur infrequently, the body can recover relatively quickly from the stress response changes after the stress response has ended.

However, when stress responses occur too frequently, such as from overly apprehensive behavior, the body can’t completely recover.

Incomplete recovery can leave the body in a state of semi-stress response readiness, which we call “stress-response hyperstimulation” since stress hormones are stimulants.

Hyperstimulation is also often referred to as “hyperarousal,” “HPA axis dysfunction,” or “nervous system dysregulation.”[3][4]

Visit our “Hyperstimulation” article for more information about the many ways hyperstimulation can affect the body and how we feel.

Hyperstimulation can cause the changes of an active stress response even though a stress response hasn’t been activated.

Moreover, hyperstimulation can cause the body to behave erratically, which can be particularly noticeable because of how hyperstimulation affects the nervous system.[3][4]

For instance, the body’s nervous system is responsible for sending and receiving sensory information to and from the brain. A main component of the nervous system is specialized cells called neurons (nerve cells), which communicate with each other using an electrochemical process (the combination of electricity and chemistry).

For example, when nerve impulse information is received from one of the body’s senses, neurons relay this nerve impulse information through the nervous system network to the brain for interpretation.

And if we want to move a particular muscle or group of muscles, nerve impulse information is sent from the brain through the nervous system network to the particular muscle or groups of muscles to bring about movement (muscles move through a combination of nerve impulse-triggered muscle contractions and releases).

Again, this nerve impulse information is conveyed electrochemically by the neurons through the nervous system network.

This system of communication and reaction works normally when the body and nervous system are healthy. However, problems can occur when the body and nervous system becomes hyperstimulated.[4][5][6]

For example, because of their electrochemical properties, neurons are particularly sensitive to stress hormone stimulation. When they become hyperstimulated, they can act erratically, causing them to “under-report,” “over-report,” and “misreport,” sensory and nerve impulse information to and from the brain.[7][6]

These abnormalities can cause many sensory, muscle movement, and system irregularities, such as the feelings associated with this symptom.

Moreover, because hyperstimulation can increase the electrical activity in parts of the brain, which can cause neurons to become even more unstable, neurons can fire even more erratically when the body and nervous system become hyperstimulated.[8]

The combination of the above factors can cause many unusual sensations, symptoms, and feelings. Experiencing a “burning sensation” in and throughout the body is one example.

Even though this symptom can seem unusual and uncomfortable, stress- and anxiety-caused burning sensations are harmless and needn’t be a cause for concern. They are merely symptoms of stress (acute stress caused by an active stress response or chronic stress caused by hyperstimulation).

3. Side effects of medication

Many medications, including common psychotropic medications (anti-anxiety, antidepressants, mood stabilizers, etc.) can cause a burning feeling inside the body as a side effect.

If you think your burning might be related to your medication, talk with your doctor and pharmacist about options.

4. Inflammation

Stress, especially chronic stress (hyperstimulation), can cause issues with inflammation.[9] Inflammation can also cause a burning feeling inside the body.

5. Stomach and digestive problems

Stress, especially chronic stress (hyperstimulation), can cause stomach and digestive problems and symptoms, which can be felt as a “burning inside the body” feeling.

Overly anxious behavior is a common cause of stomach and digestive problems and symptoms because of how anxiety-activated stress responses can affect the digestive system.[3][4]

6. Other Factors

Other factors can create stress and cause anxiety-like symptoms, as well as aggravate existing anxiety symptoms, including:

• Recreational drugs
• Stimulants
• Sleep deprivation
• Fatigue
• Hyper and hypoventilation
• Low blood sugar
• Nutritional deficiencies
• Dehydration
• Hormone changes
• Pain

Select the relevant link for more information.