You tell yourself that today is not going to happen, that today will be a good day, however, it happens. Because when someone suffers from chronic anxiety, fear is always there, dormant, and when it appears, the person gets lost, anxiety slows the breath, causes the person to shudder, feel a cold sweat and experience a multitude of catastrophic thoughts and ideas. these processes are mediated by a single molecule: norepinephrine.
For those who have not heard of this neurotransmitter, which in turn acts as a hormone, we will give them a small example, let’s say we cross a street and suddenly hear the horn of a car, we forget to look at the tricolor fire. and reacted in a second by jumping backwards. In doing this, we feel our hearts beating, as if there was a knot in our stomach. It’s as if our breathing is almost unbearably accelerating.
- People with chronic anxiety have high levels of norepinephrine.
- A hormonal neurotransmitter that can seriously affect heart health.
Norepinephrine acts directly on the sympathetic nervous system, it is in charge of mediating situations in which our brain interprets that there is a danger, it helps us to react, to flee, to fight and, in essence, to survive. heart rate, blood pressure, air levels in the lungs and the contraction of nutrients in the muscles, all this neurochemical and physiological magic allows us to react much better to daily risks.
Now, the problem of our modern world is that most of us react to stressors that have nothing to do with real physical risks, our fears, anxieties and psychological phobias also activate this catecholamine with an excitatory effect, so if we are unable to control In these anxiety states, the effect of norepinephrine on the body can be devastating.
Chronic anxiety is said to be the disease of the 100 symptoms, most curious of all is that, despite the presentation of so much physical, emotional and cognitive evidence, most people with this disorder live with fears as usual. and even manageable anxiety has ended up becoming chronic, as it is a much more serious medical condition.
The most complex aspect of anxiety is that she is a terrible liar, it makes us believe that we are about to lose control, that we have to listen to our phobias because they are always right, this convinces us that we should worry about everything, because the worst can happen at the least expected time. As we can see, it is not easy to get out of these suffocating circles of suffering. It is not, above all, because of the effect of this cerebral biochemistry that conditions us. , where norepinephrine is of fundamental importance.
A study from the University of Iowa found an intimate relationship between norepinephrine and the risk of cardiovascular events in people with chronic anxiety. Long-term stress leads to very important physiological changes, such as blood pressure, tachycardia, arrhythmias, problems that endanger our health. at risk.
Norepinephrine is not only produced in the brain, outside the brain, it also occurs in the endocrine system and, in particular, in the adrenal glands. What does that mean? This chronic anxiety leads to overproduction of this type of catecholamines, and this results in the following effects:
There are some very interesting studies that demonstrate the relationship between a high level of norepinephrine and ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder). As a neurotransmitter, this compound is critical to help us focus our attention, remember data, learn and process information. their levels must be adequate for our cognitive processes to work effectively.
A high or very low level results in memory loss, concentration problems, difficulties learning new things, it is certainly a very exhausting and complicated state.
We already know that people with chronic anxiety have an excess of norepinephrine, however, there is a fact that we cannot ignore and that should lead to reflection, catecholamines, such as norepinephrine and dopamine, are known to have a decisive importance in physiopathology. content in certain depressive disorders. Any inadequacy, whether overproduction or deficit, results in serious mood swings.
Thus, it is common, for example, that many patients who are currently caught up in a cycle of fear and negative thoughts generated by anxiety are in a situation of severe depression.
The fact that it is norepinephrine, not Serotonin, which leads us to a clinical state several times, was speculated in the 1960s by Dr. Joseph J. Schildkraut, Harvard University.
In conclusion, whatever the origin of these disorders, at the time we experience and experience these symptoms, it is important to remember that we can get out of it, we can choose between two situations. The first is to be on the edge of the abyss and feel the same fear every day.
The second option is simple: you can choose to be a plane flying over this abyss to see it from above and understand it better, get around it and leave it behind. Cognitive behavioral therapy can help us understand the root of our anxiety.
In addition, we cannot ignore pharmacological treatment to balance the production of norepinephrine. Finally, let’s remember that diets rich in vitamin C, copper and omega-3 fatty acids promote a good level of this neurotransmitter.