The term "somatic anxiety" refers to physical changes in the body that occur when a person experiences anxiety. These physiological changes are in contrast with the symptoms of cognitive, or psychic, anxiety, which refers to psychological manifestations of anxiety, such as tension, fear and worry.
Melinda Smith, M.A. of Helpguide.org writes that the somatic effects of anxiety can sometimes mislead an individual to believe that their symptoms are medical in origin, when in fact treatment by a psychologist or psychiatrist may prove more appropriate.
Muscle Tension and Somatic Anxiety
R.L. Hazlett of the Department of Psychiatry at Johns Hopkins Medical Institution has found that, in cases of generalized anxiety disorder, muscle tension can become chronically elevated in the frontalis muscle, which is located on the forehead, and that the gastrocnemius muscle, located in the back of the lower leg, increases in tension in response to stress.
People under stress sometimes seek massage therapy in order to help them relax. Increased muscle tension is a form of somatic anxiety that appears to respond well to therapeutic massage, according to MayoClinic.com.
Gastrointestinal Somatic Anxiety
The occurrence of gastrointestinal disorders, such as ulcers and nausea, is linked to a high prevalence of anxiety disorders, says M.D. Fossey of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the Medical University of South Carolina.
The brain has been linked to the gastrointestinal tract in experiments that indicate that anxiety and gastrointestinal distress seem to share common biological causes and effects. Anxiety medications may prove effective in alleviating gastrointestinal disorders, and Fossey recommends that further studies may confirm this possibility.
Cardiovascular Somatic Anxiety
Increased, or irregular heart rate and increased blood pressure can also indicate somatic anxiety.
Those with somatic anxiety often describe the feeling of their heart "racing" or "pounding", which could result because of the increased heart rate. Dr. Edward Laskowski of MayoClinic.org states that normal resting heart rates typically range from 60 to 100 beats per minute.
Sheldon Sheps, M.D., also of Mayo Clinic, explains that anxiety can produce "dramatic, temporary spikes in blood pressure." If such attacks occur on a regular basis, it becomes important to seek medical help, as frequent episodes of extreme blood pressure escalation can cause damage to the blood vessels and increase the risk of cardiovascular disease.
