Anxiety is a prevalent mental health issue in the world at the moment. The world is gradually recovering from the global pandemic. On top of that, depressing news fills the media daily.

It is no wonder that a lot of people are feeling overwhelmed and anxious these days. And, of course, this is normal. One in four people experience anxiety. However, anxiety can often be a debilitating condition. When this happens, it is called anxiety disorder. People who have an anxiety disorder usually experience intrusive, persistent thoughts that interfere with their functioning.

Anxiety disorder affects many people. The Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA) has stated that anxiety disorders are the most common mental health conditions affecting 40 million Americans (or about 18% of the population).

However, even with many people suffering from an anxiety disorder, some people are still uninformed about the condition, unaware of significant facts. As a result, here are six surprising facts about anxiety:

Anxiety Can Be Genetic

Much research has been done on why some people are immune to some mental health conditions. In contrast, others are usually affected by mental health disorders, while some develop them more easily. The answer could be genetics.

Anxiety disorders and anxious temperaments seem to run in families. If either or both of your parents suffer from anxiety, there’s a high chance you’ll experience it as well, with your parents passing it down to you either through genes (nature) or behavior (nurture).

A particular study found that the α-endomannosidase gene was associated with panic disorder and social anxiety disorder. This research also showed that parents are more likely to inadvertently feed anxiety by being slower to grant autonomy or by supporting the avoidance of situations that might cause concern.

This doesn’t mean that parents cause anxiety. It’s just that people may be genetically more susceptible to being affected by it.

Anxiety Might Affect Your Sense of Smell

As said earlier, there has been a lot of research and studies about anxiety and what exactly it entails. One such study, which was published in the Journal of Neuroscience, found that pressure may affect the sense of smell of the sufferer.

They found that people with anxiety tend to label neutral smells as bad smells. Here is how the nose works: when processing smells, only the olfactory (smelling) system gets activated as the brain and nose exchange information at lightning speed.

This becomes a bit screwed up with anxiety, as the emotional system becomes intertwined with the olfactory processing system, causing misperceptions of smell.

Anxiety Can Cause Physical Symptoms

Anxiety is a mental health condition that affects the mental health of people. It causes difficulty with focus and concentration, restlessness as well as feelings of irritability and frustration.

However, anxiety can also manifest with physical symptoms. This can include a tightening around the chest, headaches, nausea, muscle tension, heart palpitations, and stomach trouble.

The physical symptoms are a result of the body’s fight or flight response. The brain senses a threat (whether it is real or not. What matters is whether the brain thinks it is a threat). When this happens, it floods the body with a cocktail of neurochemicals to prepare it for fight or flight. This then causes physical symptoms.

One might feel helpless with such a condition. However, with  CBD gummies, you can beat anxiety and override such physical symptoms. This way, going about your daily activity will not pose any issue.

Anxiety Can Cause Memory Problems

The central struggle for people who suffer from anxiety is that they often worry. Worry is usually apprehension about future occurrences. This is what results in memory loss.

Individuals who suffer from anxiety often struggle to stay in the present moment, and as such, they forget things. They often think in the future, and not in a good way.

People with Anxiety Are Hypersensitive To Changes In Facial Expressions

People with anxiety are more likely to notice and pick up on changes in facial expressions due to the constant worry about others. They are hyper-focused on people.

However, whatever changes they pick up on and whatever meaning they ascribe to it are less likely to be accurate. People with anxiety tend to jump to conclusions and make mistakes when deciphering other people’s emotional states and intentions.

This, of course, creates tension in their relationships.

Anxiety Has Some Positive Aspects

Very few things in life are entirely good or entirely wrong, and that includes anxiety disorder. People with anxiety who have struggled with everything it entails have also had their personalities shaped by the struggle differently.

They are usually pretty wise about who they get close to; they are emotionally perceptive and sensitive to things around them and can do something quickly. They can be good friends because they may not want to hurt people like they’ve been hurt.

Conclusion

Finally, since anxiety can be debilitating, people have found a lot of ways to cope. Ranging from a natural method like meditation to CBD, you can put pressure under control and live a life unhindered.