Anxiety Can Affect Your Throat
Anxiety can cause physical symptoms in just about any area of your body. But the throat seems to be a hotspot. There are multiple throat problems that can occur as a direct result of anxiety. Since there are multiple throat problems that anxiety can cause, it’ll be best if we take a look at them one at a time.
Burning Throat
This is possibly the most unpleasant throat problem that anxiety can cause, and when it lasts for extended periods of time it can be quite scary.
Why Does Anxiety Cause a Burning Throat?
You produce more stomach acid than normal when you’re anxious. You’ll feel this as a knot in your stomach. If the excess acid refluxes into your throat it will irritate the delicate tissues there and cause burning hypersensitivity. When you are anxious for long periods of time a large amount of adrenaline builds up in your system, causing hypersensitivity throughout your body. In the throat, this often presents itself as burning.
How to Stop a Burning Throat Caused by Anxiety
To stop a burning throat, you can either treat the symptoms as they appear for short-term relief, or you can treat the root-cause to stop the problem from ever happening. When your throat starts to burn, try the following tips: sip cool water, avoid hot drinks, chew gum to increase saliva, gargle salt water, put your head over a bowl of hot water and breathe in the steam. If acid reflux is your root cause you’ll need to make some changes to your diet. The solution is to find ways to give yourself moments of peace. Listen to relaxation sounds, go for a short walk, take a hot shower or bath, and find comfort in things you love like old movies, books, and music. Do whatever relaxes you often enough and your hypersensitivity will fade.
Why Does Anxiety Cause a Lump in the Throat and a Tight Throat?
With anxiety often causing excess stomach acid, it increases the likelihood that some of it will reflux into your throat. If this occurs for long enough the acid will irritate your throat, causing a lump in the throat sensation or a tight throat. If your anxiety causes hypersensitivity, you’re more likely to become allergic to something. An allergy will produce excess mucus in the back of your nose and throat. When the excess mucus trickles down your throat (post nasal drip), it can make you feel like you have something stuck in your throat or that you have a tight throat. There’s a ring of muscle in your throat that opens and closes to let food down into your stomach. When you’re anxious this muscle can become tense, causing the feeling that something is stuck in your throat or that your throat is tight.
How to Stop a Lump in the Throat and a Tight Throat Caused by Anxiety
There’s a different approach to stopping these sensations in your throat depending on which of the causes is responsible. If acid reflux is to blame then you need to make a few dietary changes. If post nasal drip is to blame there are a few things you can try. Use a neti pot in the morning and at night to flush out the sinuses. Place a humidifier where you sleep to combat dry air. Take an over-the-counter antihistamine to treat any undiagnosed allergies. Consider cutting dairy and wheat from your diet one at a time to see if either of them is causing your problems. If muscle tension is to blame, you need to find ways to relax the muscles in your throat region, speech therapy can help.
Dry Throat
A dry throat is a common problem when you have anxiety. It’s not unbearable like some anxiety symptoms can be, but it’s annoying and something you’d be much happier without. Stress and anxiety produce excess acid in your stomach, and if the acid backs up into your throat it irritates the delicate tissues there, making your throat feel dry. When you’re anxious, your body releases adrenaline into your system. One of adrenaline’s effects is to shut off your salivary glands, which quickly leads to a dry throat. When you’re relaxed you breathe through your nose, as you should. But when you’re anxious you tend to breathe through your mouth. This exposes your mouth to more air than is normal and this dries out your throat.
How to Stop a Dry Throat Caused by Anxiety
First try to determine which of the potential causes is responsible for your dry throat. Then treat that cause appropriately. The best way to treat acid reflux is by making some simple changes to your diet. Excess adrenaline is hard to get rid of until your underlying anxiety is dealt with. But for short-term relief use “anxiety timeouts” to give yourself a break from your stress and anxiety. Good ways to do this: going for a walk, hot baths, hot showers, listening to music, listening to relaxation sounds, getting lost in old books and movies you love. The only way to combat mouth breathing is to force yourself to breathe correctly for short periods throughout the day. Do this enough times and you’ll naturally start to breathe correctly. Every couple of hours, sit with your hands on your stomach. Take a controlled breath in through your nose for a count of 4 while gently pushing your stomach out against your hands. Then exhale through your nose for a count of 4 while gently pulling your stomach back in away from your hands. Do this for 2 minutes several times a day.
The Takeaway
Your throat is a sensitive area and ongoing anxiety can lead to several problems developing there. The symptoms themselves are annoying and distracting, and the symptoms can lead to more anxiety since you don’t know what’s causing them.
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That’s good to know that if you are anxious over a long period of time that I can make your body hypersensitive and cause burning in your throat. My daughter has been complaining about her throat burning lately, so I’m trying to determine what’s causing it since it seems to flare up at night. I’ll have to take her to an Ear Nose and Throat specialist that can look at her and see if anxiety is causing the feeling so we can make sure we take the right steps to address it since she has been stressed with exams lately.
ReplyHazel, did you ever find anything out about your daughter? Mine is going through the exact same thing!
ReplyHi glad to meet everyone. I have a question if you can help. I have anxiety and i been dealing with it for 4years but over time it has gottin better but now since the pandemic ir his sky rockedted. My question is does anxiety cause pain and tenderness in the upper part of your chest and even your neck?
ReplyI have been dealing with anxiety for over 20 years. Since the pandemic it has gotten worse and I have pain and tenderness in the upper chest too and other symptoms I’ve never had.
ReplyThis is some really good information about how anxiety can affect your throat. It is good to know that it can cause your throat to swell. That seems like something you should talk to an ENT about after all that sounds like it could get really dangerous.
ReplyI have anxiety and depression. My nose has been burning and is tender. Can Anxiety and Depression cause that? Thank You!
ReplyDid u ever find out im the same :((
ReplyHi I’ve recently had a asbestos exposure about 3 months ago ,which was amosite brown asbestos which was a 1 day exposure ,I’ve been quite stressed and upset ,my throat has been very strange
ReplyIke a constant tickle at back of throat ,and my breathing sounds heavy ,I’d be most grateful in your response
Can anxiety effect your breathing for 7weeks like a tight throat and breathlessness when resting aswell can anxiety effect it
ReplyAt night when I sleep, I suddenly feel spit escape into my throat and the next thing is I will be breathless and start coughing and the next thing I will feel like vomiting and I will vomit thick slimming spit at times foaming. And sudden dry throat. What’s the cause and what’s the cure?
ReplyHello! I have been dealing with anxiety for the past 10 years. When it first started I wasn’t to aware of it but as the years went on I started to have panic attacks. I recently just had a panic attack back in December. Fast forward to now. Since yesterday it feels likes I cannot breathe and that is making me extremely anxious. It goes back and forth. Feels likes my throat is closed a little then it opens up for awhile then back to it being closed for a little. I know it’s due to anxiety. It’s so annoying. I also have a little tickle in the back of my throat but don’t really have to cough. When I concentrate on my breathing; I think that is what is making it happen. I’m trying to do breathing exercises to see if that will work. It does work and then it goes back. Ughhh. Any suggestions?
ReplyAwesome article. I also have some issues with my ear and throat and was showing an doctor. And I accept that you have to show yourself to a specialist for your problem rather than show it to an ordinary clinician.
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