WEBVTT - BrainStuff Classics: How Does Anxiety Work?

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to brain Stuff, a production of I Heart Radio.

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<v Speaker 1>Hey brain Stuff. Lauren bog Obam here with a classic

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<v Speaker 1>episode from the Vault, hosted by my predecessor, Christian Sager.

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<v Speaker 1>These days, it's perfectly natural to be feeling anxious. Everyone

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<v Speaker 1>does sometimes, and there are plenty of things that anyone

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<v Speaker 1>can do to help combat it. Christian goes through a

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<v Speaker 1>few ideas at the end of the episode, but in

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<v Speaker 1>this one, we wanted to talk about what's going on

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<v Speaker 1>in the brain when anxiety becomes a disorder. Here's Christian,

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<v Speaker 1>Hey brain Stuff, It's Christian Sager here. Listen. I get anxious.

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<v Speaker 1>You do too, But hey, it is a totally normal

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<v Speaker 1>and healthy response that keeps us from doing things that

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<v Speaker 1>might actually be dangerous, like sticking your hand in a fire,

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<v Speaker 1>for instance. But when anxiety is so pervasive that it

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<v Speaker 1>interferes with your daily life, it becomes a disorder, and

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<v Speaker 1>most researchers believe that disorder begins in your or brain.

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<v Speaker 1>There's several types of anxiety disorders. Phobias, PTSD and o

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<v Speaker 1>c D are just a few, and some forty million

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<v Speaker 1>American adults suffer from an anxiety disorder, according to the

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<v Speaker 1>National Institute of Mental Health. But let's focus today on

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<v Speaker 1>general anxiety disorder, which affects close to seven million adults

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<v Speaker 1>and is twice as likely in women. You're constantly anticipating

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<v Speaker 1>a threat or disaster that isn't actually present. Maybe you're

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<v Speaker 1>worried about money, health, family, or work, and despite reality,

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<v Speaker 1>you'll expect the worst. The symptoms include restlessness, fatigue, difficulty concentrating, irritability,

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<v Speaker 1>muscle tension, and sleep disturbances. The symptoms officially become a

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<v Speaker 1>disorder when you can't control your worry for at least

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<v Speaker 1>six months. You may still be social or even employed,

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<v Speaker 1>but people with general anxiety disorder can have difficulty carrying

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<v Speaker 1>out even the simplest of daily activity. These experts believe

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<v Speaker 1>that general anxiety disorder is caused by both biological factors

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<v Speaker 1>and life experiences good old combination of nature and nurture.

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<v Speaker 1>But anxiety is also recognized by many as an emotional

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<v Speaker 1>response with neurobiological roots. Simply put, the neural pathways in

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<v Speaker 1>our brains sometimes lead to irrational anxiety, and stressful situations

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<v Speaker 1>encourage us to develop associations with those pathways by influencing

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<v Speaker 1>which neurochemicals passed through them. The same way you learn

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<v Speaker 1>to tie your shoe, you can also learn to be anxious.

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<v Speaker 1>The neurons in your brain fire, and over time they

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<v Speaker 1>get wired together. One stressful thing like being stuck in traffic,

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<v Speaker 1>leads you to think of another stressful thing, like a

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<v Speaker 1>car crash you once survived, and this activates a part

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<v Speaker 1>of the brain stem called the locus ceruleus. This triggers

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<v Speaker 1>the symptoms of anxiety by releasing neuro epinephrin into your

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<v Speaker 1>spinal cord and parts of your brain, while hormones like

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<v Speaker 1>adrenaline and cortisol spread through your body. It's supposed to

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<v Speaker 1>initiate an analgesic response to suppress pain and initiate defense

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<v Speaker 1>when you're under threat, like if you were actually in

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<v Speaker 1>a car crash and injured. But when there isn't any

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<v Speaker 1>actual threat, all we're left with is the jitters of anxiety.

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<v Speaker 1>A couple other things about the brain contribute to anxiety.

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<v Speaker 1>Researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital have found that people with

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<v Speaker 1>a thicker ventro medial prefuntal cortex are less likely to

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<v Speaker 1>get anxiety. Basically, some brains have more armor against anxiety

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<v Speaker 1>inducing situations than others. We don't have enough time in

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<v Speaker 1>this episode for a full accounting of the treatments available

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<v Speaker 1>for anxiety disorders, but you should know that only one

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<v Speaker 1>third of the people suffering from anxiety are actually getting help,

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<v Speaker 1>even though it's highly manageable. Treatment usually involves a combination

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<v Speaker 1>of cognitive of behavioral therapy a k a. Talking to

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<v Speaker 1>a therapist, and medications to relieve the symptoms. Other treatments

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<v Speaker 1>include relaxation techniques like meditation, improve nutrition, exercise, and adequate sleep.

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<v Speaker 1>Medications will change your brain chemistry temporarily, and some even

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<v Speaker 1>dispute that, but they are not a cure for anxiety.

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<v Speaker 1>For that, you'll need to change your neural pathways associations

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<v Speaker 1>by learning new behaviors through therapy. This method of learning

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<v Speaker 1>new everyday strategies can be slow going and repetitious, but

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<v Speaker 1>scan show that you can literally change your brain with

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<v Speaker 1>enough practice. Today's episode was written by Christian and produced

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<v Speaker 1>by Tyler Clang. For more on this and lots of

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<v Speaker 1>other brainy topics, is it how stuff works dot com.

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<v Speaker 1>Brain Stuff is production of I Heart Radio. For more

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