Can anxiety make you tired
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Can Anxiety Make You Tired?
Anxiety is a common mental health condition that can significantly impact various aspects of daily life, including energy levels. Research has consistently shown a strong link between anxiety and fatigue, suggesting that anxiety can indeed make you tired. This article synthesizes findings from multiple studies to explore this relationship.
Anxiety and Daytime Fatigue in College Students
A study examining college students found that those with higher levels of anxiety and stress also reported increased daytime fatigue and sleepiness, despite getting adequate nighttime sleep1. This suggests that anxiety can contribute to feelings of tiredness during the day, independent of sleep quality.
Cancer-Related Fatigue and Anxiety
In cancer patients, fatigue is a prevalent symptom that is closely associated with psychological distress, including anxiety. A systematic review confirmed that almost all studies found a correlation between fatigue and anxiety in cancer patients, highlighting the significant impact of anxiety on energy levels2.
Trait Anxiety and Fatigue
Research exploring the relationship between trait anxiety and fatigue found that individuals with higher levels of trait anxiety also reported higher levels of general, physical, and psychological fatigue. This study suggests that certain personality traits, such as harm avoidance, may predispose individuals to both anxiety and fatigue3.
Anxiety and Fatigue in Eating Disorders
In individuals with anorexia nervosa, anxiety and fatigue are closely linked. Core symptoms such as feeling tired and loss of energy were found to be strongly connected to anxiety and worry, indicating that anxiety can exacerbate fatigue in those with eating disorders4.
Postnatal Fatigue and Anxiety
A longitudinal study on postnatal women found that state anxiety was a strong predictor of fatigue intensity from birth to six months postpartum. This underscores the importance of addressing anxiety to manage fatigue in new mothers6.
Generalized Anxiety Disorder and Fatigue
Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) is characterized by excessive worry and physical symptoms, including being easily fatigued. Adults with GAD often report higher levels of fatigue, which can significantly impact their daily functioning7.
Fatigue in Breast Cancer Patients
Breast cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy reported higher levels of fatigue and anxiety compared to non-cancer controls. This fatigue persisted up to six months post-chemotherapy and was associated with worse quality of life, indicating a long-term impact of anxiety on energy levels8.
Genetic and Environmental Factors
A twin study examining the genetic and environmental associations between anxiety, depression, musculoskeletal pain, and fatigue found that there is a considerable overlap in genetic risk factors for these conditions. This suggests that anxiety and fatigue may share common underlying genetic susceptibilities9.
Menstrual Cycle and Fatigue
Women with generalized anxiety disorder reported greater physical and mental fatigue compared to non-anxious women. Interestingly, mental fatigue increased during the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle in non-anxious women, reaching levels similar to those with anxiety, indicating that hormonal fluctuations may also play a role in fatigue10.
Conclusion
The evidence clearly indicates that anxiety can make you tired. Whether through direct psychological mechanisms, shared genetic factors, or interactions with other conditions, anxiety significantly contributes to feelings of fatigue. Addressing anxiety through appropriate interventions may help alleviate fatigue and improve overall quality of life.
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Most relevant research papers on this topic
1101 Daytime Interactions Of Anxiousness, Stressfulness, Sleepiness, And Fatigue In College Students: A Longitudinal Cluster Analysis
Elevated anxiousness and stressfulness in college students may be accompanied by increased daytime fatigue and sleepiness, despite adequate nightly sleep.
Observational Study
Very Rigorous JournalCancer-related fatigue and its associations with depression and anxiety: a systematic review.
Cancer-related fatigue is strongly associated with depression and anxiety, but better directionality in longitudinal studies is needed.
Systematic Review
Highly CitedCorrelations between trait anxiety, personality and fatigue: study based on the Temperament and Character Inventory.
Trait anxiety, harm avoidance, and self-directedness are linked to fatigue, suggesting they may be predictors for fatigue-related disorders.
Observational StudyHighly CitedPinpointing core and pathway symptoms among sleep disturbance, anxiety, worry, and eating disorder symptoms in anorexia nervosa and atypical anorexia nervosa.
Targeting sleep disturbance, anxiety, and worry could improve treatment for anorexia nervosa.
Observational Study
Rigorous JournalAbstract P6-05-06: Patient-reported anxiety and fatigue in women enrolled in the RxPONDER trial (SWOG S1007) by menopausal status
Premenopausal women experience higher fatigue scores in endocrine therapy compared to chemotherapy, but this difference is not statistically significant.
RCTThe role of anxiety and other factors in predicting postnatal fatigue: from birth to 6 months.
State anxiety is a strong predictor of postnatal fatigue intensity, emphasizing the importance of assessing anxiety symptoms in all childbearing women.
Observational StudyHighly CitedSymptoms of Generalized Anxiety Disorder Among Adults: United States, 2019.
Approximately 9% of adults aged 18 and over experienced symptoms of generalized anxiety disorder in the past 2 weeks, with a higher prevalence in those with GAD-7 scores of 5-9, 10-14, or 15-21.
Highly CitedFatigue, anxiety, and quality of life in breast cancer patients compared to non-cancer controls: a nationwide longitudinal analysis
Breast cancer patients experience significant fatigue and anxiety up to six months post-chemotherapy, leading to worse quality of life.
Observational StudyRigorous JournalFatigue symptoms in relation to neuroticism, anxiety-depression, and musculoskeletal pain. A longitudinal twin study
Neuroticism, anxiety-depression, and musculoskeletal pain are genetically linked to fatigue symptoms, with unique and pleiotropic effects influencing the genetic architecture of these phenotypes.
Observational StudyRigorous JournalPhysical and mental fatigue across the menstrual cycle in women with and without generalised anxiety disorder
Increased mental fatigue in non-anxious women during the mid-luteal phase of the menstrual cycle may be a vulnerable period for the development and maintenance of psychiatric disorders.
Observational Study