What makes people jittery

They can help you see the situation in a more rational light. Learning to relax is important for overcoming nervousness and managing stress in general.

Breathing exercises are just one way to practice relaxation. Deep breathing works quickly, and it can be practiced at any time and any place you feel nervous. There are different types of breathing exercises that have been shown to work. These include the breathing technique and diaphragmatic breathing. You can work to overcome your nervousness with some simple relaxation exercises or preparing in advance for situations that can take you out of your comfort zone.

We all worry and get upset from time to time. Does worrying put a damper on your day? Try these techniques to free yourself. Though autism and social anxiety have similarities, the two conditions are very different.

Learn why. Check out our picks for the best anxiety products and gift ideas, from books to herbal supplements. People who have generalized anxiety disorder, or GAD, worry uncontrollably about common situations. GAD is different from normal anxiousness.

What are the benefits of running for anxiety? Well, there are many. Here's how going for a jog can clear your head. Health Conditions Discover Plan Connect. Caffeine is a stimulant — and that can be bad news for someone with anxiety. Caffeine's jittery effects on your body are similar to those of a frightening event. Other research suggests that while caffeine can increase alertness, attention, and cognitive function, overdoing it can increase anxiety, particularly in people with panic disorder and social anxiety disorder.

And as with the symptoms of anxiety , one too many cups of joe may leave you feeling nervous and moody, and can keep you up at night.

Certain medications have some ugly side effects — and can cause anxiety symptoms or an anxiety attack. Prescription medications to watch out for include thyroid drugs and asthma drugs , while over-the-counter decongestants have been known to cause anxiety symptoms in some people.

If you suddenly stop taking certain medications sometimes used to treat anxiety , such as benzodiazepines , withdrawal may cause added anxiety. Many over-the-counter OTC weight loss supplements come with anxiety-producing side effects. Use of St. John's wort may lead to insomnia , and green tea extracts which claim to suppress appetite contain plenty of caffeine. Guarana, an ingredient in some OTC diet products, can contain up to four times as much caffeine as coffee beans.

And beware of any product containing ephedra — it can cause increased heart rate and anxiety. The U. The thyroid is a butterfly-shaped gland in the front of your neck that produces thyroid hormones. These hormones are important for regulating your metabolism and energy levels. But if your thyroid produces too much, it can cause anxiety symptoms, such as nervousness, irritability, heart palpitations, and sleeplessness.

Hypothyroidism in which your thyroid produces too little of the needed hormones has also been linked to anxiety disorders. If you have anxiety symptoms along with swelling in your neck, weight loss, weakness, fatigue, or heat intolerance, ask your doctor to check your thyroid gland.

Stress and anxiety often go hand in hand stress can be what causes anxiety symptoms, and anxiety can make stress worse. If you feel shaky as a one-off, it's likely that a temporary cause like fever, fear or stress is to blame. But if you have repeated or persistent episodes, there's a long list of possible causes. It's important to remember that essential tremor , or other causes not related to a serious underlying medical problem, are by far the most likely explanation for tremor if you feel otherwise well.

A tremor is a repetitive, rhythmical movement of a part of your body. Many of the muscles of your body come in pairs, which 'oppose' each other; in other words, contracting one muscle moves your body part in one direction, while contracting the opposing muscle moves it the opposite way.

Tremor comes about when these opposing muscle groups contract in turn. It is involuntary. This means that it is generally not controllable and happens without you deciding to move that body part. It is often felt as a trembling or shaking sensation. A slight tremor is present in all people. That is called physiological tremor. It may not be noticeable. Certain things can make a physiological tremor more noticeable, so you may only notice it now and then.

Give yourself a check-up with a general blood profile, now available in Patient Access. Tremor symptoms severe enough to seek medical help are remarkably common - in fact, tremor is the most common movement disorder seen in specialist neurology clinics in hospital. Conditions like essential tremor often run in families. What affects your risk of getting tremor as a result of other conditions, such as those below, depends very much on what that condition is. Tremor is a symptom, rather than a medical condition on its own.

Sometimes there is no obvious cause; sometimes it's a magnification of your normal physiological tremor, brought on by a temporary stimulant such as caffeine or medication. The most common cause of significant, persistent tremor is essential tremor. The medical term for it used to be 'benign essential tremor', on the basis that it wouldn't do you any harm, wouldn't lead to any other condition and didn't affect your life expectancy.

But for many patients, uncontrollable shaking is anything but harmless. It can make the simplest daily activities a challenge, and has a huge effect on their self-esteem. Anxiety , like excitement, stimulates release of a hormone called adrenaline, the so-called 'fight or flight' hormone. This has profound effects on many parts of your body, mostly aimed at increasing your alertness, muscle strength and ability to run away from danger or turn and face it.

Adrenaline stimulates your nerve endings, raising your awareness, and increases the blood flow to the muscles in your arms and legs. Both of these factors make you more likely to tremble. As well as the obvious feeling anxious, anxiety-related tremor is often accompanied by rapid heartbeat palpitations , shortness of breath, dry mouth and sometimes chest pain. Episodes of low blood sugar, also known as hypoglycaemia or 'hypos', are most common if you have diabetes treated with insulin, or type 2 diabetes treatment with sulfonylurea SU tablets.

SU tablets stimulate your pancreas to produce more insulin, which can drop your blood sugar too low.