Food Causing Anxiety

[Shrimp]

Shrimp, thank you for sharing. Have you tried different things and these ones are those that work for you best? Did you see any improvements or would you say these are just plasters? Thank you!

I've tried so many things suggested here and elsewhere, including niacinamide, breathing exercises (I mean really, how do people do those when they're in a full-blown panic attack?!?), sugar, salt, more calories, magnesium...L-theanine has definitely helped me. I take 200mg on an empty stomach, usually later in the day as it can make me groggy. If I really start panicking (at home) I will lay on the acupressure mat and watch a TV show or something; I don't know how it works but it does help to relax me. Ativan is a last resort that I take if I feel like my day will be ruined if I don't stop the attack ASAP. Honestly though, these are all a plaster as I have underlying health issues that contribute to (and possibly fully cause) the anxiety. Without figuring out the root cause there is only so much you can do. I agree with the others saying endotoxin can cause anxiety as I have noticed an increase in my own after eating irritating foods.

 

[lindsay]

When I cannot sleep at night and feel anxious, I usually listen to ASMR videos on youtube - the sounds are very soothing and eventually lull me to sleep (I really like Gentlewhispering channel). I've never really suffered from Panic Attacks (except one bad one when I had appendicitis and a high fever - so yeah. EXTREME endotoxin there.), but when I am really stressed before important work days, etc., I try to make sure I do some sort of meditative breathing (alternate nostril breathing), do some yoga and put myself into a relaxed state. And I take pregnenolone during the day. Pregnenolone really has a super de-stressing quality. I take 100 mg in the morning and it usually puts me into a "I can handle this" state.

 

[tara]

, breathing exercises (I mean really, how do people do those when they're in a full-blown panic attack?!?)

I think it would work much better to practice them at other times, to help retrain the breathing habits and gradually raise the CO2 set point so it is less likely to get into the panic attack at all. But hasn't paper bag breathing been practised for a long time for acute attacks?

 

[InChristAlone]

Is there any pattern to your attacks? There are hormone changes that occur between 9-11am and around 8 pm, and 3 am (or earlier in the night too when I was at my worst) that I have been prone to feeling an adrenaline rush. Matt Stone claims these can only be healed by consistent calorie dense foods, and of course lower liquids, but I haven't found much of a correlation to these times and liquids, but at least I don't have urinary/bowel urgency unless I am washed out.

The greatest tool for acute attacks has been distraction for me, if you focus on how you are feeling and get scared it will lead to panic, if you focus on doing something else or reminding yourself 'this will pass' it usually clears up much faster. The panic attack is actually because of the fear response and not necessarily the first dump of adrenaline which causes the shakey, hyperventilation, and anxiety stuff. I think I have HPA axis dysfunction and I think the adrenaline comes in when my cortisol is not sustaining my blood sugar. It is just a matter of frequent meals lots of rest and brain re-training to get your mind off the adrenaline/anxiety.

I actually just had my usual 8 pm anxiety, I think I saved too many calories for late in the day and so I wasn't running on enough to get through that hormone change. I felt a bit of panic set in but kept my mind off it and now the hot flash is coming. Previously without any tools to get through these, I would focus on how I was feeling, which would lead to more freaking out and hyperventilation and the adrenaline would intensify so much that nausea and lack of appetite would come on and I wouldn't put anything in my mouth until I felt back to normal, so it would usually be hours. Now I just feel the rush coming on with anxiety for about 30 mins, then about 5 mins of shakiness before feeling back to normal and anxiety disappears. Its really interesting to see the process when you separate yourself from it.

 

[Shrimp]

I think it would work much better to practice them at other times, to help retrain the breathing habits and gradually raise the CO2 set point so it is less likely to get into the panic attack at all. But hasn't paper bag breathing been practised for a long time for acute attacks?

That makes sense. Honestly, I haven't had the patience to really practice breathing at other times, but I'm sure it would benefit some people who are more disciplined than I am. :) And I have seen paper bag breathing as a remedy for acute hyperventilation/panic in many places, but it hasn't seemed to help me when I've tried it. Focusing on my breath actually seems to amplify my anxiety more than anything. Again, I can see how it could be helpful for others and it is easy enough to try!

Oh I forgot another thing that helps me is reiki. I don't believe in the spiritual side of it but still find it helpful for panic attack prevention as someone who has difficulty meditating. Lying down with some soothing music and someone physically directing attention/energy to different areas (feet/shoulders/whatever) helps draw me out of my head when my thoughts are racing, and in turn that lets the rest of my body chill out.

 

[tara]

Focusing on my breath actually seems to amplify my anxiety more than anything.

I think I may have had mild panic/hyperventilation attacks at night a few times during a stressful patch a few years ago. Undereating probably contributed, along with mouth breathing in my sleep. Now I eat more reliably and sleep with my mouth shut (and various other changes that may also have helped).
But once underway, there was no way I could stop it by trying to calm my breath. I had to get up and move - I'm guessing I wasn't making enough CO2 until I worked some muscles a little.

 

[InChristAlone]

I have had the middle of the night ones where it does feel like you are going to hyperventilate, a few of them I really thought I was going to die of suffocation or something! The first major one I went to the ER because my heart rate shot up to 140 and my hands started seizing up, I began taking some sugar and it started easing but we still made the trip in case it was more serious. They gave me a benzo after my labs looked fine. I've never had such severe one after that, but a few during the night I really had to calm my breathing. The during the day ones seem more like an anxiety falling blood sugar/changing hormone thing rather than hyperventilation. I'm not sure, so many things could be going on at once.

 

[michael94]

Immune response, you have leaky gut of some sort and probably SIBO/fungal overgrowth

 

[scarlettsmum]

Sorry for the late response everyone and thanks very much for helping me with this! I really appreciate all your help and will definitely peruse some of the advice. Theanine and lysine are on the way.

@DaveFoster salt is a big one, you are right. I am only now realising how important it is to my overall wellbeing. I will have to work on fitting it in in all my meals. I know what you mean about hyperventilating, however sometimes it is impossible to stop especially in the middle of a panic attack/full blown anxiety. In terms of food, I just eat calories/food to taste.

@Janelle525 thanks for the reassurance on cypro. I am doing the carrot salad religiously and have also some charcoal on hand should this be endotoxin related. I now do milk between meals but also have some juice alongside it, which helps. There is no pattern to my panic attacks/anxiety. It just happens and then goes away. I feel it's often some sort of stimuli, food allergy or a thought, that can bring on this feeling. I think there might be something in Matt Stones advice but it usually gets people into more trouble than help. My experience at least. I agree with you on the fear amplifying the panic attack, I have learnt this from TLM method, which has been discussed on here before. It helps to some degree, but not when it is triggered by something I eat, then the physical symptoms won't simply go away because I try to ignore it. But as you said, it is important not to freak out and make it worse by fearing the symptoms. I must say I am much better at handling these now, although they are extremely annoying and sometimes downright scary. So like you, I also try hard to separate myself from it when it comes and try to observe it rather than getting swept by it.

@Shrimp thanks for sharing your tips. I will be trying theanine and am also doing magnesium and also found out recently that Haidut's energin seems to improve/lighten my mood. Perhaps I need more b vitamins, although I do eat liver religiously every week, but I'm really stressy, so perhaps I have higher need. Have you tried b vitamins? I am hoping that once my colon settles I will be able to reintroduce spicy foods again, but I will probably wait a year or so, since I am freaked out by the recent experience.

@lindsay I will check out ASMR videos and gentle whispering channel, just the name alone sounds really soothing.:) I am undecided on pregnenolone, since there are mixed reviews in the forum. I am trying to avoid anything that could push me into the overstimulated mode that then brings on anxiety. Sometimes even simple vitamins B can do this for me if I don't eat enough.

@tara you are right about being prepared, practicing breathing when not in a panic mode. I do however do bag breathing and it does help me get out of the worst.

 

[James IV]

Totally agree with jayfish, and icecreamlover. From my experience, anxiety attacks, especially at night, are almost always an endotoxin issue. But remember almost ANYTHING that doesn't get digested properly can create endotoxin. Grain starch/protein can be particularly troublesome. But milk (casein, lactose), too much protein, too much fructose, too much cellulose, etc, can cause issues.
It's also not always about particular foods, but when you eat them, how much you eat, what you combine them with, or a combination of the above.
I don't claim to know the answer to your issues, but a bunch of supplements would be the last route I would take. Possibly a magnesium or Epsom salt baths since magnesium seems to be a common deficiency.
I would focus on feeding/rebuilding the cells/metabolism. I dont mean to imply necessarily eating more calories, because eating beyond your digestive/metabolic ability can exacerbate the problem, and create others. I would try to eat in a way that allows maximum utilization, using foods that provide dense energy and structural material for the cells.

To put that in a less cryptic way, I would dump all the bread and grain starches and probably much of the juice. Replace them with saturated fats and whole fruit (cooked if ripeness is questionable), since some bulk is good for stimulating peristalsis. Maybe replace the milk with fermented products like full fat yogurt (which seem to be easier on compromised digestions, YMMV). I would shoot for a 40/20/40 fat/pro/carb ratio, and I would eat small meals every 1-2 hours, with a slightly larger meal before bed. Do this constantly for a few days or a week and you may be surprised at how not regular you actually are. When the metabolism gets in gear you're likely going to see some stuff coming out that has been sitting in you for a while. I would continue this as long as needed to resolve issues. As you feel better you can increase meal size and decrease frequency incrementally until you arrive at a sustainable setup. I would adjust calories up slowly as metabolism allows, to avoid fat gain (unless you are underweight.)

 

[scarlettsmum]

Totally agree with jayfish, and icecreamlover. From my experience, anxiety attacks, especially at night, are almost always an endotoxin issue. But remember almost ANYTHING that doesn't get digested properly can create endotoxin. Grain starch/protein can be particularly troublesome. But milk (casein, lactose), too much protein, too much fructose, too much cellulose, etc, can cause issues.
It's also not always about particular foods, but when you eat them, how much you eat, what you combine them with, or a combination of the above.
I don't claim to know the answer to your issues, but a bunch of supplements would be the last route I would take. Possibly a magnesium or Epsom salt baths since magnesium seems to be a common deficiency.
I would focus on feeding/rebuilding the cells/metabolism. I dont mean to imply necessarily eating more calories, because eating beyond your digestive/metabolic ability can exacerbate the problem, and create others. I would try to eat in a way that allows maximum utilization, using foods that provide dense energy and structural material for the cells.

To put that in a less cryptic way, I would dump all the bread and grain starches and probably much of the juice. Replace them with saturated fats and whole fruit (cooked if ripeness is questionable), since some bulk is good for stimulating peristalsis. Maybe replace the milk with fermented products like full fat yogurt (which seem to be easier on compromised digestions, YMMV). I would shoot for a 40/20/40 fat/pro/carb ratio, and I would eat small meals every 1-2 hours, with a slightly larger meal before bed. Do this constantly for a few days or a week and you may be surprised at how not regular you actually are. When the metabolism gets in gear you're likely going to see some stuff coming out that has been sitting in you for a while. I would continue this as long as needed to resolve issues. As you feel better you can increase meal size and decrease frequency incrementally until you arrive at a sustainable setup. I would adjust calories up slowly as metabolism allows, to avoid fat gain (unless you are underweight.)

James, thank you for your input, some of the things you wrote, really resonate with me. I do agree that it can be endotoxin related. I can certainly feel how different foods affect me. But I also think that it is a learned response where I feel threatened by the symptoms, so it is a vicious cycle. I think you gave me some really good tips and sensible ideas on how to go about solving it. What you said about timing, ratios, amounts are all so important, very true for me. The difficult bit is putting it into practice. I don't plan on taking supplements as a way of plastering over problems. These are there to enable me to drink coffee (theanine) or to ward off cold sore (lysine). I don't plan on taking them indefinitely.
I try to eat to appetite, so no overeating for me. I am not always sure if I eat enough calories but I generally trust my body to ask.

I would like to dump grains and starch, but I get such satiety out of them. I tried and got stressed out and adrenaline. I just felt that as soon as I restricted my diet I would eat less and that would bring on anxiety and stress hormones. Unfortunately or fortunately I am not one of those hardcore people that can stick to such strict limited eating plan. Thankfully at the same time I never had enough will power to go paleo or some such other crazy fad. Why no juice? I thought yoghurt = lactic acid, not recommended, as well as the unwanted probiotics? What you suggest otherwise in terms of the ratios is very appealing to me, I crave dairy fat, but am afraid of it since it makes me put on weight very quickly. But I would love to give myself permission to eat full fat dairy products. What is the reasoning for such high fat intake? Satiety? Is this advice from your own experience? Some of your suggestions remind me of what the Rubbins recommend actually.

 

[SarahBeara]

Your panic attacks sound a lot like mine, mine also happen about 30 mins to a hour after eating, and food can't make it to the bowel that quickly so it's unlikely to be endotoxin. It's more likely to be gas trapped in the fundus of your stomach placing pressure on your vagus nerve causing a pounding (but normal rate) heart and an OVERWHELMING sense of impending doom. Like if you don't leave this room or do something different you'll faint/puke or your head will explode.

I wish I could tell you I've found a solution, but I have found some things that help slightly. (currently trialling d-limonene but too early to tell if it helps)

1. Simethicone before meals, eating small meals with low fermentable carbs and eating slowly and chewing thoroughly.
2. 'Downward dog' yoga position, relieves the gas pressure on the vagus nerve
3. If in dire straights I take domperidone, I really try to avoid this as it's a potent raiser of prolactin and suppressor of dopamine but it moves food out of my stomach quickly so I feel normal again.

 

[sladerunner69]

I think having an increase metabolism has an inherent emphasizing affect on the feeling of anxiety. In other words, t3 sugar caffiene etc, are going to increase anxiety somewhat. It isn't exactly congruent to the unpleasant anxiety I get from a really tense situation or an overt danger, but in general having more energy feels like I have a surplus of energy that I need to expel somehow. If you listen to Ray Peat podcasts with Danny Roddy and Haiduit, you can definitely sense they speak with a hustle or a rush and uncertainty in their voice that is indicative of surplus energy levels. Thus, I conclude that the anxiety you are attributing to these foods and viatimins can be more correctly described as surplus energy

 

[Maxim]

1. Don't eat fat/protein-heavy in the second part of the day. Give your liver a break.
2. Drop grains, they are strong contributing factor. Without grains you might still wake up, but not with panic attack.
3. Do liver flushes (oil/lemon juice) to cleanse liver and bile ducts.
4. Take baking soda solution on empty stomach, that will neutralize acid. The way it works: you wake up with anexiety, drink a glass of hot water with 1/2 tsp. baking soda, in 20-30 min you are back to sleep, without it you might suffer until morning.

I did a longer post about in a different topic of this forum. I whish I learned how to link to other posts without copy pasting/duplicating the text.

 

[RatRancher]

SarahBeara,
What you bring up sounds like Roemheld Syndrome.
The primary cause is gas in the transverse colon that applies pressure
To the stomach,vagus nerve and then heart. The V nerve is suppressed causing bradicardia,then
To compensate adrenaline is pumped into the system causing tachycardia/anxiety.

scarlettsmum,
If it's fundamentally a digestive issue, activated charcoal as well as simethicone, plus something like ginger ale
To help pop the gas bubble in the fundus may help.
IMHO, another issue that this condition can lead to is hiatal hernia. HH can also cause esophageal spasm that keeps food from entering the stomach. Proper stretching and posture helps.
If you do suffer from Roemheld, beta blockers are not advised as the primary problem stems from bradicardia.