Restlessness - cause, symptoms and therapy

Restlessness - Driven and Depressed

The hands are shaking, sweat breaks out, the muscles twitch, and the eyes wink. We can and do not concentrate and the heart is racing. Every person knows restlessness, nervousness and inner restlessness - occasionally.

contents

• Restlessness - Driven and Depressed
• Body, psyche, environment
• The environment
• Own behavior
• Internal restlessness and the consequences
• Causes of restlessness
• therapy
• The "urgent disease"
• Restlessness and depression
• When is the doctor in demand??
• Soothing tea and baths
• Sport works

But if this condition becomes chronic, then our quality of life suffers massively. Physical illness, psychological problems and work overload can be the cause.

To be always restless and geared. Image: Bits and Splits - fotolia

Restless people are constantly under power, they feel rushed. No matter what they do, it always seems too little. The inner pressure does not make them do better tasks - on the contrary, they get out of balance at the slightest trigger. They are easily irritable, emotional outbursts are the result.

Some do not show this emotional chaos openly. Those affected then invest enormous energy to conceal their unrest. Although they protect the exterior of the facade, but cement their complaints because they accept no help.

Most of the time, however, the nervous can be recognized: they speak quickly and with a higher voice than usual, they can not keep their hands still, look around, shake or run their fingers through their hair, smoke chain and breathe quickly.

In the case of harmless triggers, inner restlessness can be controlled well. Often, it arises precisely because those affected neglect simple actions that let them settle down.

This includes, above all, enough sleep and exercise in the fresh air. Insomnia is an important cause of inner restlessness. If you are the victim of an organic illness or serious mental health condition, sufferers should seek medical attention immediately.

Body, psyche, environment

Internal restlessness coupled with lack of sleep is very often an expression of working conditions. Those who work longer and do more work and earn less, try to shorten their natural sleep, be it with coffee or even cocaine, which in addition to the lack of sleep, causes nervousness.

Mental illnesses are also associated with inner restlessness, especially anxiety disorders, depression and obsessive-compulsive disorder. Feared not only get distressed in the triggering situation, but already when they only think about them. Just thinking of cats in a person who has a phobia of cats, the thought of testing in a person with test anxiety, causes the inner turmoil. The sufferers tense up inwardly until they get physical discomfort or even panic attacks. They blush, they get sick, they tremble, and their hearts are racing.

Restlessness can also have an organic background: low blood sugar and an overactive thyroid are the usual suspects - and hypertension.

You should definitely go to the doctor if you are always nervous, without knowing an external trigger and suffer from other symptoms: stomach and back pain, diarrhea, heart rhythm disorders or depression and anxiety.

The environment

Restlessness is often conditioned by the social environment. Who is exposed to constant stress, be it in the family or by work pressure, who runs permanently appointments behind, who always wants to meet the more outrageous demands of his fellow human beings, who flood in the flood of virtual offers stimuli, or who burden life questions - which is almost automatic restless.

The brain can only process a certain amount of stimuli, demands and achievements - when the limits of this task are exceeded, it switches to the stress mode.

Own behavior

Not only the environmental stimuli themselves are the problem, but also the reaction to it. Whoever wants to be perfect, which is impossible, puts himself under constant pressure. He is driven inwardly. He can not rest because he makes demands on himself that he can not fulfill.

People who proverbially "do not rest in themselves" are too sensitive to criticism from others. They try to make their mark in the outside world, but they always feel insecure because they are dissatisfied with themselves. Since their self-image is fragile, they do not come to rest.

Also, who can not switch off, will eventually restless. To say "now it's time to leave", the smartphone will be off, and the mails are not open today, this end-stroke is difficult for many. The peace of mind stays when we brood over problems at work in the evening in bed, or two hours later still upset about the cyclist who took us the right of way.

Not only how long someone gets upset, but also about what leads to inner unrest. The neighbor does not clean his stairs, on the sidewalk is a plastic bag, in the coffee cup is a brown border? If you are so excited about such trifles, you can be sure you never come to rest.

Internal restlessness and the consequences

When we tense, the body relaxes afterwards. We breathe calmly, the heart rate drops, the circulation calms down. Those who constantly suffer from inner unrest, the body takes damage: Disease germs are easier to penetrate, the immune system does less.

Mental disorders not only cause inner restlessness, but restlessness can also trigger these disorders: Chronic nervousness can slip into clinical depression.

Causes of restlessness

The causes of restlessness are manifold. This includes:

1) Hypoglycaemia: If the body gets too little sugar, it shows up in cravings, sweating, in tremors, tachycardia and inner restlessness.

Too low a glucose level can cause restlessness. Image: TwilightArtPictures - fotolia

2) Low blood pressure also causes inner restlessness. This is associated with dizziness, sleep problems, fatigue, headache, tinnitus, depression, cold limbs and the inability to concentrate. But high blood pressure leads to considerable unrest.

3) Hyperthyroidism is characterized by diarrhea, weight loss, trembling fingers, heart rhythm disturbances and insomnia. Those affected are chronically nervous.

4) Alcohol, caffeine and nicotine, alone or together, lead to nervous behavior. As a general rule, the more coffee and Red Bull we consume, the more cigarettes we smoke or the more schnapps we drink, the more restless we become.

5) Internal restlessness is a key symptom in Attention Deficit Disorder.

6) Personality disorders are generally characterized by inner restlessness associated with addiction problems, massive anxiety, negative moods that also fluctuate, and fatigue.

The nervousness of bipolars when they are in a manic phase is clearly visible. These people then run about restlessly, skipping over their rhetoric without finishing a thought, they are always "on the run", they do not sleep for days - they do not come to rest.

People with an unstable disorder become inwardly restless when their moods tip - this happens very frequently, and so they are constantly in a Hab - Eight mode.

To be restless is also an expression of clinical depression, plus hopelessness, pressure on the chest, apathy, the inability to feel pleasure, listlessness and generally depressed mood.

Schizophrenics suffer from strong tension, they can not concentrate, they are sensitive to noise, light and noise - and they do not calm down internally.

7) pulmonary embolism. Clogs a pulmonary artery, whether by a blood clot, foreign body, or air, then leads to pain in breathing, coughing and anxiety, cold sweat and palpitations to inner restlessness.

8) Alcoholics know negative moods as well as unfounded fears. Internal restlessness is firstly a permanent condition in alcoholics, excessive nervousness but secondly a withdrawal symptom, if they want to get rid of the addiction.

9) Many drugs lead to restlessness. These include hallucinogens such as LSD, thorn apple, fly agaric or psylocibin and mescaline, but also cannabis.

10) What applies to illegal drugs also applies to legal drugs. Nervousness is a side effect of amantadine, theophylline and bupropion, as well as a withdrawal symptom of benzodiazepines.

11) A sunstroke also leads to restlessness, combined with chills and dizziness. This also applies to burns.

therapy

1) If you have a serious illness, consult a doctor. Even then, one's own actions help to reduce the unrest.

2) First keep a journal of when the nervousness breaks out. Do you work too much? Then provide relief if possible. Tell employees about their problem, their partner, relatives and friends.

3) Analyze what is the reason for the excess of work. Is your boss putting you under pressure or yourself? Are you trying to have your "fingers inside" in all areas? Then the task is to trust and leave to others those activities that you do not necessarily have to do and that others can do better.

4) Does your boss need fast results? Or you yourself? Then sit back. Relax. Stress does not bring good results. They need time to organize their thoughts. That even benefits the work.

5) Stay away from people who panic you. If you're too nervous yourself, you do not need "drama kings" in your tight-knit environment to fuel the turmoil.

6) Decide and honor the alternatives to this decision. The advertising industry provides us around the clock with suggestions on what we need, should have and should achieve. Therefore, whenever we decide to do something, we inevitably feel that we are missing something. But we do not have the peace to enjoy the moment.

7) Do you suffer from deadline pressure? Then create a list of essential, important and unnecessary dates. This may seem difficult, especially if you are too involved or distract yourself from employment.

Does the oriental dance class really have to be, even though you do not like the director? Do you really need to take your children to school in the morning, even if they could travel by bus? If such activity is stressful for her, let her stay.

8) Are you restless because you get tangled up in everyday life? Then write down a daily schedule. Note exactly what tasks you need for how long and when you can do them. There are no short and long breaks at school. You deliberately plan such breaks in your work structure.

9) Anyone who is popular and also helpful, not only has many friends, but also knows many people with needs. If you are restless, then do not put others' needs beyond their own. Real friends can stand it if you only listen to the answering machine when you have the peace of mind.

Comments and arguments in the social media can lead to a restlessness. Image: let's design - fotolia

10) Are you often nervous and constantly active in social networks? Set up rules for emails, Whatś app, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram etc. Otherwise, you can not deal with anything else for 24 hours, as new links and comments are constantly appearing. Also, get in the habit of not responding to every request, even and especially when it's hard for them.

11) Find out where you are most nervous. In the flat? At work? Search consciously distance to these places. Go hiking in nature or ride a bike.

12) Finish the day. Home office, laptop and internet can be day and night, work and leisure blurred. Set a time when you have finished your daily routine. You can tie this time also to solid acts: At 20.00 is dinner, then I no longer accept calls. Or: At 19.00 I turn off the laptop and go for a walk on the river.

13) You can not turn off? Learn techniques to relax, yoga or autogenic training, meditation or gymnastics. You can also attend courses offered by each adult education center.

Do not forget: the best relaxation exercise is to sit on the sofa and do nothing.

14) Indulge in hot baths, a visit to the sauna, lavender oil massages or fragrance lamps with essential oils. Drink soothing teas.

The "urgent disease"

The psychologies Diane Ulmer and her colleague Leonhard Schwartzburd 1996 described the hurry sickness. The disease is not officially recognized; Ulmer and Schwartzburd outlined symptoms that are typical for restless people.

The "urgent illness" refers to a state of inner being-driven. Those affected are under constant pressure, they think they have to hurry or come too late, whatever. It is typical that there is no real time pressure or that actual deadlines do not explain the symptoms.

The psychologists asked, for example, if the subjects were nervous at a red traffic light, could not stand to stand in line, or showed stress symptoms in the congestion on the highway.

One commonality of the individuals concerned was that they were only interested in aspects of life for which they had to achieve goals. The quality of the experience she played for little role.

In addition, a compulsion to count was pronounced. Not only did "on-the-fly" people constantly watch the clock, they also registered minimal changes on the stock market or the digits of the sphygmomanometer.

Those affected reported turf of thoughts that robbed them of sleep and weakened their concentration. This turned into a compulsive brooding over the past and the future, imagining fictitious events of the future down to the smallest detail. At the same time they could not perceive the present and not enjoy the moment. The memories of those affected were only negative, they seemed to close from past catastrophes of the past disaster of the future.

It is unclear whether the term "rapid illness" shows its own phenomenon, because the negative thoughts, the mental turmoil and the pondering are also characterized by anxiety disorders and depressive illnesses.

Restlessness and depression

Clinical depression that can be treated with antidepressants are characterized by the following key symptoms: A drive inhibition, which seems paradoxically associated with a restless physical sensation - but not with external restlessness. However, the agitated depression also manifests itself in stereotypical movements that typically run into emptiness. In addition, there is a narrower mood, depressives feel neither joy nor sadness.

Behind constant unrest can hide a depression. Picture: kichigin19 - fotolia

The affected people tripping, they wrestle their hands, they run aimlessly back and forth, they often moan in a monotonous "chant". There is also an extreme, but undirected fear. Even if your body is extremely restless, you can not perform any longer activities. The external restlessness is a symptom of a manifest depression.

Subclinical depressive, however, feel the restlessness (only) in the body. This feeling is a sure sign to the doctor that there is depression. He has to ask those affected, because the feeling can not be seen externally. Internal anxiety distinguishes depression from depression.

Depressed moods are characterized by general depression and a negative view of the world and one's own life, but not by restlessness. To diagnose depression, inner restlessness is even more important than the inability to feel.

There is no doubt that it is a depression, if in addition the following symptoms are present:

1) thought inhibition. Depressed people are less receptive and lose concentration. The inner restlessness shows that this is not dementia.

2) Lack of interest: sufferers lose interest in hobbies, social and professional goals. They do not care about their relationships and friendships. Depression has no unique selling point here: schizophrenics go through similar phases and deep mourning can also have an effect.

3) loss of self-confidence. Depression means you can not but want to.

4) self-blame. Depressives make themselves responsible for their condition and also torture themselves with blaming, which usually have no objective basis.

5) Reduced expression. Depressed people do not participate in conversations, their facial expressions "freeze", as does their gestures.

6) Loss of creativity: The inhibition inhibits the intuitive ideas, the listlessness beats the creative power of the nail in the coffin.

7) Inferiority: Depressed people feel useless, inferior and believe they are a burden to their fellow human beings.

8) hopelessness. Those affected lose the hope that it somehow goes on even in bad phases.

9) Decision weakness: If drive and thinking are inhibited, the result is that the patients are not activated to act. You can not decide to do something.

10) pessimism. Depressed people are particularly worried about what is needed in everyday life, whether it is a visit to the dentist, a bank transfer or shopping at the supermarket.

11) Isolation: Depressives withdraw from social relationships because they perceive even sparing communication as a burden.

12) Compulsive brooding. The thoughts revolve without a direction and torture those affected.

13) Suicide risk is very high in depressives.

Restlessness and simultaneous passivity is typical for disorders of the depressive type. An explanation gives the sense of time of the depressives: time they feel frozen, the future seems lost to them. There is no connection between the past and the future, because the future appears as a black hole.

Thus depressed people feel banished from social relationships, because transforming the future into the present, learning from the past for the present, and taking what has been achieved in the past as the basis for shaping the future, is part of life.

Inner unrest is inseparable from this "lost time". Where should the depressive turn? In the dark and timeless past, in the future, which will not bring more than today? Those who do not find a positive point of reference can not develop a structure - depressives find no peace in the order of time, and their psyche wanders restlessly through an empty space where past and future shrink together in a timeless blackness.

The emptiness that depressives feel is restless, without stopping. They are wanderers in emptiness who can not take a break.

When is the doctor in demand??

If the inner restlessness persists and accompany other suffering, dizziness or nausea, then go to the doctor.

He examines their medical history, asks about the duration of the nervousness, any medications and other complaints.

The doctor first examines the body, measures the blood pressure and examines the blood if there is a suspicion of hypoglycaemia, thyroid problems or pulmonary embolism.

An X-ray gives certainty if there is a pulmonary embolism.

Tests show whether mental disorders like schizophrenia play a role.

Soothing tea and baths

A calming tea may contain, for example, peppermint, passionflower, valerian and lavender. They infuse the fresh or dried plants with water and drink some cups in the morning, as in the early afternoon. Tip: Coffee drinkers who suffer from restlessness do themselves a favor when replacing the coffee ritual with such a tea.

For baths hops, lemon balm, hay flowers or lavender are recommended. Bath salts that serve relaxation can be found in every drugstore and pharmacy.

Sport works

Sport counteracts inner tension. It promotes blood circulation and gives the brain more oxygen. He boosts the metabolism and he spills out the endorphins. The last point is especially important because the endorphins cause well-being and so dampen nervousness, which has its cause in mental discomfort.

Sport also distracts: Perfectionists doubt to live up to their ideal; Fear-anxious people fixate on what scares them and depressives turn their black thoughts in a circle. Those who practice sports focus on running, swimming or climbing, thus directing negative emotions and thoughts in a different direction.

Caution: Sport against inner restlessness helps to reduce stress and not build it up. Nervous should be so measure. Anyone who is constantly overworking in the job and therefore can not fall asleep should not stretch this performance thinking on his body. It's about getting calmer, not about breaking the world record in the marathon.

Incidentally, the opposite is also true: competitive athletes who, for whatever reason, abruptly stop exercising, often become irritable and are driven inwardly.

The excitement of the sympathetic nervous system is dampened by the sport, if it previously ran at full speed.

In general, nervousness alone is not a disease. Increased restlessness caused by social stress can be alleviated with simple means. Above all, this includes the courage to occasionally say no.

If nervousness is linked to mental health problems and organic illnesses, then you should definitely consult a doctor. (Dr. Utz Anhalt)