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Can anxiety last all day?

After extensive tests on my heart, I am starting to come to terms with the idea that anxiety is playing a role in my fast heart rates.  

I have a basic question though.  Can anxiety last for a whole day?  I understand that panic attacks come and go but let me give an example.  Last Saturday, I had to go to a meeting.  On the way to the meeting I felt perfectly fine, my heart was beating in the 70's.  During the meeting my HR picked up to about 100 bpm and stayed there all the way through the meeting.  While standing my HR was 125.  This lasted all the way home.  When I got home I took my stading heart rate again (125) and my resting heart rate (105).  I could feel my heart pounding in my chest and my stomach was bouncing along with my HR (always happened).  I lay on my bed and gradually after one hour it started coming down.  After 2 hours it was in the 70's.  Does this sound like anxiety bearing in mind that all my tests have come back normal except maybe borderline mild hypotension.

Why I am staring to think I have an anxiety problem: my HR is always highest when I am in a stressful sitution e.g. meeting, doctors office, airport.  Even sometimes when I am in a social situation like a bar it goes fast.  BUT it rarely goes fast at home.  At home it is always fairly normal.  This is why I think I might have an anxiety problem.

Thanks for listening to me.
Dan
15 Responses
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14330387 tn?1434041632
Yes, you can have anxiety all day. In fact, you can have it for even longer than a whole day. Anxiety attacks usually persist for 30 minutes per episode of anxiety, and they usually come and go throughout the day, but this is only an average. You cannot have an average without variables. That being said, again, yes, it's very possible you can have anxiety for a whole day. Although, you're describing symptoms leaning more so towards hypertension. I'd check with your doctor and have them perform further tests on you and see if this is major anxiety, hypertension or something even more serious.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Hey I was wondering the same thing. Last month in May I went to the hospital 5 times within a 2 week span. Doctor's did all kind of tests on me. EKG,chest xray, angio test, ultrasound of my heart,urine and stool sample, blood tests. And everything came back normal. I dont have rapid heart rate all the time. Every day I have an episode to where I feel like I have to take deep breaths to take in oxygen. And I also have hot flashes, chest tightness, loss of appetite, high blood pressure, dizziness, and tingling on the left side of my body mostly my left arm. This is driving me crazy to have these symptoms last all day long. I am so convinced that something is seriously wrong but these doctors are overlooking it. I mean does anxiety really make me feel this way all the time or is it a medical condition?
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13682196 tn?1431022488
Does Anyone else get pressure in head and funny feeling like shock and do you get really tired feeling anyone
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Not everyone will give you a good reception when you advise you have a mental issue. I kept mine secret from my spouse because I knew they would just use it as ammunition against me, then or later. Pick your confidantes carefully.
Helpful - 0
1 Comments
I have to agree with u. Unfortunaly my husband thinks i make it all up, hence adding to my frustrations and anxiety
212161 tn?1599427282
yes it sounds like anxiety, if you feel safe at home and its normal, mine even does it at home sometimes, but do not stay home because of the anxiety , it will house bound you than your in bad shape, get out , go with family and let them know how you feel, always good to have someone you can talk to that will help you get threw it , my hubby is the best, i can be really bad and hear his voice and my body calms down so thats inportant.
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212161 tn?1599427282
YES you can have it all day , you can have it all day for weeks or months i have done it, you need try and stay busy even when you dont feel like it, dont let it take over your life it will if you let it, its your own mind doing this to you so tell yourself your ok and to stop, try taking a breath in threw the nose blow it out slow threw your mouth. do this 5 times it helps to relax you, do it out threw the day even when you feel ok. always herre to talk . Heart
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
There is a teenage section in Med Help that you might want to explore. You might get better advice there, although you are free to post here if you want.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
I'm 15yr old and I'm having panic attack and like all day eveyday  I feel unrealistic like I'm not here and I feel like this this all the time. I pray and it work I just got to believe. But I really want to see a pyscohratis but dad don't want to. Take me cause he really dont have the money. It this all came from me smoking weed one day. I hope this info help somebody out. God Bless
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal

Of course it is best to avoid meds if you can resolve the issue with the therapies, however that is not often possible when the problem gets too established. I have read something that disagrees with what you read and quoted.
My meditation book said when anxiety and dep get a good hold meds are the only way to get you relaxed enough to get back to normal. Then the meditation, cbt, therapy or whatever method of changing your outlook to deal with the problem, can be used to maintain your normal relaxed state and you can go off meds.
Some people are hard wired to be anxious so for them it is a much more difficult journey dealing with anxiety, and it is possilbe that nothing will work.
Helpful - 0
4964026 tn?1363535005
He may not of read your post but i did and i totally understand what your going through. I also am afraid of what medication does to your body. I'm new to all this and have only been suffering from anxiety for 2 months. I wake up every morning feeling totally fine then within 10 mins of being up out of bed. I have an chest pain its not really painfull on a scale of 1-10 it's only around 4. but it's still there all day every day now for around 2 weeks. But I think it's best to try and get through the day and try not to change anything you would normally do. I'm afraid if i let it it will take over my life but just wish i could stop thinking about whats going on in my chest 24/7 i try and distract my mind but feel it always wonders back to my chest pain.I am not on any medication at all and waiting for cbt which could take weeks but read somewhere that medication is just like killing a week from the top but theropy can kill the weed at the root.
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Avatar universal
He hasn't posted since 2007 so I doubt he will read your note.
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Avatar universal
I do have Anxiety Disorder and mine is horrible for 3 weeks straight its been worst than every i feel unreal and scared weird head feeling like pressure and sometimes at my forehead feels like head is bleeding on the inside. Im un able to take antidepressents thay scare me my doctor says alot of people cant take meds ex: Zoloft,paxil,and all the many others there are out there.i do take kolonpin but i am also scared of that med to so ive stopped and now im scared im losing who i am its terrible and im sorry to here anyone going through this stuff its awful God Bless You so yes the answer to can anxiety last all day is YES mine has been all day for 3 weeks now
Helpful - 0
193245 tn?1189989722
I rarely had it all day constantly, but I had many, many days that it would oscillate on me.  That's to say I'd have a half hour that was pretty good, an hour of hell, an hour of feeling good, twenty minutes of hell, and so on.  And the anxiety would affect my stomach so even when I was in between "hells", I still wasn't comfortable on those days (or the day after, usually).

As far as a generalized anxiety state, I've never really had that.  Mostly atypical panic attacks and intermittent anxiety.  So I'm not sure if that helps you or not.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
yeh u def can hav it all day i do totally my head hurts sum days then other its my heart botherin me or chest pains mostly chest pains but yeh i hope u are feelin better and yeh im right hur with u i feel like **** jus bout evday!
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Yes, you can have anxiety all day and, unfortunately, it can continue like this for months and sometimes years...those of us who suffer with anxiety it is a daily occurence.  Like you said, not necessarily panic attacks, but anxiety...

If you had a complete physical and have ruled out all things medical, then it is anxiety.

There are many different types of anxiety...There is social anxiety, which is when you are in social situations.  (this may be a possibility for you)...there is also agoraphobia (afraid of leaving the home)  this doesn't have to mean that you are a recluse!  As a matter of fact, I have this...when I am not in my safe places (like home, at work, far distances)  I get anxiety.  and many other types.  AND MANY MORE TYPES OF ANXIETY!!!  There are many sites that will list the disorders and its  definition....

Also, to get a true diagnosis, you need to see a professional....I would suggest finding a good psychiatrist or therapist to help you...

Hope this helps.
Helpful - 0
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