Ways To Reduce Stress And Keep Blood Pressure Down
When it comes to preventing and treating high blood pressure, one often-overlooked strategy is managing stress. If you often find yourself tense and on-edge, try these seven ways to reduce stress.
For more information on lifestyle changes to treat high blood pressure and how to choose the right medication if needed, read , a Special Health Report from;Harvard Medical School.
Coping With The Fear Of Blood
Medically Reviewed By: Whitney White, MS. CMHC, NCC., LPC
Hemophobia, or the fear of blood, can be a difficult fear to live with. There is the possibility of seeing blood every day. For example, you might be on the bus and notice a child with a bloody nose. Or a co-worker could get a cut while moving a file cabinet or working with heavy machinery. If you have children of your own, they may skin their knees on the football field or the sidewalk.
Hemophobia can be a challenging fear to face. However, the fear of blood is something many people struggle with, so if you have this fear, you’re not alone.
Severe cases of hemophobia can cause physical reactions that are not seen with other phobias. For example, someone who is afraid of blood may faint at the sight of it, which is known as vasovagal syncope.
In addition, individuals with hemophobia are more likely to have trypanophobia, or the fear of needles, as well, or traumatophobia, which is the fear of physical injuries. Hemophobia, trypanophobia, and traumatophobia all fall under the umbrella of “blood-injection-injury phobias.”
Causes Of Hemophobia
Although hemophobia can result from trauma related to seeing blood, experts believe that it is not always an event specifically involving blood that leads to hemophobia. For example, a person could have had a frightening experience during which they saw the color red, and it translated to a fear of blood.
Hemophobia Triggers
Symptoms Of Hemophobia
Treating Hemophobia
How Children And Adults Can Overcome Needle Phobia
Many people want the protection of the COVID-19 vaccine but are afraid to get shots because they suffer from needle phobia or fear of needles.
Needle phobia is quite common. But, the good news is that both children and adults can get help dealing with their fears.
Some people can overcome their needle phobia after just a few sessions with a behavioral health expert.
For others, simple calming strategies can make it easier and less frightening to get vaccines.
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How I Cured My Anxiety And How You Can Too
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As an anxiety blogger who has overcome an anxiety disorder, I often get asked how I cured my anxiety.
But people also ask me, questions such as
- Is anxiety curable?
- Can anxiety be cured completely? or;
- Is anxiety permanent?
So, in this article I explain,
- Which type of anxiety is curable?
- What kind of anxiety I suffered from and what were my symptoms? and;
- How I cured my anxiety?
My goal is to take you through my anxiety journey from start to finish, in the hope that you can apply my anxiety cure success formula to reduce, and manage, and maybe even overcome your anxiety condition.;
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Using Other Methods To Combat Anxiety
Also Check: How To Cure Blood Phobia
Why Wont My Fear Go Away And Leave Me Feeling Normal Again
Fear may be a one-off feeling when you are faced with something unfamiliar.
But it can also be an everyday, long-lasting problem even if you cant put your finger on why. Some people feel a constant sense of anxiety all the time, without any particular trigger.
There are plenty of triggers for fear in everyday life, and you cant always work out exactly why you are frightened or how likely you are to be harmed. Even if you can see how out of proportion a fear is, the emotional part of your brain keeps sending danger signals to your body.
Sometimes you need mental and physical ways of tackling fear.
Using The Desensitizing Technique
Also Check: What’s The Definition Of Depression
Why Do Some People Faint At The Sight Of Blood Or A Needle
Fainting is caused by a sudden drop in your heart rate or blood pressure. When we are anxious, our heart rate and blood pressure actually go up. This is why it is so rare to faint when you are feeling anxious. However, some people with a fear of blood or needles experience an initial increase and then a sudden drop in their blood pressure, which can result in fainting. This drop in blood pressure is called the vasovagal response. Only a small minority of people have this response at the sight of blood or needles. The good news is, if you have this problem there is a way to prevent it and keep yourself from fainting.
In most cases, fainting is harmless.The sudden drop in blood pressure that results from the vasovagal response is not dangerous or life-threatening.
However, it is important that you discuss your fainting with a doctor before using this technique or exposing yourself to situations that could cause fainting.
What Are The Symptoms
Phobias of all types share similar physical and emotional symptoms. With hemophobia, symptoms may be triggered by seeing blood in real life or on television. Some people may feel symptoms after thinking about blood or certain medical procedures, like a blood test.
Physical symptoms triggered by this phobia may include:
- trouble breathing
- extreme feelings of anxiety or panic
- overwhelming need to escape situations where blood is involved
- detachment from self or feeling unreal
- feeling like youve lost control
- feeling like you may die or pass out
- feeling powerless over your fear
Hemophobia is unique because it also produces whats called a vasovagal response. A vasovagal response means you have a drop in your heart rate and blood pressure in response to a trigger, such as the sight of blood.
When this happens, you may feel dizzy or faint. Some of people with BII phobia experience a vasovagal response, according to a 2014 survey. This response isnt common with other specific phobias.
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How To Overcome Your Fear Of Needles
Do you find yourself skipping out on the flu shot because the needle makes you anxious? If so, you may have trypanophobia, or fear of needles. With flu season upon us, now is the perfect time to better understand and try to overcome your anxiety of getting shots.
How common is a fear of needles?
Depending on how data is collected and how the term is defined, the estimates for how many people have needle phobia can vary.
The earliest estimate was that 10% of the population suffered from a fear of needles, and this report included individuals who experience a vasovagal response , such as fainting.
Gallup surveys suggest that up to 21% of the general population is afraid of needles and getting injections. However, only 3.5% of the population meets the criteria for a needle phobia, which is a diagnosable anxiety disorder.
The blood-injury-injection phobia was recognized as an anxiety disorder in 1994. You may suffer this if you have an excessive, irrational fear to the sight of blood, injury or injection, or even just the anticipation of an injection, injury or exposure to blood.
Why do shots make people anxious?
Children as young as 5 can become fearful of getting shots. This is likely due to the simple fact that injections can hurt.
One study describes the phobia as arising out of an avoidance of stab wounds or other flesh-piercing wounds, since this would increase ones chances of survival.
Tips and tricks to reduce shot anxiety
When should you seek professional help?
Common Types Of Phobias And Fears
There are four general types of phobias and fears:
Some phobias dont fall into these four categories. For example, fear of getting a disease such as cancer, fear of beggars, or fear of choking. Other commonly known phobias include:
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Quick Read Fearing Needles Is Common
- Were predisposed to fear bleeding or things that pierce the skin.
- This can create anxiety about injections, even though they are safe.;
- You can prepare by hydrating and eating a meal before your appointment.
- Focus on your breathing and remind yourself you are safe.
Your palms are sweaty, your heart is racing and your stomach is in knots: Youre about to get your blood drawn.;
If the mere thought of needles has you feeling queasy, youre not alone.;
These are not uncommon fears, a lot of people have them, says Dr. Michele Bedard-Gilligan, a clinical psychologist at the UW Medical Center Roosevelt Psychiatry Clinic and an associate professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at UW School of Medicine.
While this fear is real, it doesnt change the fact that you will need to get shots and your blood drawn in the future whether its because of a vaccination, a health condition, a blood donation or a pregnancy.;
The good news? Its possible to overcome your fear of needles.;
Needle Phobia: Can You Overcome A Fear Of Jabs
Annaleise Pizzimenti was 10 years old when she first realised she was afraid of needles.
She’d felt sick and fainted after a routine meningococcal vaccination. She didn’t really think of this reaction again, until the next time she encountered a needle at the dentist. Again she felt sick, but panic set in as well.
Supplied
Her fear of needles grew to the point where she avoided medical treatment altogether and fell years behind with her vaccinations.
“I avoided the doctor, particularly if I knew that a blood test or something was involved. I definitely avoided the dentist, I would rarely go, because a lot of the time they’d tell me, ‘you have to have a filling’,” Ms Pizzimenti says.
“As soon as I heard the word ‘filling’ I associated that with getting a needle, and I wouldn’t even go to the appointments anymore. So my teeth were at risk as well.”
Ms Pizzimenti’s story isn’t as uncommon as you might think. While it’s hard to know exactly how many people have needle phobia, some experts say it affects up to 5 per cent of the population.
It’s estimated that one in 10 people have a specific phobia.
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Blood And Needle Phobia Treatment
Many people experience a fear of blood, needles, and doctors. As many as 15% of people experience a dramatic decrease in blood pressure at the mere sight of blood, even if it is not their own blood. This is thought to be an evolutionary response, as a drop in blood pressure decreases the likelihood of loss of blood in the event of a serious injury. However, a rapid drop in blood pressure can result in fainting, which is one of the factors responsible for the development of a blood phobia. Because people can become frightened when they faint, they may learn to fear fainting in a doctors office, and by extension learn to fear blood, needles, or the doctors office itself.
Unlike with other phobias, the possibility of fainting is a factor which must be targeted as part of treatment. There is a simple solution to avoiding fainting at the sight of blood. During CBT treatment for blood phobia, the client is trained in a technique called applied tension, which temporarily increases blood pressure, thus significantly reducing the likelihood of fainting. With increased control over whether or not they will faint, people feel more comfortable and more willing to engage in exposure exercises later in treatment.
Make a change today.;Call 813-9613 for more information or to schedule an appointment. Click the button to the right to send us a message.;
What Was My Anxiety Like
My anxiety story is unique, just as is yours, but there are commonalities between most anxiety stories, and this is what we can learn from each other.I am going to take you through my anxiety story and then Ill extract the key points at the end to help you relate to this story.The level of detail I have included below is necessary to help you understand the last section of this article How I cured my anxiety?.
What Caused My Anxiety?
My anxiety was caused by my childhood trauma. Starting at the age of nine and until I was 11, I lived through the war in Bosnia which was a very traumatic period of my life.I was scared and nervous like everyone else from the very first shootings and bombings, but there was one particular event that imbedded abnormal levels of anxiety into my life.In the summer of 1992, a bomb had hit our apartment building, and at that moment, I fell into a tornado of shock, panic, and fear. The whole building vibrated, most of the windows shattered, and the residents were running down the stairs, screaming and crying. I was trembling excessively and my bowels completely released.More traumatic events happened for the next two years, but I can say with the utmost certainty that the particular event Ive just described was the exact point in which my anxiety disorder started.From then on and for the rest of the war, I experienced very high levels of anxiety which were constantly present!
How I Unknowingly Ignored Anxiety?
How Anxiety Affected My Life?
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