Anxiety is a very physical condition. It doesn't just exist in your head. Your heart races. You are short of breath. Your hands shake and your underarms sweat. Many other more subtle changes occur in your body.

These five health problems could be contributing to your excessive anxiety.

1. Hypoglycemia/diabetes: Hypoglycemia, or low blood sugar, ranges from mild, moderate to severe forms. Symptoms include feeling nervous or jittery, excessive sweating, mood changes, anxiety, racing heart, confusion, weakness and fatigue. You see the overlap in symptoms between strictly emotionally based anxiety and low blood sugar anxiety.

Mild to moderate, adult onset diabetes creates similar symptoms, especially anxiety. Anybody who is overweight and experiencing anxiety in the afternoon needs to see a physician and rule out both hypoglycemia and diabetes.

The good news is that both of these related conditions can be ruled out or diagnosed with a simple blood test.

2. Sleep deprivation. Chronic insomnia or just pushing yourself and refusing to sleep enough causes more anxiety by stimulating a small almond-shaped organ in the brain called the amygdala. This structure moderates emotions and mood, so when it is sleep deprived it perceives more threat in the world, which then activates the "flight/fight" adrenal response in the body. You are more anxious, but unnecessarily so. The solution is obvious: get more sleep. If you have chronic insomnia, see a doctor for help.

3.Hyperthyroidism. This condition occurs when the thyroid, a gland in your neck, produces too much of the thyroid hormone. Everything gets sped up. You feel nervous, jittery, hyped up and anxious with this condition. Your hands may shake and you may sweat too much. Again, medical diagnosis and treatment is necessary, but the condition can be easily ruled out with a blood test.

4. Caffeine addiction: consuming too much caffeine causes the jitters. People, who are addicted may have passed through the jitters phase, just need their coffee or high-octane caffeine drink to ward off withdrawal. Drink coffee all morning, have a couple of Red Bulls in the afternoon which causes insomnia, then have a few too many beers in the evening so you can get to sleep. There's a healthy pattern for you!

5. Mitral Valve Prolapse: This heart condition can cause a racing heart and cause anxiety. In MVP one of the heart valves does not close properly with each heart beat, causing the blood to slosh back into the wrong chamber. If this is severe enough, the heart tries to compensate by beating way too fast, as if too much adrenalin is being pumped. See a doctor for diagnosis and treatment.

If your confidence is lagging and you experience a great deal of anxiety, get a quick physical and ask your doctor to order the blood tests that will rule out diabetes, hypoglycemia and hyperthyroidism.

If your confidence is lagging because you are an insomniac, use your head and take measures to get more sleep. Turn off the TV at night, don't watch anxiety provoking programs, get off the computer, video games, the Internet and your email, so you can de-tune and gear down. Cut way back on the caffeine drinks. If you have persistent insomnia, get it treated.

Handling these health issues will automatically give your confidence a real boost.

Visit http://BeConfidentToday.com/ to cultivate confidence with guided imagery, EMDR, EFT, articles, and consultations with Lynn Kennedy Baxter, BSN, MA., High Performance Coach and Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist. Take the first step now, because confidence is your choice and you can have it.
© 2011 Lynn Kennedy Baxter, BSN, MA