Can Health Anxiety Cause Real Physical Symptoms? – 7 Signs and 7 Ways to Break the Cycle
- Brainz Magazine
- Apr 23
- 8 min read
Written by Sharon Clare, Clinical Hypnotherapist
Sharon Clare is an accredited Solution-Focused Clinical Hypnotherapist. She is the founder of Sharon Clare Hypnotherapy, which helps professional women overcome stress, burnout, and sleep struggles using neuroscience-backed approaches to rewire how they think, feel, and respond to life. She also specialises in easing fears of surgery.
You feel a strange sensation in your body. Within minutes, your mind races, your heart pounds. What if it’s serious? What if the doctors missed something? You can’t focus on anything else. For some, this means rushing to the doctor repeatedly, desperate for reassurance. For others, it means avoiding medical settings altogether, terrified of what they might hear. And then there are the endless internet searches, anxiously scanning symptoms, convinced you've found proof of something life-threatening.
If this sounds familiar, you may be experiencing health anxiety. But what if you could break free from the cycle of fear? Keep reading to discover the signs, the root causes, and the most effective ways to regain control.
What is health anxiety?
Health anxiety is a persistent fear of having or developing a serious illness. The anxiety can arise even in the absence of physical symptoms. When physical sensations, whether from an actual injury, an existing medical condition, or everyday bodily experiences like headaches or muscle tension, become the focus of excessive worry and distress, it can feel overwhelming. One minute you have a headache, and the next, you are convinced that it’s a brain tumour.
Even after medical tests rule out serious illness, the distress remains, leading to further doctor visits, repeated tests, and ongoing anxiety. This disorder can create a cycle where heightened anxiety makes symptoms feel more intense and reinforces fears.
What many people don’t realise is that health anxiety can produce very real physical sensations that feel exactly like symptoms of illness. These symptoms aren’t imagined; they’re caused by your body responding to chronic stress and fear. For instance, anxiety can create tightness in the chest, dizziness, muscle aches, digestive upset, or even sensations of numbness or tingling. These symptoms are often mistaken for signs of serious illness, which fuels further worry and completes the loop.
It goes beyond normal concern for your health and can become a constant source of distress, disrupting daily life and overall well-being. Studies suggest that health anxiety is relatively common, with at least one in five people attending outpatient appointments affected, though some experts believe the actual number is higher due to underreporting. It often exists on a spectrum, with some people experiencing mild worries and others feeling completely consumed by their fears. Women are thought to be more likely to experience health anxiety. Treating health anxiety could save the NHS more than £420 million per year.
Are there different types of health anxiety?
Health anxiety can manifest in two main ways, each with its own characteristics, but common effects:
Care seeking: This anxiety can manifest in two opposing behaviours. Some individuals repeatedly seek medical reassurance, undergoing frequent checkups and tests, yet never feeling fully convinced of their health.
Care avoiding: Others, however, avoid doctors and medical settings altogether due to a deep fear of receiving bad news.
In both cases, the relentless cycle of fear can disrupt daily life, strain relationships, and diminish overall well-being, making it difficult to focus on anything beyond health concerns.
The impact of health anxiety
Regardless of the type, health anxiety can have profound effects on both mental and physical health. The constant stress and worry can lead to increased cortisol levels, disrupted sleep, digestive issues, headaches, and even a weakened immune system. Over time, the anxiety itself can contribute to real physical symptoms, reinforcing the individual’s fears and perpetuating a vicious cycle.
These anxiety-driven symptoms may include chest pain, fatigue, shortness of breath, or gastrointestinal discomfort. They can feel just as intense and frightening as symptoms caused by actual illness. But when no medical cause is found, it leaves the person feeling confused, frustrated, and even more convinced that something serious is being missed.
The impact of health anxiety isn’t limited to the person experiencing it. Friends, family members, and loved ones can also be affected. Those struggling with health anxiety may frequently seek reassurance from others, which can become exhausting for their support network. Conversely, they may withdraw from social interactions due to their overwhelming preoccupation with their health. Relationships may suffer as loved ones struggle to understand why the anxious person can’t simply be reassured and move on. In extreme cases, health anxiety can lead to difficulties maintaining employment, engaging in hobbies, or even leaving the house.
Recognising health anxiety and understanding its effects is the first step toward overcoming it. With the right support and strategies, it is possible to break free from the cycle and regain a sense of balance and control.
7 signs you might have health anxiety
Constant worry about illness: You find yourself fixated on the possibility of having a serious disease, even when there’s no evidence to back it up.
Frequent self-checks: Whether it’s checking your pulse, scrutinising skin changes, or monitoring minor bodily sensations, you’re continually on high alert.
Reassurance-seeking behaviour (or avoidance): You either repeatedly visit doctors for validation, yet temporary reassurances only deepen your anxiety, or you avoid medical appointments entirely, fearing what they might uncover.
Overreliance on online research: Hours spent on the internet looking up symptoms (a phenomenon sometimes called “cyberchondria”) fuel your fears rather than ease them.
Physical symptoms from anxiety: Chronic worry can lead to actual physical symptoms such as headaches, fatigue, or disturbed sleep patterns. These sensations feel incredibly real, which is part of what makes health anxiety so convincing.
Avoidance of daily activities: Your preoccupation with health might lead you to avoid activities, social events, or even exercise because you’re worried about triggering symptoms.
Persistent fear despite normal test results: Even after comprehensive medical evaluations show no signs of illness, your anxiety persists, leaving you trapped in a loop of doubt and worry.
What are the root causes of health anxiety?
The roots of health anxiety are varied and complex. For some, early childhood experiences, such as witnessing a loved one battle a serious illness, plant the seeds of fear. For others, a family history of medical conditions or personal traumatic experiences related to health can trigger a heightened sense of vulnerability.
Additionally, the constant barrage of health-related news and social media can exacerbate these fears, making it difficult to distinguish genuine concern from unfounded worry. TV dramas like Grey’s Anatomy and House M.D. further add to the worry by showing the worst-case, and often greatly exaggerated, diagnoses and complications from the simplest of symptoms.
People who avoid doctors and hospitals may do so because of past medical trauma or a deep fear of receiving bad news. On the other hand, those who visit medical professionals frequently may struggle with uncertainty, feeling unable to trust that they are truly well.
Both groups are likely to obsessively research symptoms online, often finding alarming information that only increases their anxiety. And since the brain interprets worry and fear as danger signals, it can trigger genuine physical sensations, such as tightness in the chest, dizziness, and nausea, that feel like illness but are actually anxiety in disguise.
Overcoming health anxiety: 7 ways to break the cycle
The good news is that health anxiety isn’t something you’re stuck with forever. Your brain has the ability to change through neuroplasticity, meaning the more you challenge anxious thoughts and engage in new patterns of thinking, the easier it becomes to break free from the cycle of fear. By shifting your focus away from constant worry and toward balanced, rational thinking, you can start to feel more in control of your health and your life. Here are seven effective ways to begin that process:
1. Mindfulness and relaxation techniques
Practices such as meditation, deep-breathing exercises, and progressive muscle relaxation can help anchor you in the present moment and reduce the stress response that fuels anxiety.
2. Limit excessive online health searches
Setting boundaries on how often you check symptoms online can prevent the spiral of misinformation. Consider designating “tech-free” times each day to ease your mind.
3. Establish a healthy routine
Regular exercise, balanced nutrition, and adequate sleep are not only good for physical health, but they also help stabilise your mood and reduce anxiety levels.
4. Stay connected
Engage with friends, family, or support groups. Sharing your experiences with others who understand can lessen feelings of isolation and provide practical tips for managing anxiety.
5. Educate yourself with caution
While it’s important to be informed about your health, learning from reputable sources can empower you without triggering undue worry. Ask your healthcare provider for trusted resources.
6. Accept uncertainty
Embrace the idea that not every sensation is a sign of a serious condition. Learning to tolerate uncertainty can be a powerful step toward reducing anxiety.
7. Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) and hypnotherapy
CBT is one of the most effective treatments for health anxiety. It helps you identify and challenge irrational thoughts and replace them with more balanced, realistic thinking. In solution-focused hypnotherapy, we draw from CBT, as well as NLP (Neuro-Linguistic Programming), mindfulness, psychotherapy, and hypnosis to create change at both the conscious and subconscious levels. This combination allows for lasting relief and gives you tools to manage future worries more effectively.
Final thoughts: Real relief is possible
Health anxiety can be overwhelming, but recognising the signs is the first step toward reclaiming your life. By understanding its roots and implementing targeted strategies, whether through professional therapy, lifestyle changes, or mindfulness, you can break the cycle of worry.
Solution-focused therapy provides a powerful, forward-looking approach to change. It blends techniques from CBT, psychotherapy, NLP, mindfulness, and clinical hypnotherapy, giving you a practical, empowering path toward a calmer, more confident future.
Remember, your symptoms are real, but they’re often the result of anxiety, not illness. You deserve peace of mind, and help is available. Taking that first step can be life-changing.
Let’s work together to help you break free from health anxiety
Are you ready to stop fearing the worst and start trusting your body again? Whether you’re looking for guided hypnosis or one-on-one support, I’m here to help. Together, we can calm your mind, rewire anxious thought patterns, and build the confidence to live your life without constant worry.
Start by listening to a hypnosis audio or book an initial consultation. Take the first step today, because you deserve to feel safe, steady, and in control.
Read more from Sharon Clare
Sharon Clare, Clinical Hypnotherapist
Sharon Clare is an accredited Solution-Focused Clinical Hypnotherapist specialising in mindfulness and stress management. She combines her expertise with decades of leadership experience in the NHS and not-for-profit sector to support her professional clients. Leading a social care organisation through COVID was an immense responsibility that deepened her understanding of stress and resilience, She also has a passion for helping people overcome fears around surgery and medical procedures. She volunteers at her local cancer care centre. When she's not helping others, Sharon can be found sea swimming year-round on the beautiful Northern Irish coast - a ritual that continues to keep stress at bay. Her mission: Helping Women Thrive.
