When the Body Feels Loud: Unusual Sensations and Health Anxiety
All bodies produce sensations. A shift in the heartbeat. A ringing in the ear. A wave of lightheadedness when you stand up. A tight feeling in the stomach.
Most of the time, these sensations come and go. We barely notice them. But during periods of stress, exhaustion, or uncertainty, the same sensations can feel much more noticeable. Sometimes they feel like a signal that something is wrong.
At some point individuals typically seek out help from a PCP or specialist and an organic cause can’t be identified. Individuals can feel invalidated or like “they are making it all up”.
When this happens, people often start paying closer attention to the body. They monitor. They replay the sensation in their mind. They might search online, check repeatedly, or ask others for reassurance. None of this means someone is being dramatic. The nervous system is trying to stay safe. Research shows that people with anxiety tend to have higher sensitivity to internal bodily signals, also called interoception. (Paulus & Stein, 2010)
This pattern is often called health anxiety. It is not a fear of being ill in general. It is the uncomfortable feeling of not trusting what is happening inside your body.
How the Cycle Starts
A helpful way to think about it:
A sensation appears.
The mind looks for an explanation.
If the explanation is "this could be dangerous," the nervous system activates.
The activation increases the intensity of the original sensation.
The sensation now feels more convincing.
This cycle is well described in cognitive models of health anxiety. (Salkovskis & Warwick, 1986) Nothing about the experience is imagined. The nervous system is reacting to a perceived threat.
Common Sensations That Can Get Caught in This Loop
These examples are normal and common in the general population. They can still feel overwhelming when the body is in a protective mode.
Tinnitus (ringing or buzzing in the ear)
Tinnitus affects roughly 10 to 15 percent of adults. (McCormack et al., 2016) When the nervous system is on alert, the brain stops filtering the sound and starts tracking it. The sound may feel louder or more intrusive not because the ear has changed but because attention has increased. Fear and attention activate limbic and auditory networks together. (Rauschecker et al., 2010)
Heart flutters or pounding
Heart rate naturally changes with stress, posture, caffeine, and emotion. When the change is interpreted as dangerous, adrenaline increases. Adrenaline increases heart rate again. The sensation and the fear reinforce each other. (Paulus & Stein, 2010)
Lightheadedness or dizziness
Stress and subtle changes in breathing can shift carbon dioxide levels. This can create a floating or lightheaded feeling. If the sensation is interpreted as neurological danger, the nervous system increases alertness, which intensifies the sensation. (Jacob et al., 1996)
Stomach tension, nausea, or IBS-type symptoms
The gut responds directly to emotional states. The brain and gut communicate continuously. Stress increases both gut sensitivity and motility. (Mayer, 2011)
Neck, jaw, or back tension
Muscles tense to protect us when we feel uncertain. If the tension is interpreted as injury, the nervous system increases guarding. Pain and tension increase together. (Woolf, 2011) None of these reactions are signs of weakness. They are signs of a nervous system working very hard to keep you safe.
Why Reassurance Only Helps Briefly
Checking symptoms or seeking reassurance usually brings relief, but the relief is temporary. Reassurance can unintentionally signal to the brain that the sensation is something dangerous that needs to be monitored. This reinforces the cycle. (Olatunji et al., 2014)
The goal is not to ignore the body. It is to relate to it with less alarm.
What Actually Helps
Treatment focuses on slowly changing the meaning attached to sensations.
This may include:
Learning to observe sensations before interpreting them
Becoming aware of how the mind responds when a sensation appears
Reducing reassurance habits gradually
Building tolerance for uncertainty in small steps
Expanding curiosity in place of urgency
CBT for health anxiety, interoceptive awareness work, and Mentalization Based Therapy all support this shift. (Khalsa et al., 2018; Bateman & Fonagy, 2016)
When the body is no longer treated as a threat, the alarm system quiets.
You Are Not Alone
If your body has felt unfamiliar or unpredictable, there is a reason. Your nervous system has been working hard. With the right support, your relationship with your body can change. It can become a place you live in again instead of something you monitor. If this resonates, reach out to connect.
A Note About Care
Before beginning work together, I ask that patients have had a recent medical evaluation with their primary care physician or relevant specialist. This is not because I assume something is wrong. It is simply good clinical practice to make sure that any symptoms that require medical treatment are identified and cared for appropriately.
Once that is in place, we can focus on the part that often remains: the nervous system response, the meaning the body has learned to carry, and how to feel safer inside your own experience.
References
Bateman, A., & Fonagy, P. (2016). Mentalization-Based Treatment.
Jacob, R. G., et al. (1996). Balance and anxiety. Clinical Neuroscience.
Khalsa, S. S., et al. (2018). Interoception and mental health. Biological Psychiatry.
Mayer, E. A. (2011). Gut brain axis. Nature Reviews Neuroscience.
McCormack, A., et al. (2016). Prevalence of tinnitus. Hearing Research.
Olatunji, B. O., et al. (2014). Reassurance seeking. Behavior Research and Therapy.
Paulus, M. P., & Stein, M. B. (2010). Interoception and anxiety. Brain Structure and Function.
Rauschecker, J. P., et al. (2010). Tinnitus distress network. Frontiers in Systems Neuroscience.
Salkovskis, P. M., & Warwick, H. M. (1986). Cognitive model of health anxiety. Journal of Anxiety Disorders.
Woolf, C. J. (2011). Central sensitization. Pain.