The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force has recommended adding anxiety screenings to annual wellness exams for all adults younger than 65. Even older adults struggle with anxiety, as the International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry detailed in a recent report that revealed over a quarter of older adults cared for by an aging service provider exhibited symptoms of anxiety. Many researchers think anxiety is underdiagnosed because symptoms of anxiety disorders can overlap with many other conditions, including normal stress. While about 9.1% more women are diagnosed with anxiety than men, an average of 14% of men in the U.S. report experiencing an anxiety disorder annually. As so many men do not seek treatment for mental health disorders, that number is likely higher.
When Your Anxiety Isn’t “Normal”
Some anxiety is inevitable in life. Maybe you’re nervous before a big presentation, or maybe you’re worried about your budget. But severe anxiety can interfere with your life beyond sweaty palms and sleepless nights. Anxiety can negatively impact your professional life, your family relations and even your physical health. Research has found that men with anxiety are more likely to develop risk factors for heart disease, such as high blood pressure, more quickly than less anxious men.
Symptoms of stress and anxiety are similar, including:
- Difficulty staying focused
- Frequent worry
- Insomnia
- Irritability
- Muscle tension
- Racing heartbeat
- Restlessness
- Sweatiness
However, having anxiety means that you experience these symptoms of extreme worry even when you aren’t particularly stressed. If you have an anxiety disorder, you may change your life to function, such as avoiding people or events.
How Anxiety Can Look Different in Men
Research is ongoing, but some studies have found that anxiety may present differently in many men than in women. While symptoms such as feelings of dread are common across genders, anxiety in men often includes indications such as:
- Aggression
- Anger
- Headaches
- Muscle pains
- Panic attacks
Psychologists think the different types of symptoms could be related to social stereotypes of the stoic man, who’s supposed to hold all his emotions inside. Men may feel that acting angry or aggressive is more acceptable than showing worry or a perceived lack of control. However, bottling up anxiety won’t make it go away and could even make the problem worse.
Alcohol Can Cause Anxiety
Statistically, men are more likely than women to use alcohol or other non-prescribed substances to manage their anxiety. According to the CDC, around 58% of American men report drinking in the past month and around 21% of those men report binge drinking (having five or more drinks at a time).
Although having a few drinks at the end of a stressful day may seem like a temporary solution to your anxiety, alcohol use can give you rebound anxiety. Drinking alcohol causes changes to your brain chemistry that can make you feel anxious. If you are already struggling with anxiety, this rebound anxiety can be even more severe. And if you are struggling with substance use like around 20% of people with anxiety or mood disorders, you can feel caught in a vicious cycle, where drinking makes your anxiety worse, which makes your drinking worse, and on and on.
Mindfulness and Exercise Can Help Anxiety
There are many things that can help treat anxiety. For some people, anti-anxiety medication can be helpful in the short term. But learning to manage your anxiety often requires more than a prescription. Some anxiety treatment plans may involve:
- Changing your diet. Eating a balanced diet that includes vegetables can help you feel better in general and also provide vitamins and minerals that may help manage your anxiety.
- Exercise. Physical activity can relieve stress and help your body recalibrate when anxiety is flooding your body with stress hormones.
- Getting enough sleep. Lack of sleep can make anxiety worse. Improving your sleep hygiene (and cutting down on caffeine) can help reset your mind.
- Mindfulness. Learning techniques such as deep breathing and meditation can help your body calm down and relax. These practices can help when you are having an anxiety attack but also help reset your mood on a day-to-day level.
While lifestyle changes may not eliminate your anxiety, they can make a big difference in how it impacts your life.
Therapy Teaches Coping Skills for Anxiety
Some men are wary of seeing a therapist because they are uncomfortable discussing their emotions with a stranger. But therapy these days isn’t necessarily like the stereotype you might imagine. Certain types of modern therapy are designed to give you practical coping skills to help manage stressors, not analyze your entire childhood. Types of therapy that can help anxiety include:
- Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). This kind of therapy teaches you to recognize unhelpful thought and behavior patterns so that you can learn to change them. CBT can help you break out of a cycle of negative thinking.
- Exposure therapy. This type of therapy involves controlled, limited exposures to things or situations that give you anxiety. This therapy creates a safe space for you to confront your fears and learn how to cope with them in a healthy manner.
Other types of talk therapy may be helpful if your anxiety stems from trauma or if you have depression in addition to anxiety. Therapy can be offered in person or virtually, whatever you’re most comfortable with.
Don’t Be Scared to Ask for Help for Your Anxiety
Many men choose not to seek treatment for anxiety or other mental health problems because they don’t want to seem weak. But severe anxiety is a medical condition, just like high blood pressure or diabetes, and there’s no shame in getting treatment for it. The University of Maryland Medical System has providers who can help men of all ages manage their anxiety, along with any co-occurring issues such as depression or substance use.
More to Read
- The Link Between Anxiety and High Blood Pressure
- The Surprising Connection Between Gratitude and Mental Health
- The Connection Between Not Getting Enough Sleep and Mental Health
- How to Create a Healthy Work-Life Balance
Medically reviewed by Jennifer Redding, LCSW-C, Executive Director of Behavioral Health Services, UM Upper Chesapeake Health/Klein Family Harford Crisis Center.
