Just about everyone is familiar with nervous tension — before an academic exam, public speaking or getting married, for instance. Normally it goes away when the precipitating situation has passed.
For some people though, nervous tension persists, sometimes indefinitely, irrespective of the situation. They sleep poorly at night, and during the day, they feel unable to cope and are unfocused or irritable. They may also experience palpitations, trembling or profuse sweating.
“If you have these symptoms for longer than two weeks, you should see a doctor,” advises Ursula Sellerberg, spokeswoman for the Berlin-based Federal Chamber of Pharmacists (BAK).
There are many possible causes of nervous tension, which could be an early sign of a medical condition. “Thyroid hyperfunction or cardiac arrhythmia could be behind it, for example,” notes Dr Rainer Stange, president of Germany’s Central Association of Doctors for Naturopathic and Regulation Medicine.
Other possible causes include depression, low blood pressure or a mental illness, such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) or bipolar disorder. The therapy depends on the diagnosis.
Sometimes a physical or mental illness isn’t the reason for a person’s nervous tension, in which case “there are many strategies” to tackle it, according to Ute Gietzen-Wieland, a business and life coach. She sees non-illness-related nervous tension as a reaction emanating from the person’s subconscious.
“The body is signalling that something may have happened in the person’s life that subconsciously is perceived as a change for the worse,” says Gietzen-Wieland, suggesting it might help if the person tries to identify the change.
This starts by determining which area of your life is marked by nervous tension. Your relationship with your partner? Your family? Your job? What do you feel is intolerable, and how can you remedy it?
Among the things that can help bring relief are autogenic training, meditation, physical activity and herbal medicines.
“Valerian is a popular herb,” Sellerberg says, explaining that it has a calming effect during the day and improves the quality of sleep when taken in the evening.
Valerian is also available in combination with other medicinal plants, such as hops, melissa – also known as balm or lemon balm – St John’s wort and passionflower.
A tea infusion of valerian root can have a calming effect too. But keep in mind that valerian root can impair your reaction time. – dpa
