A majority will complain of symptoms such as restlessness, sleep issues, trouble concentrating and a lack of interest in life activities.
Just as with other mental health problems, the condition can be effectively treated through psychotherapy, medication or a combination of both.
With regards to medications, doctors usually prescribe antidepressants or sedative drugs.
Anxiety problems are one of the mental health issues that are rampant in Kenya. Anxiety is a feeling of fear, dread or uneasiness. It might cause those affected to sweat, tense, have an increased heartbeat or feel restless.
It is normal for people to feel this way, whenever they are faced with a challenge or difficult problem ahead of them. In such situations, the anxiety usually lasts for a short time.
But in some individuals, this state of mind is a permanent condition for them, which is not healthy. Such people are considered to have anxiety disorders.
Examples include individuals with Generalised Anxiety Disorders (GAD) who have excessive worries about ordinary issues such as health, money, work and family. Then, there are those who keep having sudden panic attacks or repeated periods of intense fear when there is no danger.
Lastly, there are people that keep struggling with phobias or intense fears of things that pose little or no danger.
These myriad anxiety disorders usually affect the quality of life or the ability of those affected to undertake normal life duties or participate in various activities. A majority will complain of symptoms such as restlessness, sleep issues, trouble concentrating and a lack of interest in life activities.
Just as with other mental health problems, the condition can be effectively treated through psychotherapy, medication or a combination of both.
The former entails having sessions with trained counselling psychologists or therapists that help those affected to embrace strategies that can enable them to cope effectively with the anxiety when it occurs.
With regards to medications, doctors usually prescribe antidepressants or sedative drugs. They help tackle the issue by balancing the brain chemistry so as to prevent anxiety episodes and forestall some of the most severe symptoms of the condition.
Both types of treatments require skilled professionals — psychologists or psychiatrists — who are hard to come by, especially in rural areas. The cost of these interventions may also be way out of reach for many people without medical insurance cover.
Nevertheless, new research points to the adoption of lifestyle changes, especially physical activity to help address the challenge.
A new study, published in the Journal of Affective Disorders, indicates that both moderate and strenuous exercise alleviate symptoms of anxiety, even when the disorder is chronic or long-term.
The research, which was led by scientists from the University of Gothenburg in Sweden, involved 286 patients with anxiety disorders who were recruited from primary care hospitals in the country.
Half of these patients had lived with the condition for at least ten years. Their average age was 39 years, and 70 percent were women.
During the study, these patients were divided into two groups. One was given moderate exercises to undertake while the other did strenuous workouts for about four months (12 weeks). Both treatment groups had 60-minute training sessions three times a week, under the guidance of a physical therapist.
The sessions included both cardio (aerobic) and strength training workouts. A warmup was followed by circle training around 12 stations for 45 minutes. They all slowed down towards the end through ‘cooldown’ exercises before finalising with stretches.
Members of the group that exercised at a moderate level were intended to reach 60 percent of their maximum heart rate, while those that trained more intensively were expected to attain 75 percent of maximum heart rate.
The levels were regularly validated using the Borg scale. This refers to an established rating scale for perceived physical exertion that is usually confirmed with heart rate monitors.
At the end of the study, the results of the research showed that their anxiety symptoms were significantly alleviated, even among those that had been dealing with them for a long period.
For those who exercised at relatively low intensity, the chance of improvement in terms of anxiety symptoms rose by a factor of 3.62. The corresponding factor for those who exercised at higher intensity was 4.88.
“There was a significant intensity trend for improvement. We can see that the more intensely they exercised, the more their anxiety symptoms improved,” noted Malin Henriksson, the lead author of the study and specialist in general medicine at the University of Gothenburg.
“Today’s standard treatments for anxiety are cognitive behavioural therapy (psychological counselling) and psychotropic drugs. However, these drugs commonly have side effects, and patients with anxiety disorders frequently do not respond to medical treatment. Long waiting times for counselling sessions can also worsen the condition,” stated the researchers.
Past studies have linked physical exercise with improvement in depression symptoms. However, this new study is considered as the largest one that has offered insights on the significance of workouts on anxiety disorders.
“Doctors in primary care need treatments that are individualised, have few side effects and are easy to prescribe. This new model involving 12 weeks of physical training, regardless of intensity, represents an effective treatment that should be made available in primary health care more often for people with anxiety issues,” Åberg said.
