Is hypermobility making you anxious?
A 2012 brain-imaging study found that individuals with joint hypermobility had a bigger amygdala, which is a part of the brain that is essential for processing emotions like fear and anxiety.
In a 2014 study, hypermobile participants displayed heightened neural reactivity when shown sad and angry scenes in brain regions connected to anxiety. Researchers have also linked self-soothing behaviors, like increased consumption of chocolate, tobacco and alcohol, to hypermobility.
Joint hypermobility may also be associated with an exaggerated fight-or-flight reaction. One researcher and her colleagues found support for this idea in a study of 400 psychiatric patients. They uncovered a simple yet powerful mechanism behind the link: the collagen abnormalities that make joints especially flexible seem to affect blood vessels. This makes patients prone to an accumulation of blood in veins in their legs.
The theory is that this pooling of blood may lead to exaggerated cardiovascular responses in order to maintain the output of blood from the heart. When the heart has to work extra hard just to circulate blood, it brings the entire body to the verge of a fight-or-flight reaction. This requires very little to set off panic.
Having this knowledge is helpful because it shines light on this truth:
Nervous system regulation is crucial for all women, but it is especially important if you are hypermobile. Understanding your physiology, and knowing what is happening and what to do about it, can help you live through a lens of confidence rather than fear.
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