Name: Anxiety and Kalms
Creator: Dr Karen Martin
Published: 2023-02-24T11:42:40.266Z

Kalms Day is a remedy containing valerian root extract. It claims to relieve irritability, anxiety and the stresses of everyday life. Many people find using this can help calm them down, particularly before anxious events. The valerian extract in Kalms is also useful to aid sleep if taken in the evening before bed. Kalms Night contains a higher amount of valerian to aid sleep. 

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Panic attacks – what are they and what can help?

[Panic attacks](https://www.healthwords.ai/us/condition/panic-attack!c7f96017-dc1e-4abe-b384-f4c02ac530af) are quite common, with around 1 in 10 people experiencing them. They can be a scary experience. Here at Healthwords, we believe that knowledge is power, so understanding more about these panic attacks and how to tackle them can hopefully help. We’ll explain when to see your doctor and what treatment paths are available.

Depression is the most common mental health condition with about 5-10% of adults experiencing it every year. It can be mild and last a relatively short time but about 25% of women and 10% of men have an episode of depression at some point in their lives that’s severe enough to need treatment. The average length of an episode of clinical depression is 6-8 months. It is a medical condition that can be serious, but most cases improve over time, and treatments such as lifestyle changes and talking therapies can help. It's very important to seek help early if you notice any persistent symptoms of depression.

Although depression affects people in different ways, the core symptoms are of persistently low mood or sadness, and a significant lack of enjoyment or interest in anything, even in activities you normally enjoy. It’s a marked difference from how you were before and you may also find it difficult to concentrate and focus. You may feel excessively tired, sluggish and lack motivation, and you may find it hard to start tasks or complete them. Your sleep may also change, such as sleeping in the daytime, finding it hard to get to sleep or to sleep through the night, and waking early in the morning. You may lose your appetite or begin over-eating. People with depression often describe feeling worthless or hopeless, and they often avoid seeing other people.

Depression can be categorized as mild, moderate or severe depending on the number of symptoms and how severely they are affecting you.

Everyone can feel a bit sad from time to time, if you are going through difficult times such as losing a loved one or a divorce, but this doesn’t necessarily mean you have depression. This can be a normal and appropriate response, and your coping strategies will help you get back on your feet.

This becomes more concerning if you’re feeling down for more than a few weeks and it’s getting worse, if it wasn’t in response to anything, or if you’re finding it hard to do your job or get everyday tasks done like washing or cooking. This is more like clinical depression.

Depression can lead to persistent thoughts of suicide or self-harm. This can have a significant impact on people's lives or be life-threatening and is why it is important to seek help if you are suffering from depression. Even the most severe depression can get better with the right support and treatment.

Depression and anxiety: Any natural remedies to try?

Life can sometimes become difficult – stresses in your relationship, a heavy workload, or an exam or interview looming. Tension and negative thoughts can set in, even feelings of panic or gloom. You might want to try something yourself before getting a doctor's opinion, and non-medical products can be a good choice for mild symptoms – our pharmacist is here to advise you.

Anxiety is when someone feels under threat or [stress](https://www.healthwords.ai/us/article/stress!b1b907f1-6bd9-4b83-a41c-7d28b583e498). It is a natural response that has helped with the survival of humans across the ages, but in today’s world it becomes a problem if it stops us from living our everyday life to the full and we can’t get things done. We all get anxious from time to time – such as before a job interview or an important meeting - and this is normal, but some people find that anxiety is constant and affects their everyday life.

Anxiety can cause symptoms of feeling worried, tense or panicky and physical symptoms can develop, such as a feeling of the heart beating hard or fast, sweating, shaking, [dry mouth](https://www.healthwords.ai/us/article/managing-dry-mouth!96c09301-0b01-4f84-99f6-ee26066fa501), feeling sick, breathing fast and heaviness in the chest.

These occur in response to your body releasing adrenaline when it feels under threat. Everyone will experience this feeling at points in their life, but anxiety can also be problematic at times. If anxiety occurs without a reason, if it persists after the threat or stress is over, if the level of anxiety is out of proportion to the threat, or if it affects your day-to-day life, this might be reason to seek help.

Anxiety disorder is an ‘umbrella’ term for many related conditions. People are affected with anxiety in many different ways but some of the more well-known or common anxiety disorder conditions include:

- generalized anxiety disorder, which is near-constant anxiety about lots of different things in life
- panic disorder, where regular panic attacks occur without a specific reason
- social anxiety disorder, which is severe anxiety around social situations or the thought of social situations
- post-traumatic stress disorder, where severe anxiety occurs after a traumatic event
- obsessive compulsive disorder, known as OCD, where severe anxiety causes repetitive thoughts or actions
- phobias, which is severe anxiety around a specific thing or situation

Dr Kandi - Anxiety

Antidepressants – your questions answered

It can feel like a huge decision to start antidepressants – treatment for clinical [depression](https://www.healthwords.ai/us/article/depression!26bd2fdb-787a-4dd6-815e-abdc51a35cae) - and it’s a very personal determination; only you can know how your symptoms are affecting you and what your particular set of circumstances are. Your doctor is on hand to discuss this in detail, but in general antidepressants are usually reserved for moderate or severe depression rather than mild cases, and they can also help with other problems such as obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), and certain pain syndromes.

Recognizing depression and knowing where to turn for help

The first thing to know is that you are not alone in feeling low. [Depression](https://www.healthwords.ai/us/article/depression!26bd2fdb-787a-4dd6-815e-abdc51a35cae) is extremely common, with up to 5 in every 100 people suffering around the world. The second thing to know is that it is treatable, so you should seek help when you first notice the signs – we'll talk you through what to look out for. And finally, we'll outline where to go for treatment, even when things have spiraled, and you're in a severe depression or have thoughts of ending it all. If any of this rings true for you or a loved one, please read on.

Mental well-being first aid – top tips from medical experts

Our mental well-being is of huge importance as it has an impact on nearly every aspect of our lives. As we get busy or face challenges in our lives, it can be something we overlook or forget to make time for. Here are our top tips from our medical experts here at Healthwords on how to keep a check on your mental well-being and help yourself stay healthy. Good mental well-being does not mean you will always feel happy, but it can help us cope better with the challenges we face in day-to-day life. Aiming for contentment is more realistic.

Our first top tip is exercise. You may not look forward to exercising, but it can give a substantial boost to your mental well-being. Increased blood flow to the brain increases brain cell growth and the generation of new connections. Endorphins and dopamine are released, helping make us feel good and giving us better sleep. Resilience to stress is improved, and it has a positive impact on symptoms of depression and anxiety.

It helps posture, too – the better you hold yourself when you sit or stand, the fewer aches and pains you get, but evidence shows that you also feel more confident and content within yourself.

Stress is an umbrella term to describe how your body reacts to threats, demands, or injuries. An automatic protective response that many people are aware of is the 'fight or flight' reaction to stressful situations that come up suddenly. In the right setting, this can be life-saving or even sharpen your mind and help you focus.

However, if your stress response is inappropriate or your body is under constant threat, it can bring your nervous system into disarray and affect many aspects of your life, disrupting your health, mood, and relationships. Stress can be a cause or the result of a problem, but it's best to manage it and reduce it where possible to avoid it taking over your life.

[Panic attacks](https://www.healthwords.ai/us/article/panic-attacks-what-are-they-and-what-can-help!2320a0a1-a2a4-40fb-8fc8-d59f70a886ad) are sudden extreme episodes of anxiety that can happen out of the blue with no clear trigger. They are common, with around 1 in 10 people experiencing them during their life. During a panic attack, your body has gone into "fight or flight" mode, where adrenaline is released into your bloodstream. This causes physical changes where your heart starts racing, and you're breathing fast (hyperventilating).

[Anxiety](https://www.healthwords.ai/us/article/anxiety!2ccd740b-3bc3-487e-a07a-e9873efc6dae) occurs when we feel under threat or [stress](https://www.healthwords.ai/us/article/stress!b1b907f1-6bd9-4b83-a41c-7d28b583e498) and is a normal part of life – it's actually helped our survival in the past. These days some mild anxiety can help us achieve (a bit of adrenaline may help us perform well in an exam or spur us on in a job interview) but it becomes a problem if it gets in the way of us going about our everyday life and stops us from doing things we’d like to do.

It’s common to feel anxious: you may feel worried, tense or panicked. Feelings can vary in intensity and you might get physical symptoms such as your heart racing, breathing quickly, a heavy feeling in the chest, feeling sick or shaky, sweaty and getting a [dry mouth](https://www.healthwords.ai/us/article/managing-dry-mouth!96c09301-0b01-4f84-99f6-ee26066fa501).

You often then start to avoid situations that make you feel like this but if it stands in the way of you leaving the house or stopping you from doing certain things, it has started to become a problem.

Dr Karen Martin

Pharmacist and Head of US Content

[Anxiety](https://www.healthwords.ai/us/article/anxiety!2ccd740b-3bc3-487e-a07a-e9873efc6dae) can set in ahead of big events such as an interview or an exam, or you may just be feeling a bit on edge without any particular cause. Some pharmacy products are known to calm mild anxiety and that panicky feeling that can rise up. Let’s take a look at one of them on the market in more detail.

Anxiety and Kalms

Doctor’s advice

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Related topics

Panic attacks – what are they and what can help?

Depression

Depression and anxiety: Any natural remedies to try?

Anxiety

Antidepressants – your questions answered

Recognizing depression and knowing where to turn for help

Mental well-being first aid – top tips from medical experts

Stress

Panic attack

Anxiety – seeking help