Name: Anxiety and 5-HTP
Creator: Dr Karen Martin
Published: 2023-02-27T09:35:13.585Z

5-hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP) is a naturally occurring amino acid produced by the body and is converted into serotonin, a chemical that helps elevate mood. 5-HTP may also elevate melatonin, which is important for sleep. 5-HTP is involved in the regulation of mood, appetite, and gut function.

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What is sleep? And why is it so important? Well, around a third of your life is spent sleeping, which is as necessary for survival as water and food. We'll explain here about the cycles of sleep and why we need them.

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 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

Hypothermia is a medical emergency. It occurs when your body gets to dangerously low temperatures below 95°F. This can be life-threatening. At temperatures this low, your vital organs cannot function properly, resulting in organ failure or death as your body fails to retain any heat. 

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.

Why is sleep important? Well, around 1/3 of your time is spent sleeping, which is as necessary for survival as water and food. Optimizing sleep can help you exercise better, improve your self-control and be all-around healthier. Here are our top tips for getting a great night's rest. 

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 5-HTP

Doctor’s advice

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Related topics

Sleep explained

Panic attacks – what are they and what can help?

Depression and anxiety: Any natural remedies to try?

Anxiety

Hypothermia

Antidepressants – your questions answered

How to sleep well

Stress

Panic attack

Anxiety – seeking help