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Anxiety shivers are a common symptom of anxiety. Although not a formal clinical term, anxiety shivers refers to the experience of anxiety that might cause someone to shiver, shake, tremble, feel like they have the chills, or feel it is hard to regulate their body temperature. Anxiety shivers can be alarming, but are not dangerous, and go away on their own as your anxiety dissipates.

Characteristics of Anxiety Shivers

Anxiety shivers are most likely to happen when you are experiencing a heightened period of anxiety, such as during a panic attack or anxiety attack. Anxiety shivers can come on suddenly, and usually happen alongside other physical, emotional, and behavioral anxiety symptoms.

Anxiety shivers may include several different features, including:

• Trembling
• Tingling and numbness in hands
• Shaking in the hands and fingers
• Muscle tension
• Feeling like you have the chills
• Feeling like the shivering is not something you can control
• Alternating shivers/chills with hot flashes/sweats
• Seeming to not be able to control your body temperature

Anxiety can cause many physical sensations, and you may experience these alongside shivers and shakes. Some of the other common physical signs of anxiety include:

• Racing heartbeat
• Nausea
• Stomachaches
• Diarrhea
• Labored breathing
• Feeling dizzy
• Chest tightness or pain

Finally, along with the physical sensations of anxiety, you may also experience psychological and behavioral changes, including racing thoughts, feelings of doom, feeling like you are in extreme danger, feeling restless and irritable, and feeling on edge.

Causes of Anxiety Shivers

Anxiety shivers are physical symptoms caused by anxiety disorders. You can experience anxiety shivers if you are experiencing a panic attack or anxiety attack. But anxiety shivers can also manifest during times of social anxiety, generalized anxiety, and as a symptom of PTSD.

When we are feeling acute stress or panic, our fight or flight response triggers the release of hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol. These hormones cause intense physical sensations, like rapid heart rate, nausea, stomachaches, shortness of breath, and dilated pupils. Fight or flight hormones can also cause muscle tension, trembling, shaking, and shivering.

Treatment for Anxiety Shivers

Anxiety shivers are something you may experience each time you have a bout of anxiety; others only experience them intermittently with anxiety.

If this is the first time you’ve experienced anxiety shivers, or if you have never been diagnosed with an anxiety disorder before, it’s important that you visit your healthcare provider to rule out other medical issues that could be causing your symptoms. If your provider believes anxiety is what’s causing your symptoms, they will likely refer you to a psychologist or psychiatrist.

Anxiety disorders are best treated with a comprehensive approach. Usually, that means combining talk therapy, lifestyle modifications (exercise, decreasing stimulants like caffeine, managing stress), as well as medication, when indicated.

Types of therapy that are known to help with anxiety disorders include:

• Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), which involves understanding the thoughts and behaviors you are having that are triggering or contributing to your anxiety and then learning how to manage these thoughts so they have less power over you
• Exposure therapy, which offers you a safe way to face your fears and learn to re-engage in activities you have avoided due to anxiety

Medications that are commonly used to treat anxiety disorders include:

• Antidepressants, such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) or serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs)
• Anxiety-specific medications to be used during an anxiety attack, including benzodiazepines
• Beta-blockers

Coping With Anxiety Shivers

While the key to managing anxiety shivers is treating the underlying anxiety condition that is causing the symptoms, sometimes anxiety just happens, and it can be helpful to learn techniques for managing your anxiety symptoms in the moment.

Your goal here will be to bring your body back to homeostasis. Remember, the acute physical symptoms of anxiety happen as a result of the fight or flight stress reaction. Once that reaction is triggered, it can take some time for the hormonal responses to dissipate, but there are things you can do to help relax your body, and bring it back into a place of calm and balance.

Below are some techniques that can help.

Mindfulness Meditation

Studies have found that mindfulness meditation is effective at treating symptoms of generalized anxiety disorder, and can also help you manage your stress reaction.

Breathing Techniques

Harnessing the power of the breath can help us move through an acute episode of anxiety, and manage the physical sensations that come after the fight or flight system is activated.

Anxiety causes our breathing to be quick and shallow. So any breathing technique that deepens and lengthens the breath can help decrease symptoms. You can place your hands on your belly so that you draw your breath deep and low.

You can also do breathing techniques that involve counting your breaths in, pausing, and then counting your breaths out.

Progressive Muscle Relaxation

Progressive muscle relaxation is another technique that can help quell anxiety symptoms like shivers. It involves first tensing, then releasing and relaxing your muscles one by one, throughout your body.

To do this, try lying down on your back with your eyes closed. Starting with your toes, move through each part of your body. Notice whether you are feeling tension or stress, then tense and think about letting that tension go, and then move on to the next part of your body.

In psychology, priming is a technique in which the introduction of one stimulus influences how people respond to a subsequent stimulus. Priming works by activating an association or representation in memory just before another stimulus or task is introduced.

This phenomenon occurs without our conscious awareness, yet it can have a major impact on numerous aspects of our everyday lives.

What Is Priming?

There are many different examples of how this priming works. For example, exposing someone to the word “yellow” will evoke a faster response to the word “banana” than it would to unrelated words like “television.” Because yellow and banana are more closely linked in memory, people respond faster when the second word is presented.

Priming is named as such to evoke the imagery of a water well being primed. Once the well has been primed, water can then be subsequently produced whenever it is turned on. Once the information has been primed in memory, it can be retrieved into awareness more readily.

Types of Priming in Psychology

There are several different types of priming in psychology. Each one works in a specific way and may have different effects.

Positive and Negative Priming

Positive and negative priming describes how priming influences processing speed. Positive priming makes processing faster and speeds up memory retrieval, while negative priming slows it down.

Semantic Priming

Semantic priming involves words that are associated in a logical or linguistic way. The earlier example of responding to the word “banana” more rapidly after being primed with the word “yellow” is an example of semantic priming.

Associative Priming

Associative priming involves using two stimuli that are normally associated with one another. For example, “cat” and “mouse” are two words that are often linked with one another in memory, so the appearance of one of the words can prime the subject to respond more rapidly when the second word appears.

Repetition Priming

Repetition priming occurs when a stimulus and response are repeatedly paired. Because of this, subjects become more likely to respond in a certain way more quickly each time the stimulus appears.

Perceptual Priming

Perceptual priming involves stimuli that have similar forms. For example, the word “goat” will evoke a faster response when it is preceded by the word “boat” because the two words are perceptually similar.

Conceptual Priming

Conceptual priming involves a stimulus and response that are conceptually related. Words such as “seat” and “chair” are likely to show priming effects because they are in the same conceptual category.

Masked Priming

Masked priming involves part of the initial stimulus being obscured in some way, such as with hash marks. Even though the entire stimulus is not visible, it still evokes a response.

The Priming Process

Psychologists believe that units (or schemas) of information are stored in long-term memory. The activation of these schemas can either be increased or decreased in a variety of ways.

• When the activation of certain units of information is increased, these memories become easier to access.
• When activation is decreased, the information becomes less likely to be retrieved from memory.

So, why would it be useful for related schemas to become activated and more accessible? In many instances, drawing related information into memory more quickly might help people respond faster when the need arises.

For example, schemas related to rainstorms and slick roads may be linked closely in memory. When you see it raining, memories of possible slick road conditions may also come to mind.

Because your mind has been primed to think of this information, you might be better able to think quickly and react rapidly when encountering a dangerous, wet stretch of road on your drive home from work.

Priming Affects Perceptions

The 2018 Yanny/Laurel viral phenomenon is one example of how priming can influence how you perceive information. An ambiguous sound sample was uploaded by an online user with a poll asking what people heard.

Some people distinctly heard “Yanny,” while others clearly heard “Laurel.” Some people even reported being able to switch back and forth between the words they heard.

Due to the aural ambiguity, psychologists suggest that people rely on priming effects to help determine what they are likelier to hear.

Instead, we utilize what is known as top-down processing. Our brains first recognize some sounds like speech. Then, our brains utilize context cues to interpret the meaning of these speech sounds.

When it comes to hearing either Yanny or Laurel, just being aware of the nature of the viral audio clip primes you to hear it as one or the other. The fact that people who heard the clip were already expecting to hear either Yanny or Laurel primed them to hear either of those two words rather than some other word.

In this case, factors related to sound quality and hearing ability also played a role. Younger people with less age-related hearing damage were more likely to hear “Yanny” because their ears are better able to detect higher frequency sounds. Those who heard Laurel tended to only hear lower-frequency sounds.

Priming Affects Behavior

In one study, researchers implicitly primed participants with words commonly associated with stereotypes about elderly people. Upon leaving the testing booth, people who had been primed with words related to older adults were more likely to walk more slowly than participants who had not been primed.

A study published in the journal Aging and Mental Health found that priming participants with negative aging stereotypes resulted in more negative effects on behaviors and self-rated evaluations. Priming participants with these negative aging stereotypes led to increased feelings of loneliness and an increased frequency of help-seeking.

In other words, bringing to mind stereotypes about elderly people being lonely and helpless actually led to people feeling lonelier and acting more helpless.

A third study, also in Aging and Memory, primed adults 55 and older with negative or positive messages about aging. They then asked participants to recall a list of 30 words. Adults who had been primed with negative messages had worse memory performance than those who received positive messages.

Priming Affects Learning

Teachers and educators can also utilize priming as a learning tool. Some students perform better when they know what they can expect. Tackling new material can sometimes be intimidating, but priming students by presenting information before a lesson is given can help.

Priming is often used as an educational intervention for students with certain learning disabilities. New material is presented before it is taught, allowing the student to become comfortable with it.

For example, students might be allowed to “preview” the books or materials that are going to be used as part of a lesson. Because they are already familiar with the information and materials, they may be better able to pay attention during the actual lesson.

When our head hits the pillow, it’s impossible to know what fascinating script our mind will come up with. Sometimes we dream about meeting up with an old friend or visiting a wonderful place, which can leave us feeling happy and warm once that alarm starts dinging. Other times, though, our dreams can take an odd and sometimes scary path filled with wayward plots. Dreaming about spiders is a perfect example of this.

Spider dreams are universal, meaning that it’s a common dream people have. Other examples of universal dreams include dreaming of your teeth falling out, not being prepared for a big exam, or being chased. What we’re trying to say is that lots of people dream about spiders, and as a result quite a bit of thought has gone into trying to figure out what spider dreams mean.

Ahead, we’re covering some common variations on this dream, psychological theories and interpretations, and how to process and interpret the dream yourself.

Common Themes and Variations

Spider dreams can take on a number of forms ranging from handling a spider to seeing a giant arachnid to being bit or chased by a spider, notes Jean-Baptiste Beau, dream expert, and founder of dream app Oniri. Another variation is to have a lot of spiders crawling all over you.

“Spiders are amongst the most common nightmares,” notes Jean-Baptiste Beau, dream expert and founder of dream app Oniri. “Because nightmares are often directly related to our fears, and spiders are a common fear we encounter from a young age, it is not surprising that spiders are up this list.” 

Of course, there are also happy dreams with spiders where this little critter is friendly. “These friendly spiders can represent wisdom, growth, and transformation,” suggests Olivia Dreizen Howell, a certified life coach and clinical hypnotherapist. For example, “if you are starting a new job, project, or relationship, dreaming about a friendly spider is a symbol for protection, and guidance.”

After all, spiders are brilliant weavers, and your subconscious mind may be using a spider as a metaphor for covering you with protection and a sense of wise guidance.

Common Symbolic Meanings of Spider Dreams 

Dreaming about spiders can leave you feeling a bit icked out, really scared, or completely curious. The next step is to try to process the dream and figure out what it might be able to tell you about your own life. You can start by reading up on some common interpretations and theories.

Freudian 

From a Freudian perspective, dreaming about spiders may be interpreted as a manifestation of repressed sexual desires or anxieties. “Freud often associated the spider with women and the feminine nature, so he may have interpreted the spider as being a protective mother figure in your subconscious, or as latent sexual desire—with perhaps a fear of one’s own sexual nature and femininity” Howell explains.

Jungian 

Carl Jung was a subconscious expert who viewed dreams as expressions of the collective unconscious that were ripe with symbols and motifs. Howell says, “He may have interpreted dreaming about spiders as a representation for creativity and wisdom, as mythologically speaking, spiders were associated with weavers, basket makers, sewers, and creative jobs.”

Alfred Adler 

Alfred Adler, founder of individual psychology, viewed dreams as reflections of an individual’s lifestyle, social dynamics, and perceived inadequacies.

While he never addressed spiders in his dream interpretations, you could speculate that he might view spiders as symbols of creativity, resourcefulness, or the ability to navigate complex situations. Or, they could reflect feelings of entrapment or manipulation.

Interpretive Psychology 

“Most of the research today focuses on the neuroscientific and cognitive view of dreams and new frameworks were developed to integrate dreams into psychotherapy, like Integrative Psychotherapy, or Clara Hill’s model,” Beau explains.

He says that these modern approaches allow for more nuance and individual interpretation that aligns with our unique thoughts and emotions. When taking this approach, a spider dream interpretation can range from having deep fears to feeling trapped to feeling inspired.

How to Process & Interpret Your Dream 

The thing about dreams is that they’re very open to interpretation. An accurate explanation for one person may not be another’s truth. 

When analyzing dream symbolism, it is very important to question yourself on your own beliefs and emotions,” Beau says. “When you think of a spider, what comes to your mind? Also take note of the other elements in the dream, they can help.”

You can also tap into how you’re feeling when you wake up. Are you anxious or afraid? Curious? Hopeful? These feelings can provide you with insights into what the spider dream means for you. 

“If the dream is recurrent, it could be that you have trouble processing something. In that case, we recommend analyzing the dream to understand what it’s linked to, and discussing the issue with a psychologist to work on it,” Beau says. “It is natural to have a proportion of nightmares, so if the dream is infrequent, we recommend not focusing on it too much.” 

Generally speaking, try not to take things too seriously when it comes to dreams. While they can be informative and help guide you, they’re not meant to be taken with extreme gravity. It can be helpful to journal about your dreams, ideally right when you wake up while the memory is fresh. Over time, you can note patterns or common emotions, which can provide meaningful insights.

Your bestie has your back through thick and thin. They’re your go-to when the world throws a rough curveball and the first person you run to with exciting news. So when they betray your trust or your friendship? That cut hurts deeply.

“Being betrayed by a friend violates the trust of someone who was supposed to be a safe space,” says psychologist Kiki Ramsey, PhD, MCC. “Friendships grow through shared experiences and confidence, so when that trust is broken, it feels like a personal attack. The emotional fallout can be intense, leaving you questioning the relationship, your judgment, and your worth.”

Does It Always Make Sense to Rebuild? 

The sting of betrayal is a hard one to deal with, and you might even wonder to yourself: is it even worth rebuilding the friendship in the first place?

“When deciding whether to mend or move on from a friendship, consider the nature and frequency of the betrayal,” Dr. Ramsey says. “If it’s a one-time event with a sincere apology and a change plan, rebuilding might be worth exploring.” 

However, if betrayals seem to happen way too frequently—or they haven’t been able to show any sense of remorse or willingness to change—then investing your energy elsewhere may be healthier. 

When to Consider Repairing Your Friendship

Here are some signs that rebuilding and repairing the friendship might be worth it:

• It was a one-off mistake or misunderstanding
• The mistake hasn’t completely upended your life or caused irreparable harm
• The mistake didn’t put you or others in grave danger
• They sincerely apologize and show genuine remorse 
• Your friend understands how their actions hurt you and did not intend to hurt you 
• They are committed to being better and to learning and doing things differently moving forward
• You have a deep, positive history together that’s otherwise damage-free

When Walking Away May Make Sense

On the other hand, you might want to cut your losses if you notice some, or all, of these patterns:

• Betrayals happen frequently 
• They aren’t remorseful or understanding of the pain they’ve caused you 
• It feels like they don’t value your friendship in general 
• Effort to mend or grow together is one-sided (they don’t put the same energy in)
• You’ve seen them often treat others poorly, too 
• You’ve reflected on your friendship together and realize your values no longer align

The Truth About *Real* Friendships

Here’s the thing about any type of relationship: they’re going to have ups and downs and won’t follow a linear path. “Understanding that human nature is flawed means one person’s mistakes don’t necessarily reflect who they are or how they can continue to support you in the future,” says licensed therapist Rachel Goldberg, LMFT, PMH-C. Keep that in mind as you forge your path. 

How to Rebuild Friendship After Betrayal 

The feelings you experience after a friend betrays you can be downright painful. You may feel an overwhelming flurry of anger, sadness, frustration, shock, and loneliness—after all, they were the one you turned to so many times for everything else. 

“Betrayal typically comes from someone you’ve allowed into your inner circle, someone who plays a significant role in your emotional foundation,” says Patricia S. Dixon, PsyD, a licensed clinical psychologist. “This turmoil is a natural response to the loss of trust and connection, and it can take time to process and heal from these feelings.” 

Give yourself time to process what happened, and then—if it feels right—take these steps to rebuild your friendship again. 

1. Validate Your Pain

Acknowledge your pain and hurt. Feeling grief is a healthy and normal response, and it is important to honor these feelings and not minimize or avoid them.

2. Have an Open, Honest Conversation 

Step number two is to talk it out—ideally in person. A phone call may work, but try to avoid texting back and forth for this one. “Having a conversation about how the person hurt you, why you feel betrayed, and allowing them to apologize and acknowledge the pain they’ve caused is a great first step in rebuilding the friendship,” says Goldberg.

3. Listen to Their Side 

Give your friend a chance to explain their perspective. This allows you to better understand where they are coming from, which can mend hurt feelings and soften anger. This is also an opportunity to assess whether their apology feels genuine, and if you think that it’s possible to move forward. 

4. Remind Yourself Why You Were Friends 

In the face of betrayal, you may question your own judgment with friendships. As long as this is a one-off betrayal (versus an ongoing pattern), it may be helpful to remind yourself why you two were friends to begin with. Goldberg says, “Reminding yourself of the reasons you are grateful for the friendship can help put you back in the mindset of how much care there is between you two.”

5. Genuinely Forgive Them

Grudges and building resentment won’t help either of you. Dr. Dixon says, “Decide to forgive while also clearly communicating your expectations for the friendship moving forward. This helps establish a foundation of trust and respect as you work to rebuild your connection.”

6. Take Small Steps to Reconnect

You may be surprised at how good you feel once you’ve hashed things out with your friend. Even then, it’s smart to ease back into the friendship. Dr. Ramsey suggests taking “small steps to reconnect and reestablish shared activities and positive experiences, allowing the friendship to grow and heal over time.”

It may take some time, and things may not feel exactly like they once were, but following these steps will help you rebuild your friendship and get back to a more familiar place.

5-HTP is a substance that is sometimes used as a supplement. It can be converted in the body to serotonin, which has led to an interest in its use to treat depression, anxiety, insomnia, and some other conditions.

This article discusses what 5-HTP is, how it is used, and research on its potential effects. It also covers some of the potential side effects and drug interactions that may occur.

What Is 5-Hydroxytryptophan?

5-Hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP) is a compound produced in the body from the amino acid tryptophan. It is a precursor to the neurotransmitter serotonin and the hormone melatonin.

5-HTP is manufactured from the seeds of an African plant, Griffonia simplicifolia. The supplements have become popular because it is thought that providing the body with 5-HTP in pill form can boost the body’s serotonin levels, similar to the antidepressants that are thought to increase the amount of serotonin available to the brain.

Serotonin is a type of neurotransmitter that carries signals between nerve cells in the brain. It helps to regulate a variety of functions in the body, including attention, behavior, and mood. By increasing serotonin levels in the brain, mood can often improve.

Possible Health Benefits of 5-HTP

In alternative medicine, 5-hydroxytryptophan supplements are purported to help in the treatment of conditions including:

Here’s a look at some of the research studies so far.

Depression

Several small clinical trials have found that 5-HTP may be as effective as antidepressants. For example, in a six-week clinical trial, 63 people were given either 5-HTP (100 mg three times a day) or an antidepressant (fluvoxamine, 50 mg three times a day). The 5-HTP was found to be as effective as the antidepressant, with fewer side effects.

However, one systematic review of 108 studies of 5-HTP for depression found that only two met their criteria for quality studies.

Other research suggests that the antidepressant effects of 5-hydroxytryptophan may be most beneficial when used to augment other depression medications. One 2017 study found that a combination of creatine and 5-HTP was effective when used to augment SSRI or SNRI antidepressants in women who were experiencing treatment-resistant depression.

Insomnia

Serotonin is converted into melatonin, a hormone needed to regulate sleep-wake cycles. Because 5-HTP is thought to increase serotonin levels, it may increase melatonin and help normalize sleep patterns.

A 2021 clinical trial found that supplementation with 5-HTP improved sleep latency for eight weeks among older adults. However, such effects were not observed over a prolonged period, possibly due to the body acclimating the long-term 5-hydroxytryptophan supplementation.

Possible Side Effects

While side effects can occur, they are often mild. Potential side effects of 5-HTP include:

• Diarrhea
• Dizziness
• Heartburn
• Nausea
• Stomach upset

One older study found that such side effects are dose-dependent. In other words, they are worse the more of the supplement you take.

In 1998, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) reported having detected a chemical compound known as “peak x” in some 5-HTP products. Peak x had been previously associated with the supplement tryptophan, which is made into 5-HTP in the body.

Tryptophan was taken off the market when thousands of people developed a severe rare blood disorder called Eosinophilia-Myalgia Syndrome (EMS) due to the way the product was manufactured. Some reports suggest that purity may be a potential problem for 5-HTP as well. No cases of EMS resulting from 5-HTP use have been reported, however.

Contraindications

Individuals who have high blood pressure. liver disease or diabetes should consult a healthcare professional before taking 5-HTP. As its safety has not been adequately evaluated, 5-HTP should not be taken by women who are pregnant or breast feeding.

Potential Drug Interactions

Some of the drugs that may potentially interact with 5-HTP supplements include:

• Antidepressants including SSRIs such as Celexa (citalopram), Lexapro (escitalopram), Luvox (fluvoxamine), Paxil (paroxetine), Prozac (fluoxetine), and Zoloft (sertraline)
• Dextromethorphan, a medication often found in cough syrups
• Tricyclics including Elavil (amitriptyline) and Tofranil (imipramine)
• Monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs), including Nardil (phenelzine) and Parnate (tranylcypromine)
• Ultram (tramadol), which is prescribed for pain relief
• Triptans, which are used to treat migraines

These medications elevate serotonin levels. When combined with 5-HTP, they can increase the risk of experiencing serotonin syndrome. Symptoms of serotonin syndrome include high blood pressure, poor coordination, rapid breathing, and tremors. In severe cases, people may experience high fever, loss of consciousness, rapid changes in blood pressure/heart rate, seizures, and even life-threatening.

Dosage and Preparation

There is not enough scientific data to provide a recommended dose of 5-HTP. However, for depression, doses of 150-800 mg daily taken for 2-6 weeks have been described.

Food Sources of L-Tryptophan

You can boost your dietary intake of the essential amino acid L-tryptophan, which the body converts to 5-HTP. Food sources of L-tryptophan include:

• Bananas
• Chicken
• Collard greens
• Milk
• Potatoes
• Pumpkin seeds
• Spinach
• Sunflower seeds
• Turkey
• Turnip greens

5-Hydroxytryptophan Supplements

5-HTP supplements are found in health food stores, online, and at some drug stores. Be careful not to confuse 5-HTP with 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT), the chemical name for the neurotransmitter serotonin.

Also keep in mind that the safety of supplements in pregnant women, nursing mothers, children, and those with medical conditions or who are taking medications has not been established.