Your anxiety might not be in your head…it might be in your immune system

Added: 2026-05-06

[00:00:00]The immune system can play a major role on your anxiety level which has an impact on your daily sensory profile.

[00:00:08]But why is this? So scientists found that immune signals called cytoines can actually turn anxiety on in your brain.

[00:00:16]In the amygdala, the brain's threat center, there's a receptor called interlucan 17RA. And when inflammation is high, cytoines bind to it and your neurons start firing faster. More firing means more threat detection, more urgency, more anxiety. But the crazy thing is that these same neurons also have a calming receptor called interlucan 10RA. And when anti-inflammatory signals bind there, they quiet everything down. So your brain is constantly calculating inflammation versus regulation. And whichever signal is stronger wins. And this explains why anxiety can feel sudden, physical, and totally disconnected from your thoughts because sometimes it literally is. Now, you can't control cytoines directly, but you can shift the balance. Sleep, stress, and feeling safe. Physical health, all of those things can help you to regulate. Your brain is constantly listening to your body all the time. And anxiety isn't just in your