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Nervousness is a state of emotional tension, restlessness, and agitation. A person who is nervous may have trouble sitting still and concentrating. Fidgeting, pacing, scratching, and foot tapping also characterize nervousness. Nervous people feel constantly jittery and appear high strung and tense to others.

It is normal to feel nervous in anticipation of stressful events. Most people also feel at least a twinge of nervousness among strangers at social gatherings. Generally this kind of discomfort disappears after the event.

Sometimes, however, an illness or medication can trigger nervousness, as can overuse of certain substances such as alcohol and caffeine. In such cases, the symptoms should be discussed with a doctor.

Causes of nervousness

Alcoholism
People who use alcohol excessively often become jittery when the drug is not available. Alcoholics frequently awaken feeling terribly nervous and need a quick drink to calm down and start the day.

Allergies
Most people associate allergies with physical symptoms, such as the runny nose and teary eyes of hay fever or the hives that break out in reaction to pollen or certain foods. However, allergic reactions sometimes cause psychological symptoms, including nervousness.

Anxiety
Anticipation of intimidating future events often produces a sense of anxiety, but sometimes feelings of fear and foreboding stem from no identifiable cause and so are indicative of a psychological disorder. This kind of anxiety may range in severity from simple nervousness to severe physical distress, manifested by sweaty hands, stomach cramps, dry mouth, faintness, rapid heartbeat, muscle tension, or other symptoms.

Caffeine
Caffeine is a stimulant that, in excess, can easily provoke nervous agitation. It is present in coffee, tea, cocoa, and chocolate, as well as in many soft drinks, painkillers,

and over-the-counter medications. Caffeine is so widely used, in fact, that many people don't realize how much they consume each day In addition, some people can tolerate much larger amounts of caffeine than others.

Cigarette smoking
A few seconds after a person inhales cigarette smoke, nicotine begins to exert a stimulating effect on the brain. People who smoke heavily often become jittery because of the high quantities of nicotine in their systems.

Drug abuse
The misuse of drugs can cause a wide array of physical and emotional reactions, including hyperactive nervousness. In addition, withdrawal from long-term use of drugs such as tranquilizers and heroin causes intense nervousness, as well as physical symptoms.

Hormone imbalance
Hormones help maintain a delicate balance in the body. Even mild over, or underproduction of certain hormones can cause agitation. If nervousness accompanies weight loss, excessive sweating, chronic fatigue, a rapid or irregular heartbeat, and a progressive bulging of the eyes, it may signal an overactive thyroid. An excess of insulin in the body, usually a result of erratic control of diabetes, also commonly causes nervousness.

Medications
Many prescription and non­prescription drugs affect the central nervous system or the cardiovascular system and can cause a sense of nervousness, especially if an overdose is taken.

Overbreathing
If nervousness occurs in

conjunction with faintness or dizziness, rapid breathing, and frequent sighing, the symptoms may be related to breathing habits. For example, Overbreathing, or hyperventilation, can be remedied by breathing into a paper bag for a few minutes to decrease the level of carbon dioxide in the blood.

Panic attacks
Panic attacks are episodes of extreme nervousness, hyperventilation, and other symptoms provoked by situations that are generally perceived as harmless or only mildly threatening — for example, being in enclosed spaces, in crowds, or atop tall buildings.

PMS
Many women complain of irritability and nervousness as part of premenstrual syndrome, or PMS, a constellation of symptoms appearing every month in the days before menstruation begins.