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What Happens To The Body During A Panic Attack?

Nov13

Was what you had really a panic attack? That’s the question. It felt like so much more. So physical! How could it be only in your head? So what are the panic attack symptoms? First, the symptoms don’t exist in a void. They are a part of a person’s experience.

Cardiovascular Effects

When we get anxious the sympathetic nervous system causes the release of adrenalin to prepare us for fight or flight. This will result in an increased our heart rate and blood flow within the body but also restricts where the blood is sent to. Our major muscles such as the thigh muscles and biceps receive extra blood to prepare them for action. The extremities receive less which can result in a tingling sensation or pins and needles. Many people experience numbness and tingling during a panic attack often making them worry that they are about to have a heart attack. This worry is unfounded.

Respiratory Effects

You can also get a feeling of suffocating as the chest and throat tighten up. Your breath has become faster and deeper to increase oxygen levels in readiness for fight or flight. If the extra oxygen is not used it can lead you gasping for breath. This is simply because our breathing is automatically triggered by the level of carbon dioxide. Until we generate more carbon dioxide you can be left feeling that it is difficult to breath, one of the reasons why breathing into a paper bag works. You recycle the same breath; rebalance the carbon dioxide levels and revert to normal breathing.

The signs and symptoms of a panic attack develop abruptly and usually reach their peak within 10 minutes. Most panic attacks end within 20 to 30 minutes, and they rarely last more than an hour.

A full-blown panic attack includes a combination of the following signs and symptoms:

  • Shortness of breath or hyperventilation
  • Heart palpitations or a racing heart
  • Chest pain or discomfort
  • Trembling or shaking
  • Choking feeling
  • Feeling unreal or detached from your surroundings
  • Sweating
  • Nausea or upset stomach
  • Feeling dizzy, light-headed, or faint
  • Numbness or tingling sensations
  • Hot or cold flashes
  • Fear of dying, losing control, or going crazy
Panic attacks cannot be predicted. At least in the early stages of the disorder, there is no trigger that starts the attack. Recalling a past attack may trigger panic attacks.

Recognising When You Are Having A Panic Attack

Nov7

To a person who suffers with anxiety the idea of completing the smallest chore may cause a complete meltdown. You may find yourself making a list and then another list and then trying to prioritise as you know that there’s a good chance you’ll only manage to get one thing done. It sounds silly to others who have never had a panic attack if you tell them that it was all too much and you had to go home.

Just as the “social” anxiety implies, these people are afraid of associate or socialize with people. In fact, they do not fond of the idea of going to social events or party or using a public facility with everyone. It is mainly because they have the trouble of expressing themselves. They are pessimistic as they tend to view everything negatively. But this doesn’t mean that they want to spend their life alone. In their deep heart, they want to enjoy their life with everyone. They want to be accepted by the society. The sad thing is they can’t. Just standing around of a group of people is enough to make them feel anxious and nervous. They are so nervous to the point that they cannot even held a decent conversation with people.

So, what do you do to prevent anxiety and panic attacks from making your life difficult? Well, as I explained earlier, by identifying and recognising the early symptoms of an anxiety attacks you can stop them and at a later stage with some good training by preventing them you can become totally free from them.

An anxiety attack usually starts with some worry that you have been experiencing for a while. Whether the worry is a genuine one or not then a whole system kicks in that will lead to a full blown anxiety attack.

If you have one or more of the panic attack symptoms below then you could be on the verge of a panic attack:

  • Lightheadedness
  • Tingling in hands,feet or scalp
  • SweatingChest pain or palpitations
  • Nausea
  • Chills or hot flushes
  • Shortness of breath
  • Intense fear
  • Diarrhea
  • Muscle spasm
  • Dry mouth