Many people who suffer from panic attacks and other anxiety disorders are usually intellectually honest enough to admit that the fear or anxiety is irrational. This isn't surprising as many of us can logically work through a behavior, admit that it's not good for us but still continue to do that behavior.
Unlike many anxiety disorders, a panic attack seems to come on without provocation. That is, it appears not to be associated with any specific event or situation and also is characterized by physical symptoms.
You may have experienced a lot of these symptoms. If you enjoy watching a good suspense or horror movie. The tightness in your chest, difficulty breathing and the general feelings of suspense could all be considered part of panic. Panic attacks are very similar to an adrenaline rush that prepares your body for a fight or flight response. Your heart starts pounding, which increases the blood flow to your muscles, your feet and hands may start feeling numb, shaking her trembling, faster breathing delivers more oxygen into your lungs and there's a general feeling of dread.
Other symptoms such as dizziness and choking can be physical responses to the increase in hormonal levels. Being flushed and feeling your heart pounding is normal when your heart is working harder.
Recognize that depending on the situation, these symptoms are quite normal. If you are in a serious or life-threatening situation, your body naturally kicks in, hormones such as adrenaline and epinephrine to prepare you for physical action that may be needed for your survival. These hormones can prepare you to either fight off or work through a dangerous situation or run from it.
The differences between a panic attack and the feelings you may have watching a suspenseful movie is one of severity and control. While at the movie theater if things become too intense, you simply close your eyes and look away and continue to stay in control. A person suffering a panic attack however, cannot control the severity of the feelings are physical symptoms.
To make matters even more complex, a panic attack can come on at any time and in any place. Imagine walking down to check your mail in getting this overwhelming sense of dread coupled with a very intense physical symptoms and there's nothing you can do about it. This is the life of someone suffering with panic.
The good news is that panic attacks are seldom dangerous. It is important however that you obtain an accurate diagnosis of panic attacks, because the symptoms are very similar to several very deadly illnesses. This makes it critical that anyone suffering with panic be examined by a qualified medical professional to obtain an accurate diagnosis and eliminate possible physical reasons for the symptoms.
When you feel like your beginning to breathe very rapidly and complain that your heart is jumping around in your chest, you may be experiencing panic attack. Such rapid pulse and shortness of breath of a panic attack can feel like a heart attack, and may signal a brewing heart trouble, a study of more than 3,000 older women reveals. Episodes of panic attack are frightening and may occur at random or after a person is exposed to various events that may trigger the condition. Based on the study, women who reported at least one full-blown panic attack during a six-month period were three times more likely to have a heart attack or stroke over the next five years than women who didn't report a panic attack. After taking into account other risk factors such as smoking, high blood pressure, inactivity and depression, researchers have also found out that emotional and mental health issues chracterized by fear, hostility, and anxiety which have been linked to previous research on heart problems, said study co-author Dr. Jordan Smoller of Boston's Massachusetts General Hospital. ?Postmenopausal women who are experiencing panic attacks may be a subgroup with elevated risk,? Smoller said. She added that monitoring the health condition of postmenopausal women is critical to the reduction of the risk of cardiovascular disease. Monday's Archives of General Psychiatry published the study which wasn't designed to explain the link but speculated that a panic attack may trigger heart rhythm problems or that stress hormones released during an attack may harm the heart. Susie Rissler, 51, of Terre Haute, Indiana, wasn't a bit surprised by the study. She's been a panic attack sufferer since childhood who had already experienced three mini-strokes. ?You feel like the whole world is caving in,? Rissler said of her panic attacks, which can include symptoms like racing heartbeat and chest pains. ?I've had shaking, sweating, curling up in a ball totally afraid to even look around. Panic attacks can really destroy a person in a lot of different ways,? she said. According to Smoller, some of the reported panic symptoms such as racing heart, chest pain or shortness of breath, experienced as a panic attack, may have been heart problems in disguise and may have been caused by an undiagnosed heart problem. ?One study doesn't settle a question,? he cautioned. Smoller said that the number of events seen in this sample was still relatively small.
From 1997-2000, the study enrolled 3,243 women and followed them for five years. Forty-one in the analysis had a heart attack or death from a heart problem. An additional 40 had strokes. According to Dr. Joann Manson of Harvard's Brigham and Women's Hospital who is not part of the team, though the weakness of the study may be its reliance on the women's memories, rather than doctors' diagnoses, it's more likely that the findings point to a real connection between panic and heart problems. ?It does tie together very well with what we know about the biology and physiology of the stress hormones,? Manson said. ?I think it does suggest that this is something to discuss with your doctor, ? Manson said.
Both Abigail Franks & Mjb are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Abigail Franks has sinced written about articles on various topics from Home Schooling, Health and Mortgage. Abigail Franks writes on a variety of subjects and she is a regular article contributor to more specific panic attack informat. Abigail Franks's top article generates over 246000 views. to your Favourites.
Mjb has sinced written about articles on various topics from Business and Finance, Writing and Panic Attacks. Choose Variety of High Quality Medicines at ">Online MedicinesEnjoyed Reading this article? More here:. Mjb's top article generates over 368000 views. to your Favourites.