It is natural when in tension, anxiety or a panic situation, we try something to make us more relaxed and feel better. There is nothing wrong in doing this; in fact, it is the first thing you should do. But unfortunately, many of the things that we do to try to relax, are not the best. They can be bad for our well-being. Stimulants like alcohol, caffeine, and nicotine appear to be helpful, but the really do not help. In most cases they worsen the situation, not make it better.

Numerous people use alcohol to loosen themselves and even those who do not incline to start drinking in order to face the effects of anxiety and panic related malady. However, is this really the solution? No. The more that one drinks the more heavy his head feels and in result, it does not reduce your anxiety or panic but somewhat increases it. For a little time, you may feel that it helps but the hangover leads to more of mental anguish. Alcohols may aid you to sleep faster but you will at no time get a good sound sleep.

Alcohol metabolizing processes use numerous body vitamins. Because of the vitamin scarcity, alcohol should not be taken or consumed in large quantities daily. So, if you are an alcoholic then you have to supplant your diet with adequate amounts of vitamins. Still, for all panic attack sufferers it is in their best interests to stop or lower the intake to a bare minimum level.

Another extremely commonly used stimulant is coffee. Coffee (or rather caffeine) is used as a cardiac stimulant and acts as a laxative. It is most mainly used for providing a swift up lifting of mood and vitality. It is also used for helping increase alertness. It is the most commonly used stimulus amongst students who stay awake until late at night.

Though caffeine can be extremely helpful in some cases, it is harmful in several areas and at times will cause the stress level to rise. Caffeine is very addictive and acts just in a milder way to drugs like heroine, cocaine etc. People addicted to coffee require coffee to wake up in the morning and while help solving even the simplest of their problems. When used in controlled quantities its damage can be sustained by the body but in excess amounts, it leads to more increased levels of anxiety due to a feeling of sleeplessness and restlessness.

Caffeine can be found in coffee, tea, chocolate etc. and in numerous soft drinks. Caffeine intake should be kept to a bare minimum level for proper functioning of the body. People suffering from panic attacks need to cut out their caffeine intake because of its harmful effects on the mind and body.

Numerous people also use nicotine in the form of cigarettes, cigars, pipes, combined with drugs like marijuana and the like as a stimulus. Nicotine is extremely dangerous because it is passed immediately into the bloodstream and from there the nicotine is circulated to the brain. This may then trigger a diversity of reactions in the brain. Although Nicotine may not cause any a big reaction, others may cause effects ranging from sleep to hallucination. Nicotine affects the nervous system, cardiovascular system and elevation in blood pressure including quicker heartbeats. Everyday smokers are even higher on the risk side. Nicotine can hasten the onset of new wave of panic attacks. Thus, nicotine only aggravates the situation of panic.

Well we see that all these stimulants do no more than harm our body in our bid to cope with anxiety and panic situation. You must try to shun these things as often as possible. So the myths that these products help reduce your anxiety and panic attacks are just that, myths. You can see the dangers of the products; you need to act accordingly to improve your lifestyle by taking other paths.