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A panic attack is just what it sounds like \u2013 an attack of panic. This is what happens when the heart rate increases, stress hormones are produced and the patient is generally worked up to the point where they are unable to function normally and they risk fainting, collapsing, vomiting, or generally suffering in other ways.<\/p>\n
There are a number of panic attack symptoms that most people are familiar with \u2013 such as fainting and heavy breathing. However, panic attacks are not well understood and as a result, they are very often misdiagnosed or not properly treated. Panic attacks will affect a large proportion of the population at some point in their lives, but the good news is that they can be easily dealt with and will normally disappear in time. Your best weapon in this battle is knowledge, so consider these panic attack symptoms and what they can tell you about the nature of the condition.<\/p>\n
A panic attack is caused by a fight or flight response. This is the same thing that is responsible for our feelings of stress<\/a> at any point in life, as well as for our general anxiety.<\/p>\n It is common to think of stress as a bad thing, but actually it can be positive in the right context. Positive stress is more technically known as \u2018eustress\u2019 and this is the kind of stress that motivates us to actually get up and do things that need doing! Likewise, stress can be positive when we are in a dangerous situation. That is precisely what acute stress is for: to help us increase our chances of survival by making us stronger, faster, and more alert.<\/p>\n Stress will also increase your perception then and make you more sensitive to sounds and noises. This can lead to tinnitus in some cases \u2013 where your hearing becomes so incredibly heightened that you begin to hear \u2018false positives\u2019. In other words, you hear things that aren\u2019t there! In this case that might mean ringing in the ears.<\/p>\n More often, these heightened senses simply lead to a feeling of being \u2018crowded\u2019 as you become much more aware of noises and movement around you, and the environment you\u2019re in starts seeming busier and noisier.<\/p>\n One of the biggest issues with panic attacks<\/a> is that they can easily be mistaken for heart attack. One panic attack symptom that is well-known is chest pain. This can feel like compression on the chest, which is caused both by increased breathing and also by tension in the intercostal muscles that live between the ribs.<\/p>\n The problem is that these symptoms can sometimes be misinterpreted as being a sign of a heart attack. Thus, some people will wake up started in the night fearing that they\u2019re having a heart attack! Ironically, this makes them panic much more (as you would do!) and that increases the symptoms further.<\/p>\n But the other irony is that in some cases, a panic attack may even cause a heart attack! This is highly unlikely unless you are already susceptible to heart problems. But keep in mind that a panic attack will increase your heart rate considerably and thereby make it more likely to become overworked and that it will also increase blood viscosity. The blood becomes thicker because this makes it more likely to clot if you should be injured.<\/p>\n Another issue with a panic attack is that it triggers highly stressful thoughts and racing thoughts. As mentioned, it is quite common for patients to mistake their symptoms for a heart attack and therefore only to get more stressed. Likewise, many people will find that they panic about the panic attack itself! They don\u2019t want to feel stressed, they don\u2019t want to look nervous, they don\u2019t want to be sick and they certainly don\u2019t want to faint\u2026 Again, this only serves to work them up more.<\/p>\n Something you can do to solve this problem then is to accept the reality of the panic attack, to observe the symptoms, and not to \u2018fight\u2019 them.<\/p>\n Panic attacks and night terrors will often go hand-in-hand and this is particularly common in younger sufferers. Night terrors cause patients to wake up in fits of abject terror, sometimes following a nightmare and sometimes with no recollection of a trigger. This can include sweating<\/a>, heavy breathing, and a sense of impending doom and will often trigger a panic attack.<\/p>\n While this is more common in younger individuals, it can still occur at any age. The exact cause and nature of night terrors are not fully understood, but it is generally thought that increased chronic stress will lead to an increased likelihood of night terrors.<\/p>\n A more surprising and less obvious symptom associated with panic attacks is cramping. This can happen due to over-breathing.<\/p>\n We\u2019ve all seen patients with panic attacks breathing into paper bags. The idea behind this is to help them to reduce the amount of oxygen<\/a> in their blood and to replenish the stores of carbon dioxide. While oxygen gets all of the positive press, we need carbon dioxide just as much as this is what the body uses in order to extract oxygen from the red blood cells. When you breathe rapidly you can end up taking in lots of oxygen and decreasing the CO2 content of your blood. This also has the effect of alkalizing the blood, which in turn can cause the sensation of cramping and pins and needles.<\/p>\n This symptom is then further exacerbated by muscle contractions and tension which can make the muscles feel even tighter and more cramped.<\/p>\n Vomiting<\/a> is another common and not overly pleasant symptom of panic attacks. This can occur for several reasons once again. One is the sudden rush of adrenaline which can loosen the muscles surrounding the stomach and the intestines. This not only makes vomiting more likely, but it also makes you more likely to evacuate your bowels \u2013 which is why we often do this when we are very scared or shocked.<\/p>\n On top of that, stress also has the effect of redirecting blood away from the systems that are less immediately necessary for fighting or for running away. Blood is directed toward the muscles and the brain and it is driven away from the digestive system and immune system. This causes the effect of \u2018butterflies\u2019 and can eventually lead to vomiting and nausea among other things.<\/p>\n Panic attacks can lead to night terrors as we\u2019ve seen and very often the symptoms of night terrors and generally worse at night. This can make it difficult to get to sleep, as the body is in an aroused rather than a relaxed state.<\/p>\n In other words, your heart rate will be elevated, your muscles will be contracted and your mind will be racing with negative thoughts. These different effects combined make you much less likely to be able to relax and get into the calm state that is necessary for sleep and relaxation generally.<\/p>\n And this also leads to a catch 22 \u2013 seeing as our heart rate<\/a> is elevated and our systems are generally more aroused when we are overtired and haven\u2019t had enough sleep.<\/p>\n One of the slightly stranger sensations that you might experience during a heart attack is a sense of \u2018unreality\u2019. In other words, you may feel as though nothing is real and as though you are detached from the world.<\/p>\n This is partly due to the huge release of neurotransmitters and hormones<\/a> that is associated with a panic attack and it\u2019s possible that this is intended to prevent us from \u2018freezing up\u2019 with fear.<\/p>\n This can lead to poor decision making, however.<\/p>\n Tunnel vision is another common symptom of a heightened stress response.<\/p>\n Again, you need to remember the cause and the purpose of fight or flight. The aim here is to help you to increase your chances of survival if you are in a fight with another human, or if you are running from a predator.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/besthealth.guide\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/heart-problem.jpg\")
2. Heightened Risk of Heart Problems<\/h3>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/besthealth.guide\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/Stressful-Thoughts.jpg\")
3. Stressful Thoughts<\/h3>\n
\nVery often, we believe that our thoughts create our emotions and our physiology follows. In fact, though, the reverse is often true. In other words, our heart rate increases, and our muscles<\/a> contract and this sends the signal to our brain that we must, therefore, be stressed. Here, it is the thoughts that are following the physiology!<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/besthealth.guide\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Poor-Sleep.jpg\")
4. Night Terrors<\/h3>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/besthealth.guide\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Joint-Pain_Rheumatoid.jpg\")
5. Cramps<\/h3>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/besthealth.guide\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Digestive-Problem.jpg\")
6. Vomiting<\/h3>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/besthealth.guide\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Sleep-Disorder.jpg\")
7. Insomnia<\/h3>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/besthealth.guide\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Depression.jpg\")
8. Sense of \u2018Unreality\u2019<\/h3>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/besthealth.guide\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Panic-Disorder.jpg\")
9. Tunnel Vision<\/h3>\n