More Than Being Scared
Your body’s “fight-or-flight” response kicks into high gear, and it seems to come from nowhere—as you’re walking down the street or doing the laundry. It can even wake you from a sound sleep. There is no obvious reasons for symptoms of a panic attack. Part of the reason it’s called an “attack” is it can be so sudden and intense, you feel helpless, or unable to move or think clearly.
Chest Tightness
A jolt of adrenaline gets the heart racing or pounding, or even both. Your chest might hurt, and you may have trouble breathing.
Choking
Your throat tightens up and you can’t swallow. Or you might think you’re going to throw up. All these feelings may make it harder to catch your breath.
Terror
Not talking about the fear you feel in your normal course of life feels like you’re standing on the edge of a cliff, when you bring up a difficult subject, or start a new job. During a panic attack, you may have an overwhelming sense of something terrible about to happen—or you’re going to die—despite knowing it’s not true.
Dizziness
Sometimes you get so lightheaded, it feels like the room starts to spin. Or it seems like you’re disconnected from your surroundings.
Sweaty Palms
Sweaty palms is a classic sign of anxiety and also a panic attack. You may sweat in other places like under your arms as well, sometimes a lot. You could even get chills or hot flashes too.
Trembling and Tingling
A trembling and tingling sensation means your whole body starts shaking from the blood rushing to your heart and muscles. Your fingers and toes may also tingle or feel numb.
Headache
Can come on suddenly and be gone just as quickly. Like other symptoms, this alone doesn’t mean you’re having a panic attack.
How Long Does It Last?
A panic attack hits at once and builds to a peak in ten minutes. Then you slowly start to feel better. Attacks rarely last more than an hour, and most are over within 20-30 minutes. Panic attacks are, for the most part, always the same.
Is it a Heart Attack?
Although the symptoms may be the same—chest pain, breathing problems, dizziness, sweating and even the feeling of losing control. If it’s the first time you’ve felt like this, and you or a close family member have had heart problems, get to an ER to be safe.
When to See a Doctor
You probably don’t need to worry if you have 1 or 2 incidents and they go away without other problems. If you have more than that, or if you’re concerned, see your doctor. He may be able to figure out what’s triggering your attacks and help you manage them. He will also help to rule out a heart condition called a mitral valve prolapse.
Causes
Panic attacks tend to run in families often related to stress. Sometimes, it may be a physical reason, a thyroid gland that makes too much of the hormone, you don’t have enough sugar in your blood, drank too much caffeine, or took a stimulant drug like amphetamines or cocaine, or you are abusing or withdrawing from drugs or alcohol.
Panic Disorder
If your doctor can’t find a physical cause and you keep getting panic attacks, you have a panic disorder, especially if you can’t stop worrying about the next oncoming one. You may even change the way you live from day-to-day just to avoid them.
What Can You Do
The first step is to understand what is going on. Once you realize the problem, and you know it won’t hurt you, and it only last a few minutes, and know ways to treat them with therapy and/or medication, it may be a relief.
Connect with People
It is best to see family and friends in person, but by phone or computer is better than nothing. If you don’t have people to turn to, consider joining social groups like a book club or sports league, to meet folks with common interests and start building reletionships.
Get Enough Sleep
It is best to get 7-9 hours a night. If you are having trouble going to sleep, keep the room cool, dark and quiet. Don’t watch TV or use the computer or smartphone right before going to bed. it also helps to go to sleep and wake up at the same time every day, even on the weekends.
Exercise
Try to get at least 30 minutes a day—even if it’s just 10 minutes at a time—and you’re likely to be stressed. You can lower the odds of having a panic attack. Any exercise helps, but it is better if you do activities that move both your arms and legs in rhythm, like walking running, swimming or dancing.
Avoid Cigarettes, Caffeine and Alcohol
These can cause panic attacks or make them worse if you get them regularly. If you take lots of medications, like allergy pills, diet pills and cod medicines, they have drugs in them that have a similar effect. Talk with your doctor if you need help cutting these out of your life.
Practice Relaxation
Techniques like meditation and yoga help release tension and train yourself to be at peace and centered. Deep, controlled breathing is a great way to calm yourself down when you feel on edge with attack symptoms coming on.
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