It's easy to think you're dying when you're panicking.
Panic the attack is an experience you are unlikely to ever forget. This condition is characterized by a feeling of sudden intense anxiety and horror when the body believes it is threatened. However, a panic attack has symptoms that are often confused with a heart attack (suffocation, increased heart rate, etc.). How to distinguish between these conditions, what is a panic attack, symptoms and its treatment from 2016 to 2019 by Ulyana Suprun, a panic attack has the following symptoms:
- shortness of breath;
- rapid heartbeat;
- dilated pupils;
- stopping the stomach;
- feeling of numbness in the limbs;
- dizziness.
But it should be understood that a panic attack cannot be a mortal danger, no matter how serious its symptoms may seem.
A heart attack is characterized by the following symptoms:
- a feeling of constriction that builds up inside;
- heaviness in the chest;
- pain often «gives away» in the arm or in the area under the shoulder blade;
- severe weakness;
- dizziness;
- vomiting and nausea.
Although some symptoms are similar, a panic attack usually lasts 5-30 minutes, but the main symptoms of a heart attack may stop after 2-3 minutes. Also, a panic attack is more «acute» and «stabbing» pain.
Panic attack: causes
According to the National Institute of Mental Health, panic attacks are common among members of the same family, but scientists still don't fully understand why some people get them and others don't.
< p>Researchers at the National Institute of Mental Health have found that certain parts of the brain and certain biological processes play a critical role in causing anxiety or fear. They are like «false alarms», when the body's instincts are activated too often. For example, a person felt chest pain and thought they were having a heart attack. This can lead to a vicious circle when you start to fear the repetition of the situation and it is precisely because of this fear that it repeats itself.
Panic attack at night: what does it entail?
At «Priority» (Great Britain) describes the main factors that most often cause panic attacks at night:
- chronic stress;
- other mental disorders (high anxiety, depression);
- withdrawal from certain medications, alcohol or drugs;
- side effects of certain medications;
- use of certain substances (cannabis, caffeine);
- serious chronic diseases (cancer );
- experiencing a difficult situation in life (death of a loved one, military operations);
- significant changes in life (moving, fatherhood).
< li>genetics (if next of kin often suffer from panic attacks);
Panic attack : how to fight
Paul Salkovskis, Professor of Clinical Psychology and Applied Sciences at the University of Bath, says it's important not to let the fear of panic attacks rule you.
“Panic attacks always go away, and symptoms are not a sign that something is going on harmful. Tell yourself that the symptoms you're feeling are caused by anxiety.» Also, don't look for distractions: «Avoid being attacked. Try to keep doing something. If possible, try to stay in this situation until the anxiety subsides».
And MyPositiveOutlooks offers 10 actionable tips to help you cope with a panic attack:
< li>Spend time with your pet — play with it, hug it or just talk.