| | | | | from nowhere and often seem to the recipient as |
| When long term anxiety occurs for most people it can | | | | though they are dying as it is so severe although the |
| be annoying but for some people it can manifest itself | | | | bodily changes are not anything that will cause any |
| as an intense although relatively brief fear reaction | | | | problems. |
| which we often call a panic attack. | | | | |
| | | | | There is often during panic attacks the feeling of "am I |
| When anxiety goes on for a long time we try to | | | | ill " or "am I going to die" which does not help as it |
| change our behavior in order to deal with the anxiety, | | | | perpetuates the feeling and causes more anxiety and |
| we become tired, depressed and restless and we | | | | therefore increases the attack. |
| may lose appetite too. Sleep may pose a problem and | | | | |
| often result in bad dreams and we try to avoid any | | | | There is also a feeling of shallow or quick breathing |
| further frightening by withdrawing from life in extreme | | | | during a panic attack and this is called Hyperventilation |
| circumstances. | | | | Syndrome. This fast and shallow breathing exhales |
| | | | | more carbon dioxide than normal from the blood |
| These are both descriptions which can lead to a panic | | | | causing less acid content in the blood. This leads to a |
| attack. | | | | feeling of tingling in the fingers and light headedness as |
| | | | | well as sometimes causing muscle cramps too. |
| So what is a panic attack? It starts abruptly then | | | | |
| reaches its maximum within just a few minutes but | | | | It is therefore not surprising that all of these lead to a |
| can last from only a few minutes up to half an hour in | | | | vicious circle and in fact when breathing starts normally |
| length. | | | | again these symptoms go away. |
| | | | | |
| For it to be classed as a panic attack it must have at | | | | The one problem with these symptoms is that they |
| least four of these physical symptoms and have a | | | | often get misdiagnosed by Doctors and the wrong |
| feeling of intense fear. | | | | treatment is then given. This condition can occur |
| | | | | anywhere and at any time during unaccustomed |
| Palpitations | | | | exercising for example when scuba diving. Because of |
| Sweating | | | | this a lot of people think that anxiety disorder is a |
| Tremor | | | | diagnosis in itself. |
| Chest tightening | | | | |
| Abdominal pain/ discomfort/ nausea | | | | You may at some stage seen people breathing into |
| Dry mouth | | | | paper bags and wondered what that was all about, |
| Hot flushes | | | | well this is one way to deal with hyperventilation, the |
| Difficulty breathing | | | | carbon dioxide levels in the bag slowly increase and as |
| Tingling in fingers | | | | you re-breathe it the levels of carbon dioxide in the |
| Choking | | | | blood increase and change the acid levels in your |
| | | | | blood back to normal. |
| It is for this reason that many people who have panic | | | | |
| attacks try hard to avoid the situation in which they | | | | This is not easy to do and a lot of people find this a |
| experienced the panic. Some sufferers when indoors | | | | difficult thing to do and instead prefer to be taught how |
| find opening a window can help. | | | | to slow their breathing down and taking deeper |
| | | | | breaths, by doing this they keep the length of inspiration |
| Although the symptoms for fear and anxiety and panic | | | | and expiration the same which is important. |
| attacks are very similar in nature the difference | | | | |
| between fear and anxiety and a panic attack is that a | | | | So panic attack symptoms are very similar to fear |
| panic attack is so intense and usually in a panic attack | | | | and anxiety and these tips here will help you identify |
| there is no threat, or if there is it is not usually enough | | | | the symptoms of a panic attack. |
| to trigger panic. Panic attacks often seem to come | | | | |