If you suffer from panic attacks, some of the following story may sound familiar.
Shirley had a plane to catch to get to her brother's wedding, but the morning of the flight she woke up in a state of sheer panic, with heart palpitations and a terrible sense of doom. Her panic attack was so bad she actually missed the flight.
According to the National Institute of Health, there are indeed thousands and thousands of people who are suffering from the disorder today. So if you have been diagnosed with panic disorder it is important to understand that you are not alone.
Physical symptoms of panic attacks-
The symptoms of a panic attack appear suddenly, without any apparent cause. They may include
* racing or pounding heartbeat (palpitations);
* chest pains;
* stomach upset;
* dizziness, lightheadedness, nausea;
* difficulty breathing, a sense of feeling smothered;
* tingling or numbness in the hands;
* hot flashes or chills;
* dreamlike sensations or perceptual distortions;
* terror: a sense that something unimaginably horrible is about to occur and one is powerless to prevent it;
* a need to escape;
* fear of losing control and doing something embarrassing; and
* fear of dying.
In addition to the physical symptoms, other effects might be feeling detached from the world and a feeling of lightheadedness.
Doctors and researchers are constantly looking for new treatments every day simply because such a large percentage of the population suffers from panic attacks and anxiety.
There are a variety of treatments available for controlling panic attacks, including medications, and behavioral techniques including relaxation techniques and gradually increasing exposure to situations that may have previously caused anxiety.
People may be prescribed medication to deal with their anxiety, only to find out they suffer from unpleasant side effects from the drugs, or others may be asked by their doctor or therapist to follow a time consuming 30 step program that ultimately brings only minor improvements.
Fortunately, if you are interested in stopping symptoms panic attacks there is a radical new treatment released recently that is unlike anything that is available today. It involves no medication, no herbs, no therapy, no riding out the fear or hypnosis. If you want to find out about it, visit Freedom From Panic or sign up for the free newsletter at Freedom From Panic Tips.
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Panic Attacks
If you have had the misfortune to suffer from a panic attack you know what a truly terrifying experience it is.
Suddenly and without warning you start to feel dizzy or light-headed, you can't seem to catch your breath, your body starts trembling or shaking and most frightening of all your heart starts to race and you can literally feel it pounding in your chest as if it is about to explode. Your mind screams: Help! I must be having a heart attack!
The first time I suffered a panic attack, I felt sure I was either having a heart attack or about to have one, and took myself off to the local hospital. Oddly, even as I was on my way to the emergency room I felt the symptoms decrease, until by the time the doctors saw me I was feeling much better. Later I was told that this is one of the ways you can tell whether it's a panic attack or heart attack. Panic attacks symptons generally decrease in a short time, whereas heart attack symptoms generally increase or stay at the same level.
After that first panic attack, I learned that my feelings and thoughts produced the physical symptoms, which in turn fed the feelings and thoughts of panic and terror. Which is why, as I was on my way to the emergency room, the focus of my thoughts naturally moved from how terryfing the symptoms were, to thinking about how much better I would feel at the hospital were I could receive help. I literally stopped myself from being panicked by the panic itself.
Panic attacks usually lasts less than ten minutes, although some of the symtoms may last longer. As soon as you feel yourself in a spiral from anxiety to sheer panic, try and focus on your breathing, and think about how you are feeling. Remind yourself that the actual fear of a panic attack feeds on itself like a raging fire, and that this fire will quickly burn itself out. Fortunately, despite their frightening nature, be reassured that panic attacks themselves do not lead to heart attacks, loss of control, mental illness or death.
A panic attack is a mental thought process that produces the physical symptoms, whereas a heart attack produces physical symptoms that leads to the mental thought process of panic.
Quite simply, you panic first, and the panic attack itself produces the symptoms that make you think you're having a heart attack. Conversely, you have the physical symtoms of a heart attack, which then produces the worry that makes you get to the hospital.
So in answer to the question, is it a panic attack or is it a heart attack, simply try and ask yourself what came first: the mental panic or the physical pain?
If you have suffered a panic attack, please either get yourself to a hospital or see your doctor to rule out any physical problems. Panic attacks and generalized anxiety are very common and are treatable a variety of ways, but you should be diagnosed by a professional before embarking on any treatment.
Do you want to stoppanic attacks ? There is a radical new treatment released recently that is unlike anything that is available today. It involves no medication, no herbs, no therapy, no riding out the fear or hypnosis. If you want to find out about it, visit Freedom From Panic or sign up for the free newsletter at Freedom From Panic Tips.
Suddenly and without warning you start to feel dizzy or light-headed, you can't seem to catch your breath, your body starts trembling or shaking and most frightening of all your heart starts to race and you can literally feel it pounding in your chest as if it is about to explode. Your mind screams: Help! I must be having a heart attack!
The first time I suffered a panic attack, I felt sure I was either having a heart attack or about to have one, and took myself off to the local hospital. Oddly, even as I was on my way to the emergency room I felt the symptoms decrease, until by the time the doctors saw me I was feeling much better. Later I was told that this is one of the ways you can tell whether it's a panic attack or heart attack. Panic attacks symptons generally decrease in a short time, whereas heart attack symptoms generally increase or stay at the same level.
After that first panic attack, I learned that my feelings and thoughts produced the physical symptoms, which in turn fed the feelings and thoughts of panic and terror. Which is why, as I was on my way to the emergency room, the focus of my thoughts naturally moved from how terryfing the symptoms were, to thinking about how much better I would feel at the hospital were I could receive help. I literally stopped myself from being panicked by the panic itself.
Panic attacks usually lasts less than ten minutes, although some of the symtoms may last longer. As soon as you feel yourself in a spiral from anxiety to sheer panic, try and focus on your breathing, and think about how you are feeling. Remind yourself that the actual fear of a panic attack feeds on itself like a raging fire, and that this fire will quickly burn itself out. Fortunately, despite their frightening nature, be reassured that panic attacks themselves do not lead to heart attacks, loss of control, mental illness or death.
A panic attack is a mental thought process that produces the physical symptoms, whereas a heart attack produces physical symptoms that leads to the mental thought process of panic.
Quite simply, you panic first, and the panic attack itself produces the symptoms that make you think you're having a heart attack. Conversely, you have the physical symtoms of a heart attack, which then produces the worry that makes you get to the hospital.
So in answer to the question, is it a panic attack or is it a heart attack, simply try and ask yourself what came first: the mental panic or the physical pain?
If you have suffered a panic attack, please either get yourself to a hospital or see your doctor to rule out any physical problems. Panic attacks and generalized anxiety are very common and are treatable a variety of ways, but you should be diagnosed by a professional before embarking on any treatment.
Do you want to stoppanic attacks ? There is a radical new treatment released recently that is unlike anything that is available today. It involves no medication, no herbs, no therapy, no riding out the fear or hypnosis. If you want to find out about it, visit Freedom From Panic or sign up for the free newsletter at Freedom From Panic Tips.
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