Panic attacks themselves are a malfunction of natures fight or flight response. A panic attack includes a sudden overwhelming surge of fear that comes with out any real warning or obvious reason as to why. It can not be explained to those that have never felt if, but it is far more than the average feelings of being anxious or stressed as most people experience throughout their lives. Around 1 in 75 people may get full blown panic disorder which are panic attacks more the 2-3 times per week without any known cause.
Again talking about the flight or fight response that occurs naturally to help keep us from harm, telling us to run away or prepare to defend ourselves from a situation of danger. These feelings in the right circumstances are vital to our survival but in the case of a panic attack they appear for no reason, rising out of no where to confuse a person tremendously as to what is happening. Panic attacks can even happen when you are asleep maybe having a vivid dream of being attacked or falling off a building.
The feelings of dread with shortness of breath along with all the other symptoms tend to pass in a few minutes but can last up to an hour as the body cannot sustain the response of flight or fight for any longer. However, subsequent attacks can follow and make it seem like one long continuous panic attack. This can be detrimental to ones well being and cause problems in sleep and daily functioning. Panic attacks in themselves are not dangerous to one’s physical health, but over time upset can occur such as stomach problems, migraines and a variety of disorders.
In worst case scenarios suffers of panic attacks can feel so overwhelmed that they turn to drugs, excessive alcohol or other harmful activities to help numb the intensity of their attacks. Also people that suffer from long term, reoccurring panic attacks or panic disorder are more that twice as likely to commit suicide. So to say panic attacks have no danger is a misnomer, it is all about how and whether a sufferer treats their symptoms. But many treatments but traditional and alternative are available and many therapists can help patients handle their symptoms.
Developing phobias are also common place with panic attacks, as the attacks are so terrifying that people avoid the things or places that tend to trigger them such as crowds, driving or other people. Fear and embarrassment go along hand and hand with panic attacks as well. Many people will stay away from people to avoid feeling ashamed and uncomfortable in case they may have a panic attack in their presence. The three main phobias the develop with panic attacks are agoraphobia, a fear or leaving home and being trapped in public places; social phobia, an extreme fear of people or public and a fear of looking stupid or foolish there; and simple specific phobia, which can be of anything.
The main panic attack symptoms are an overwhelming sense of fear or anxiety, along with physical reactions such as shortness of breath and hyperventilating. These symptoms can come on suddenly and often out of nowhere. They tend to peak in intensity in around 10 minutes of when they started and although many symptoms will fade away within 30 minutes, it may take up to an hour for all the symptoms to alleviate completely. It is also very possible that one could have what resembles a continuous attack, but is usually one panic attack after another in waves for an elongated period of time. Many of these panic attack symptoms especially the rapid heartbeat combined with the shortness of breath lead people to an emergency room each and every day thinking they are suffering from a heart attack.
Although in most cases a panic attack is nothing to worry about physically, it can take a toll on you in a lot of other ways such as emotionally. If you are experiencing things like a sense of dread or fear or death along with rapid breathing or hyperventilation, it may even feel like you are begin smothered. As well as lightheadedness, racing heartbeat and thoughts, chest pain, sweating, dizziness, trembling or shaking, a choking feeling, nausea, numbness over your body, chills and or hot flashes, or feelings of detachment or unreality you are having panic attacks. You need to seek some type of help for these attacks whether it is an over the counter herbal calming supplement or a doctor’s visit is up to you, but the symptoms rarely get better with no sort of help.
A doctor’s visit may be a good idea though as some panic attacks can be associated a variety of medical conditions such as hyperthyroidism or even some medications such as ones you may be taking for a heart condition. Panic attacks can also come on however, for no rhyme or reason and be triggered by things as simple as a large crowd or busy restaurant or stadium. Sometimes this leads to people with panic attacks avoiding those certain places or situations that they fear that lead to panic attacks and although this sounds like good advice is can lead to a pattern of avoidance and can develop into agoraphobia.
Also some, but not everyone, who experiences many panic attacks, may develop panic disorder. This disorder involving panic attacks is diagnosed if an individual has at least two unprovoked panic attacks a week. And also have fear or worry of more panic attacks on a daily basis and start to fear and avoid situations that may trigger one. It is basically a long term case of chronic panic attacks and all that goes with them. Other anxiety related and even physical conditions can eventually develop if the escalating panic attacks are not somehow lessened and people can loose friends and loved ones to this disorder. So seek treatment for your panic attacks and try deep breathing to help control them.
