Anxiety Attack Symptoms and How To Minimize Them

How do you know you are having an Anxiety Attack, and how can you minimize the symptoms? Firstly we must understand what an anxiety attack is. An Anxiety attack can be a terrifying experience. It often involves a period of sudden and intense fear or discomfort, typically with an abrupt onset and usually lasting for no more than 10 minutes. Often someone can experience a panic attack suddenly without particular reason. Most people that experience one attack will usually experience another attack, and those who have recurring attacks, or feel severe anxiety about having another are said to have panic disorder.

Symptoms of a panic or anxiety attack are intense heartbeat, difficulty with breathing, chest or heart palpitations, feeling sick, excessive sweating and trembling, chest pains, an irrational feeling of impending death or insanity, sudden chills, and other similar feelings. Some people experience many of these common symptoms, some completely different ones but this does not mean that their condition is far worse or that you are suffering from a different undiagnosed condition. As every person is unique, our anxiety symptoms can be completely different. You might not find among the listed anxiety attack symptoms what you are experiencing and you may be tempted to think something is very wrong with you. The above list is just a guide only, as everyone reacts differently.

Anxiety attack may affect your quality of life if not given treatment immediately. As a human being, it is normal that we feel anxiety, worry and fear occasionally due to the things that our complicated lives bring. Anxiety is just a part of life. It helps us cope with the stresses we may encounter. If you are in a state of anxiety on a regular basis, it is likely that you are experiencing anxiety attacks.

An anxiety attack is a sudden wave of overwhelming fear that comes suddenly and without any apparent reason, and importantly it is far more intense than having normal anxiety or the feeling of being stressed. It is said that up to one in every 75 people will experience an anxiety attack at one point in their life.

Most anxiety sufferers report fear of dying, going crazy or loss of control. Anxiety incidents create an overwhelming urge in many people to escape or run away from the place where the attack begins, and they can often occur at the same time as chest pain or shortness of breath.

A person with a phobia will often experience an anxiety attack as a direct result to the phobia trigger. Generally these anxiety attacks are brief and quickly relieved once the phobia trigger itself is removed. In the conditions of chronic anxiety, one anxiety attack can usually turn into another one, leading to a nervous fatigue over a period of days.

Anxiety attack usually last for several minutes and is considered one of the most disturbing conditions that anyone can live through in everyday life. The way to understand the different symptoms of anxiety attack is: first, comes the sudden jolt of fear with less or no triggering motivation, and then this will lead to a release of adrenaline (epinephrine), which causes the feeling that we must fight or flee, where the persons body prepares for major physical activity. This results in an increased heart rate, difficult breathing or hyperventilation, and sweating. The diaphragm, involved in the action of the lungs, is also a muscle and it can become overly tight. When there is normal anxiety a person frequently works too hard when breathing. However, if there is hyperanxiety or an anxiety attack, there is overwhelming excitement, and a person may hyperventilate.

As strenuous activity rarely happens, this hyperventilation leads to carbon dioxide levels lowering in the lungs and then the blood, resulting to the shift in the pH of the blood, which will then lead to many of the other symptoms, such as tingling or numbness, dizziness, and lightheadedness.

Anxiety attack is a serious condition, but before you start thinking you have this condition and go running to see a doctor, stop and stay calm. Relax before you actually cause an anxiety attack. Dont start worrying unduly that it may lead to something serious and may affect your daily routine. Take things slowly. In any case, if you think you have this condition, the first thing you should do is see a doctor. If you are diagnosed with anxiety attack condition, appropriate medication and good counseling can bring your life to normal again. Otherwise, tell yourself to relax and continue to live your life to the fullest.

For more Anxiety and Panic articles by Anne Girder, visit Anxiety Attack Tips. For additional information about Anne and Anxiety Disorder visit www.squidoo.com/anxiety-attack-symptoms-explained/

Article Source: http://www.wellnessarticlelibrary.com

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