Anxiety Attacks
November 9th, 2008 Posted in Anxiety and DepressionIf you have ever experienced an panic or anxiety attacks, then you know how quick and intense the sensation of fear can be. While these attacks might seem to happen for no reason, they’re actually the body’s response to what it perceives to determine the need for fight or flight.
Usually panic attacks can last anywhere from one – ten minutes at a time. In severe cases, these attacks can happen in cycles. Anxiety attacks cycles can last for various extended amounts of time. They can also make a person feel a strong sense of nervous anticipation between each occurrence.
Physical symptoms of anxiety attacks generally include shortness of breath, heart palpitations and sweating. The bodies extremities are often effected and a person can experience headaches, nausea dizziness and the feeling of being lightheaded. This is the bodies way of fighting back and protecting itself from what it perceives to be a threat to it.
Sudden feelings of fear can often be one of the key triggers for anxiety attacks. In response, the body releases adrenaline followed by increases in the heart and breathing rate and production of sweat (to regulate body temperature). This is how the body engages it resources to prepare itself to fight or escape a situation. People often do not need to fight or escape a situation once a panic attack occurs and therefore the body’s reaction causes the discomforts of physical pain.
The increased heart rate is felt as heart palpitations. Rapid breathing (hyperventilation) results in a drop in carbon dioxide levels in the lungs and blood. Once the carbon dioxide levels go down in the blood; numbness, tingling, dizziness and lightheadedness will occur. The rapid heart rate, raises the adrenaline and that effects the blood vessels by causing them to narrow, which in turn effects the amount of blood that is able to get up to the brain. Your main concern should be learning to breathe properly when an anxiety attack occurs and take steps to control your panic attacks, you owe it to yourself to investigate further and get to the root of the problem, it’s worth it!