Physical Symptoms of Anxiety Attacks - Could You Be Having an Anxiety-Panic Attack?
Physical symptoms of anxiety attacks can be mistaken for other conditions so it's important to know how to recognize them accurately.
You can then get the appropriate help and treatment that you need.
In this article, I'll dissect an anxiety attack and show you the key symptoms to look out for.
Inside The Body During an anxiety attack, your body undergoes what is scientifically known as a forward feedback loop.
First, you experience anxiety (often when you feel some innocouos physical symptom).
Second, the sympathetic nervous system recognizes this anxiety as a potential dangerous situation so responds by increasing the rate of breathing, the heart rate and injecting adrenalin into the bloodstream.
Third, you feel the new effects that your body has produced.
Quite often these are similar to the original symptoms.
But you don't recognize this is a natural response and you get more anxiety.
Perhaps your worst or original fears are realized.
Your body keeps on responding to your increased anxiety and you keep feeding this loop with more and more anxiety.
You now have a full blown anxiety attack.
Chest Pains This is a common symptom of an anxiety attack.
Many people fear that they are having a heart attack.
In fact, a heart attack feels more like an intense crushing pain.
This is rarely felt with an anxiety attack.
Profuse Sweating This is very common.
Sometimes it feels like you have instantly sweated a pint of water in just a few seconds.
This is obviously not natural.
If it happens while you are worried then you could be having an anxiety attack.
Heart Palpitations Does your heart beat very fast or perhaps you think that you are skipping several beats.
If you feel out of control then you could be having a panic attack.
For reassurance, you could have an ECG later but this will most likely show that you are in good health and do not have a heart problem.
You probably had an anxiety attack instead.
Fear Of "Losing It" Feeling like you are out of control or going crazy is a very common symptom of an anxiety attack.
You can then get the appropriate help and treatment that you need.
In this article, I'll dissect an anxiety attack and show you the key symptoms to look out for.
Inside The Body During an anxiety attack, your body undergoes what is scientifically known as a forward feedback loop.
First, you experience anxiety (often when you feel some innocouos physical symptom).
Second, the sympathetic nervous system recognizes this anxiety as a potential dangerous situation so responds by increasing the rate of breathing, the heart rate and injecting adrenalin into the bloodstream.
Third, you feel the new effects that your body has produced.
Quite often these are similar to the original symptoms.
But you don't recognize this is a natural response and you get more anxiety.
Perhaps your worst or original fears are realized.
Your body keeps on responding to your increased anxiety and you keep feeding this loop with more and more anxiety.
You now have a full blown anxiety attack.
Chest Pains This is a common symptom of an anxiety attack.
Many people fear that they are having a heart attack.
In fact, a heart attack feels more like an intense crushing pain.
This is rarely felt with an anxiety attack.
Profuse Sweating This is very common.
Sometimes it feels like you have instantly sweated a pint of water in just a few seconds.
This is obviously not natural.
If it happens while you are worried then you could be having an anxiety attack.
Heart Palpitations Does your heart beat very fast or perhaps you think that you are skipping several beats.
If you feel out of control then you could be having a panic attack.
For reassurance, you could have an ECG later but this will most likely show that you are in good health and do not have a heart problem.
You probably had an anxiety attack instead.
Fear Of "Losing It" Feeling like you are out of control or going crazy is a very common symptom of an anxiety attack.