Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Anxiety and Panic Attack Symptoms




Symptoms may include 


Anxiety and Panic Attack Symptoms may include  headaches ,  nausea ,  insomnia  and changes in sexual behavior.  It will leave you thinking irrationally or having racing thoughts.  It can be intense enough to make some believe they are having a heart attack or losing their minds.  It may differ on a case-to-case basis.  Symptoms can range from generalized anxiety disorder to panic attacks children suffer from daily.  

Panic Attack Symptoms are caused by an overproduction of hormones responsible for the feelings of anxiety.  It are worsening still, so much that I had to quit my college course as I found concentrating impossible.  It can present abruptly and can last for up to thirty minutes.  It that sufferers experience could also be the signs of a serious medical problem.


Anxiety and Panic Attack Symptoms
  • shortness of breath
  • increased heart beats
  • trembling
  • dizziness
  • chest pain
  • sweating
  • hot flashes
  • headache
  • feelings of unreality
  • tingling sensations
  • breathing faster than necessary
  • nausea
  • vertigo
  • lightheadedness
  • burning sensations
  • choking sensations
  • fear of dying
  • fear of insanity



Muscles

M
uscles may feel “tingly” and arms and legs may shake as they prepare to fight or run. Sometime people describe “jelly legs”.  Picture athletes preparing to run the 100 metres at the Olympics – their muscles are equally ready.

Sweat

S
weat can serve two functions. It can help cool the body and help the hands and feet grip better (bearing in mind this defense system developed before modern materials made sweaty hands a liability!). I’ve also read that sweat can be an aroma to repel attackers.

Heart & Breathing

T

he symptoms of  anxiety and panic attacks  are just like having a heart attack. You may         experience dizziness and shortness of breath, hot or cold flushes, trembling, chest pains and palpitations. Some may have hallucinations and tunnel vision due to the constrictions of the blood vessels which prevent proper blood flow. These attacks could last for as fast as 15 seconds or can even go on for 10 minutes or longer.

Stomach

A
s I touched on before, the body is usually digesting the last meal you consumed.  But in times of arousal, the fight or flight response diverts blood away from the stomach to the peripheral muscles such as the arms and legs. Consequently you can suffer “butterflies” in the stomach or feel the urge to vomit.

Bowel/Bladder

T
he urge to urinate or defecate can increase as the body needs to make itself lighter, better able to fight or run. Another, less appetizing reason  (from the pre toilet age) is that this make the body less attractive as a prey, and will deter attackers. Mmm…
Frequent Anxiety and Panic Attacks Symptoms can lead to digestive problems and other problems in the central organs such as irritable bowel syndrome.

Disassociation

Y
ou may have read about accounts from battles, where protagonists didn’t realize they had been badly hurt, or even shot, until after the event. This is again a way of the body protecting itself, but for panic attack sufferers it can be a most alarming symptom.  Everything feels unreal, you feel  detached from reality.
Unfortunately, with sleep panic attacks the symptoms are just the same, but even more terrifying to experience anxiety and panic attacks.