How To Know If You're Suffering From Panic Attacks

Most people will experience at least one or two panic attacks at some point in their life. This will happen when a person finds himself in an extremely stressful situation. The body then activates what is known as the "fight or flight" mechanism. This phenomena is considered normal when is comes at a highly stressful situation. But for some people, the Panic attacks come almost at random, or in a very mildly stressful situation. This is considered a Panic attack disorder and as you may imagine it greatly affects the lives of the person who has it and his close environment. So what are the main panic attack symptoms? How can you tell if you are having one?

Panic attacks symptoms are surprisingly similar to a heart attack, but don't worry - the two can be easily distinguished by ant doctor. While having a panic attack the symptoms a person will experience will include:

• Quickness of breathing
• Increased heart rate
• Increased body temperature
• An overwhelming feeling of dread or fear (panic).
• Tightness in the chest
• Tingling in one or both arms and/or the tips of the fingers
• Profuse sweating
• Minor delusions
• Unreasonable fear towards random objects or events
• Lightheadedness
• Dizziness
• Nausea

The symptoms listed above are common symptoms related to panic attacks, each varying from person to person. Most chronic panic sufferers tend to have a unique set of symptoms that mark their panic attacks.

By the way, the feeling of tightness in the chest leads some of the sufferers to believe that they are having a heart attack. However, any doctor can tell you that a real heart attack has additional key symptoms that most are unlikely to ignore.

So, How to tell for sure if you're having a panic attack?

Besides experiencing any combination of the symptoms mentioned above, there are a few exclusive factors behind real panic attacks.

• Panic attacks are very limited in time. The body can maintain this reaction for no more than 15 minutes. Anyone who experiences a combination of some of the symptoms that are described above can rest a sure they will pass before long.

• Another major factor of panic attacks is the feeling of anxiety that follows an attack. Most people who experience a panic attack tend to worry about attacks that will follow. This is a natural reaction, and another reassurance that all you experienced was an anxiety attack. This feeling of fear will at most cases be gone within a week's time.

Having said that, toy mast pay attention to feeing of fear that lasts for weeks, as well as recurring attacks. These may indicate that you suffer from a chronic panic disorder, and not just an isolated incident. If this is the case in would be wise to seek help with a medical physician or psychiatric doctor in order to control the attacks.

Is It Stress Or An Anxiety Attack?

Stress can lead to a host of problems and manifest itself in many ways. One of the more predominant results of stress is an anxiety attack. An anxiety attack can happen at any time to those who suffer from this disorder. Some studies have pointed to a steady increase of people who suffer from anxiety attacks and other stress related disorders.

Time Magazine printed an article that referred to the cause of anxiety attacks, which is stress, as an epidemic in 1983. No one would argue against the fact that the world around us has gotten to be a more stressful place, and that can only mean that the number of anxiety attacks will continue to increase.

In today’s world, no one is immune from the ill effects of stress, whether it is in the form of depression, agoraphobia or anxiety attacks. Many of us have experience an anxiety attack and never knew it for what it actually was. That’s because few people know the symptoms of an anxiety attack. Those who suffer from repeated anxiety attacks learn to know the symptoms, and when the onset of an attack is on its way.

A true anxiety attack is much more intense than just feeling stressed out at the end of the day. An anxiety attack can come on suddenly at any time, not just after a single stressful event. Often, the attack overwhelms the individual in one instant, and for no apparent cause. It is estimated that one out of three Americans will experience an anxiety attack, and one out of every seventy five people worldwide will experience an anxiety attack at least once within their lifetime.

How do you know if you’re suffering from an anxiety attack? Well, the symptoms are varied, but they can be very intense, so it is easily distinguished from the regular stressed out feeling we have at the end of the day. If you are experiencing any of the following symptoms, you could be having an anxiety attack, and should see a doctor right away.

Extreme nervousness with shaking.

Difficulty breathing, feeling as though you cannot get enough air.

Runaway heartbeat.