Anxiety Attacks Symptoms and Relief

If you are reading this article because you think you may have experienced an anxiety attack symptom, read on. Many people go through some form of anxiety in their lives at some stage brought on by a myriad of reasons. The scenario is usually the same; pounding heart, shortness of breath, feeling lightheaded and faint and an intense fear; one of losing control over a situation.
Truth is, many people simply don’t know they are having an anxiety attack because they really don’t know what it is. Sure, you would have heard the term anxiety used a lot, whether it was at home, at work or on television but do you really understand what it is?
A Brush With Anxiety
Take my case for example. I went through marital problems several years ago and yes, it affected me. As a professional broadcaster I call live sports action on a regular basis. I first met “Mr. Anxiety Attack” midway through the broadcast of a sporting event. It scared the heck out of me! When I got home all I wanted to know was what I went through so I set up an appointment with my doctor.
Describing what took place he calmly nodded his head and simply said…”You had an anxiety attack.”
“A what!” I retorted. “An anxiety attack? No way!”
Then I asked him to explain what an anxiety attack is in plain language. This was the short definition… “Basically an anxiety attack is simply a strong, intense sensation which creates fear in a person. In fact, in many cases the person can actually feel they may be dying.”
So there it was. Luckily for me, it was the only brush with anxiety I had experienced but for many, it’s symptoms are a constant bane in their lives. I took action immediately. Many don’t and this is mystifying. If you suffer the symptoms on a regular basis and have not sought medical advice then you should really consider doing so. You see, even though you are sure you’re experiencing anxiety attack symptoms there is still the possibility another more serious condition may have been masked.
The Symptoms
A pounding heart is a classic tell tale symptom of anxiety attack. So is shortness of breath… that’s what affected me most. Many people report a lightheaded or faint feeling while most will tell you they have an overwhelming fear of losing control. This symptom is usually experienced following the others.
The Cause
An actual cause is hard to determine. Perhaps the cause of anxiety attack symptoms is simply the body’s way of reacting to any overwhelming feeling. Stressful episodes in people’s lives or medical conditions or medication; no one really knows but if you suffer attacks regularly then there may be something more sinister at work and you should seek medical advice.

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If you’re experiencing anxiety attack symptoms, then you have to quickly have yourself tested and treated. Recognize the signs of anxiety and take some time to cure it, no matter how hectic your lifestyle is. How do you know if regular conditions that make you worried or uneasy are just normal, or something that needs immediate attention, like anxiety attack symptoms?

Anxiety Attack Symptoms

The most common anxiety attack symptom is intense fear or phobia. This often unfounded fear may be accompanied by any one or more of the following:

* Heart palpitations and faster heartbeats

* Dizziness or nausea

* Pins and needles muscle pain

* Difficulty in breathing

* Hot or cold flashes

* Excessive sweating and/or tremors.

* Chest pain

* Having a feeling of impending doom. You may feel that something bad is going to happen to you or to your loved ones.

* Stomach problems of feeling sick to your stomach, diarrhea and sometimes even vomiting

An anxiety attack usually lasts half an hour or less. It can be a one-time event or a repetitive one. If anxiety attack symptoms are frequent and regular, you may be already suffering from an anxiety disorder. Sometimes, anxiety attacks are triggered by the fear of having another anxiety attack.

Anxiety Disorder

This disorder is characterized by chronic worrying and repeated episodes of anxiety or panic attacks.

Aside from the symptoms associated with anxiety attacks, those with anxiety disorder generally experience difficulty concentrating, change in appetite, frequent need to use the bathroom, insomnia, restlessness, lethargy, irritability, loss of interest in life, muscle tension, fatigue and others.

The most common type of anxiety disorder is generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). This is usually associated with a false or irrational fear that something terrible will happen in the future. This could mean being so preoccupied about the cause of your anxiety so much that you cannot focus on other things like work. Sometimes there is no exact cause for the anxiety, though feelings of dread overwhelm the person on a daily or regular basis.

Anxiety Treatments and Medication

A counselor can usually treat mild anxiety. The counselor can give breathing and relaxation exercises to deal with anxiety attacks when they occur. It also helps to do regular meditation on your own.

Some herbs like chamomile, which has a calming effect, can also help. Testimonial evidence shows that valerian and passion flower, when combined, effectively reduce anxiety. Other herbs that can be used for treatment are kava hops, skullcap, motherwort, pennyroyal, St. John’s wort, and linden.

For severe cases, relaxation exercises and herbal remedies may only be supplemental to anxiety medications. Recommended medication especially for GAD is alprazolam, which is most effective for anxiety disorders with biological basis. The right dose of alprazolam, though, differs from patient to patient. Finding the best dose for you may take time, but consulting a good doctor may make it easier.

Understanding anxiety attack symptoms and its signs may help you and others effectively deal with this disorder. With the proper treatment, anyone suffering from anxiety attacks can gradually live a happy and fearless life.

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If you suffer from anxiety attacks, you know that it can manifest in different parts of the body. The reason this occurs is because our sympathetic nervous system responds to a stimulus. This stimulus causes our body to prepare to fight or run using our fight or flight response. Our bodies developed this response in order to protect itself.
Millions of years ago we lived in caves. There were many things in nature that could harm us. In addition, we had to hunt for food to survive. Sometimes the animals we hunted were hunting us for the same reason. When we came upon a giant mastodon we had a choice. Either we could try to take it down with a spear or run for our lives. Either way our body prepared itself.
This response is the same in anxiety attack symptoms. Our body, for whatever reason, feels that it must ready itself for an attack or escape. It does this through what is called the autonomic nervous system. This system is split into two parts: the sympathetic and the parasympathetic.
The sympathetic nervous system is what creates anxiety attack symptoms. It does this by stimulating the adrenal glands that are located in your kidneys. These glands release a substance into the bloodstream called adrenalin. This substance stimulates the heart. The heart beats faster to ensure that oxygen is brought to all the parts of the body. This also helps remove any toxins that need to be excreted. This need usually manifests in the strong desire to urinate or defecate when we become nervous.
The body also sends messages of where blood needs to go. An example is when blood is taken from the skin and sent to muscles so that they can be ready to run or fight. This increases their power and energy.
This natural response is great when it comes to being ready for a tiger attack, but can be miserable as a symptom of an anxiety attack. Because this symptom that deals with the heart, many people that experience anxiety attacks feel that this symptom is the precursor to a heart attack. One surefire way to determine if you have heart problems is to see a doctor. Having an anxiety attack does not mean you are having a heart attack. To compound the problem your body will also decrease the blood supply to the brain. This is not dangerous but it can make you feel light headed, dizzy and even have blurred vision.
Another anxiety attack symptom has to do with the respiratory system. People complain that when they are having an anxiety attack that they feel like they are suffocating. The natural response of the body during a time of crisis is to increase respirations. This brings more oxygen quicker into the body. You might think that slowing your breathing down and controlling your breathing may be the solution to the feeling that accelerated breathing can bring. This feeling is of being breathless and can make your throat feel like it is closing and your chest feels tight.
The contrary is true. If you try to slow your breathing, you are decreasing your body’s supply of oxygen. Your anxiety increases as your body steps up its response. Controlling your breathing only makes your anxiety attack symptoms worse.
There are other symptoms of anxiety attacks. Your eyes may be affected by changes in blood flow. Your pupils may dilate; you could see stars or have blurred vision. Another symptom of an anxiety attack is dry mouth which is the result of decreased salivation. As adrenalin hits your digestive system you can experience the symptoms of nausea, butterflies, constipation or diarrhea.
In your muscles you may feel a trembling or a tightness as your body is preparing to strike or run. All of these are symptoms of an anxiety attack, but they are the body’s natural response to an anxiety stimulus. When your body has completed its cycle of being ready and alert and when the anxiety has abated, you may feel sick, tired or weak. This is because your body has used up a lot of energy in getting ready to flee or fight.
It is in the area of the mind is where the real cause of an anxiety attack occurs. A symptom of an anxiety attack is that your mind becomes very alert and your senses acute. This is because you are scanning your environment for danger. This magnifies your perceptions. This includes the perceptions of what your body is doing such as your breathing and heart rate. Again this is a natural necessary process, but one that exacerbates an anxiety attack.
If, for instance, a trigger for an anxiety attack is a closed space, your mind will be looking for an exit. As you realize there is no easy exit your anxiety rises and feeds upon itself. It becomes worse because our mind is trying to process what it should do next, and without a solution becomes more alarmed.
The good news is that people can and do over come the symptoms of anxiety attacks. People have found a lot of success with a technique called the ‘One Move Technique’ which is derived from cognitive behavioural therapy and provides sufferers with an easy tool that they can use immediately and effectively.

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