A more concrete definition of panic attack will help you understand more of its nature. Basically, you know it has swept over you when you feel an excessive fear and worry over something that should not even elicit such reaction. There are people who rarely go through this but there are unfortunate ones who suffer frequently.
Recurring attacks are usually triggered when the person has repeatedly experienced situations that create fear and panic. Although panic attacks are mistakenly considered innocuous, they have a huge impact on the psychological, emotional and physical well-being of a person.
Who are prone to panic attacks? About 10% of the people have been confirmed with panic disorder, not counting cases that have not been reported. Females and young individuals are twice at risk with these attacks, than adult males. This problem can also be passed down through the genes.
How will I know whether I am having a panic attack? Some clear symptoms will alert you when you experience an attack. The heart will beat at a faster or uneven rate, chest pain, tensed muscles, profuse sweating, upset or turbulent stomach, shivering, dizzy spells, breathlessness, body feeling suddenly cold or hot, feeling of indifference and detachment and making an effort to get a grip on reality.
Symptoms of panic attacks are similar to the symptoms before a heart attack occurs. Hence, it is best to seek medical attention right away, and not presume it as minor, particularly if you haven’t experienced these signals before.
The Cause of a panic attack, most of the time, there is no clear reason for the attack. However, the cause can sometimes be traced to traumatic past experiences. Some of experiences that can trigger panic attacks are, death of a loved one, major conflict in the family, relationship failure, divorce of parents and public humiliation. If these situations keep on repeating, a panic attack is likely to occur.
Panic attacks can also be influenced by stress. When a person is stressed both at home and at work, he or she becomes more susceptible to panic disorder. Panic attacks can also be passed on in the family.
In case panic sets in, what would be the best thing to do? The duration of the attack can last until 10 minutes. Worst and rare case can last more than 30 minutes. During this duration a person will manifest all the symptoms mentioned above, and all these are associated with your heart beat rate.
The key to managing a panic attack is to control your breathing. This will help you keep your heart rate down. Once your heart rate is controlled, all the other symptoms will diminish. While breathing in, count slowly to three, hold your breath for the same count and then slowly breathe out for also the same count.
Keep to it until a calm settles over you, and then slowly move around a bit. Some find it more potent to breathe out into a bag, and then inhale the same air. This will increase the carbon-dioxide in the inhalation which in turn corrects the level of acid in the blood, which has got disturbed by breathing fast.
As you do this breathing therapy, focus your mind on pleasant things and don’t think about situations that can cause panic. Another good way is to play some mind games like puzzle to keep the mind preoccupied.
Now, find the best way to get rid of panic attacks for good. There are many resources out there, but you should look into natural ways before taking prescription medications. Panic attacks prevention should be your only priority, nobody should live their life with this illness.
