10 Unexpected Symptoms of Panic Attacks

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Have you ever felt the signs of a panic attack? If so, you are aware that the symptoms are so strong they give you the impression that you could be experiencing a heart attack or another dangerous medical condition. Even when there is not actually any risk at that precise moment, panic attacks are defined by a fear of losing control or surviving a catastrophe.

From bacterial infections to low blood sugar levels, there are numerous potential causes of panic attacks. Many people who suffer from panic attacks weren’t prepared for them and had never experienced one before. According to a study by Harvard Medical School, adults without panic disorder are thought to experience solitary panic attacks roughly 23% of the time throughout their lifetime. 

If you are unfamiliar with the most typical panic attack signs and symptoms as well as some potential triggers, a panic attack will undoubtedly catch you off guard and seem like a life-threatening situation. Fortunately, the majority of panic attacks are harmless and will go away in around 10 minutes. Furthermore, you can manage your worry and discomfort with the aid of a few all-natural treatments for anxiety and panic attacks Analyzing a Panic Attack and Panic Attack SignsA panic attack is a rapid, severe increase in fear or anxiety. Around 10 minutes into a panic attack, your symptoms will typically reach their peak, after which they will start to lessen. Panic attacks can be frightening and perplexing, especially if they have never occurred before formerly to you. It’s also challenging to comprehend how to stop a panic attack while you’re having one because you may not be thinking clearly at the time. Here is a brief list of some frequently asked questions about panic attacks.

How Do Anxiety Attacks Differ From Panic Attacks?
Ever ponder what a panic attack is? How is it different from a panic attack, and how? Or do they share the same meaning? An excellent discussion of some of the key distinctions between an anxiety “attack” and a genuine panic attack, as well as the symptoms of a panic attack, can be found in a blog post by Ricks Warren, Ph.D., a clinical associate professor of psychiatry at the University of Michigan, called Michigan Health It’s crucial to distinguish between the symptoms of an anxiety attack and a panic attack. Anxiety is more about worrying excessively about future events like death, disease, or even seemingly unimportant things. According to Warren, symptoms of an anxiety attack include:

• Fatigue \shypervigilance
• RestlessnessIrritability
  Panic attacks: what are they? Due to the fact that they resemble acute, “short bursts of great terror,” panic attacks are distinct from anxiety attacks. The average duration of these fights is under 30 minutes. Among the signs of a panic attack are:
• more rapid heart rate
• temporary chest pain
• breathing difficulty

How can you recognize a panic attack when it’s happening?
A panic attack usually includes at least four of these symptoms, according to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America:

• sweating palpitations or a pulse that is erratic
• breathing issues
• Shaking
• Feeling unsteady or faint
• Chills
• Warm flashes
• Experiencing numbness or tingling
• an ache in the chest
• Nausea
• stomach ache
• dread of slipping into madness or losing control
• I feel unconnected
• apprehension about passing away

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What sensations do panic attacks produce?
There’s a reason why those who have just gone through a panic attack frequently wind up in the hospital emergency department or at the doctor’s office. Many life-threatening medical conditions, such as heart disease or breathing problems, share some frighteningly similar symptoms with some panic attack symptoms.

Can a panic attack happen at random?
Yes. Frequently, there is no prior warning before a panic attack starts. Even when they are perfectly relaxed or asleep, some people have panic attack symptoms. A panic attack is frequently described by victims as being unable to breathe, stand up, or carry out basic tasks. It’s an extreme case of complete panic. Your thoughts are limited to worrying about the things you fear will occur or are currently happening. Due to the elevated levels of anxiety, this tunnel vision typically exacerbates the symptoms.

What transpires within your body when you are having a panic attack?
A “fear of fear” has been used to characterize a manic episode. A panic attack causes the typical physical signs of worry, such as dizziness, an elevated heart rate, shortness of breath, and chest tightness, according to research done at Stanford University School of Medicine. These panic attack symptoms result from the perception that something more significant and terrifying is about to occur, such as passing out, suffering a heart attack, or choking. According to studies, your mind actually gives bodily symptoms a “catastrophic interpretation.”Your body enters a state of hypervigilance as a result of this fear, making you even more conscious of your physical feelings. A moment before fear Whether you are conscious of it or not, as soon as these thoughts enter your head, your body experiences greater sympathetic nervous system activation and heightened anxiety symptoms, which develop into a full-blown panic attack.

Before and after a panic episode, how do you feel?
The majority of people will claim that their panic attack symptoms came on abruptly and out of the blue, but according to one study, your body actually goes through physiological changes before having a panic attack. 43 individuals with panic disorder participated in the study that was written up in Biological Psychiatry, and they were repeatedly monitored for 24 hours. In 13 cases of panic attacks that were evaluated by researchers, significant patterns of autonomic and respiratory instability were observed in the patients as early as 47 minutes before the panic attack started. Consequently, your heart rate and lung volume start to alter before you notice any overt symptoms of a panic attack, even though you may not feel these changes happening The duration of a panic attack. The most panic episode may just last for 10 minutes or so, but you’ll likely feel absolutely spent afterward. Everyone experiences a panic attack differently, however, some people may feel ashamed if it happened in front of others, other people may start to worry about having another attack, and some people may even start to show symptoms of sadness after a panic attack.

10 Reasons for Panic Attacks
What triggers anxiety attacks? The fact is that not every case has a single, obvious reason. The top panic attack triggers, though, that can be making your life tough are listed below.

1. Panic Disorder
Recurrent panic attacks are a symptom of panic disorder; in fact, for some people, they might happen many times per day, while for others, they only happen a few times a year. According to research, the panic disorder results from the interplay of hereditary and environmental factors. A stressful life event, such as divorce, abuse, or the loss of a loved one, a family history of mental or anxiety disorders, high cortisol levels, or simply shyness as a youngster, can all contribute to it. Additionally, compared to men, women are more prone to encounter the signs and symptoms of panic disorder.

All sufferers of panic attacks do not always have the disorder. According to studies, a person must experience at least one panic attack and at least one month of ongoing worry or dread about having another one in order to meet the criteria for having panic disorder. In order to avoid situations that can trigger another attack, such as avoiding social activities or calling in sick to work, a person with panic disorder will also alter their behaviors or activities.

2. Panic disorder (fear of certain situations)
Agoraphobia is a form of anxiety condition that makes people feel anxious when they are in particular places or situations. In contrast to panic disorder, which causes sudden, recurrent panic episodes, this form of anxiety disorder causes panic attacks that are specially brought on by social situations. People who suffer from agoraphobia may experience fear when traveling alone, leaving their homes, or being in crowded situations. Fear of having a panic attack, which may be humiliating and excruciatingly terrible, is one of the things that contribute to this anxiety. People with agoraphobia frequently entirely avoid situations because of this fear, which makes it harder for them to lead normal lives.

3. Hyperthyroidism
According to research, those with thyroid issues perform much worse on anxiety tests than people with healthy thyroid functions. The relationship between thyroid health and panic episodes in people with panic disorder was examined in a Japanese study. Thyroid hormone levels were analyzed and 66 patients with panic disorder were assessed by researchers. The outcomes of Thyroid-stimulating hormone levels were higher in those who had experienced more severe panic attacks. Because your thyroid regulates parts of energy expenditure and body heat, having an overactive thyroid, or hyperthyroidism, can cause symptoms of anxiety such as anxiousness, perspiration, and elevated heart rate.

4. The Bartonella Virus
Cat scratch disease and trench fever are two examples of illnesses that people can contract from the bacteria Bartonella. According to research, Bartonella infections can cause psychological and neurological conditions, and victims may experience panic attacks, agitation, and melancholy. Three distinct examples were identified by researchers that connected Bartonella to psychological symptoms including panic attacks. In one instance, a family member stated that a loved one who was 41 years old experienced a personality shift following a camping vacation in North Carolina. He removed three deer ticks from his leg and shoulder when he got home from vacation, and five weeks later he experienced an enlarged lymph node, excessive warmth, irritability, insomnia, and emotions of fury  The patient had severe agitation and panic attacks over the course of the following two weeks both severe depression. He was given anti-anxiety panic medicine by a psychiatrist who also gave him a bipolar illness diagnosis, but the symptoms persisted. The patient’s symptoms considerably improved after eight weeks of antibiotic treatment and an appointment with an infectious disease doctor. 

Numerous animals and insects, including fleas, cats, ticks, lice, and biting flies, are carriers of the Bartonella virus. one of the most typical means of getting Bartonella? being bitten by a cat that has flea droppings on its paws. This does not imply that you should get rid of your cat, but rather that you should confine your cat to the inside only, prevent scratching, and rapidly wash any scratches with soap and water.

5. Lyme illness
According to study findings in the Journal of Psychiatric Practices, patients who experienced panic-like episodes later turned out to have Lyme disease and other illnesses transmitted by ticks. The cognitive alterations of several women, including panic attacks, mental fogginess, recent memory loss, and neurological pain, were assessed. These symptoms were examined for any underlying health conditions because they were all unusual for panic disorder. Test findings for Lyme disease or other tick-borne infections were all three times positive. All three of the women had their cognitive symptoms improved or diminished after receiving Lyme disease treatment.

6. Neglected Gut Health
Anxiety, sadness, and other related disorders’ symptoms are influenced by gut health. Did you know that gut inflammation actually has a role in the inflammation of the brain and other somatic tissues? Because of this, a number of mental health diseases have been related to the health of your microbiome. This link between the gut and the brain explains why leaky gut syndrome or other gut health issues may cause psychiatric problems. These include heightened anxiety and stress. Although it doesn’t always result in panic attacks, this can absolutely happen as one of the neurobiological causes of anxiety. Seven. Drug WithdrawalAlthough the symptoms of drug withdrawal vary depending on the drug abused, it’s not uncommon for persons in a withdrawal period to suffer elevated anxiety levels, restlessness, tremors, seizures, and panic attacks. According to studies that were published in the journal Addiction, benzodiazepine dependence can result in withdrawal symptoms such as panic attacks, disturbed sleep, palpitations, muscle discomfort, sweating, irritability, and difficulty focusing. Researchers discovered that people often have mild withdrawal symptoms between 1 to 4 days of stopping their drug use, and full-blown withdrawal symptoms within 10 to 14 days. The likelihood of developing benzodiazepine dependence is significantly increased by dependence on alcohol and other sedatives, making the detox process considerably more challenging. 

How is a panic attack handled?
Aromatic oils: Some of the greatest essential oils for anxiety and panic attacks include lavender, ylang-ylang, and chamomile since they promote relaxation while fending off fear, concern, and irritation. Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine is one source of research that demonstrates the effectiveness of essential oils for neurological problems and anxiety. Researchers claim that lavender oil has been shown to have sedative, neuroprotective, anticonvulsive, and mood-stabilizing qualities in their review. You can diffuse around 5 drops of these mild oils at home or at work, inhale the oil straight from the container when you feel anxiety rising, or physically apply one to two drops to your wrists, bottoms of your feet, or temples.