Have you ever experienced a sudden, intense feeling of fear for impending doom? Or, have you ever felt like your heart is racing and you are having trouble breathing; your palms are sweaty, and your muscles tense up. This can’t be happening! These thoughts run through your head as the symptoms continue to worsen. You think about running away or hiding from things which is scaring you so much. When the attack finally ends, you may feel exhausted with relief or completely debilitated with fear. If this sounds familiar, then chances are good that you’ve experienced a panic attack!
Symptoms of Panic Attack
Being a little upset or anxious is not called a panic attack, its depth is a little more. Many physical reactions can be termed panic attacks due to the deep presence of sudden panic.
Suddenly Terrified
Panic attacks are never reported or seen before they occur. According to the American Psychological Association, these traumatic events are quite severe and occur without any specific cause. Note that becoming suddenly terrified and getting fear is more common in women than men.
Feel Like Losing Your Mind
It’s like going crazy. A panic attack will make a person feel that he has gone insane and is no longer compatible with anything around him. As a result, his fear increases. At this time the body will become restless. Half of the brain will instruct you to run and the other half will tell you to stay still. The inconsistency of the brain and body causes a stalemate.
Fear of Death
The fear of death suddenly engulfs the person. The continuous fear made him think that he might die. The deepest fear of the unknown and unseen in the subconscious of every human being is the fear of death and at this time it becomes evident. At this time the most frightening thought arises as the adrenaline secretion increases a lot. There is a strange urge to defend oneself. The person begins to think, you have to live anyway and feels like the person can escape from this by running away.
The Heart Rate Will Increase
As a result of some nervous instructions, the amygdala becomes active and this is why the heart rate increases. Note that the term amygdala refers to a part of the brain that acts for any kind of fear or sudden reaction. So, during a panic attack, some people may feel that they are having a heart attack.
Chest pain
Anyone may get confused with a heart attack. Frighteningly, these two types of pain are very similar. The difference is that, in the case of a panic attack, it pains in the middle of the chest, while in the case of a heart attack, the pain appears in the left side of the hand and chest.
Shortness of Breath
It is normal to have a lack of oxygen during a panic attack. According to the American Psychological Association, this is when a person has to breathe too fast for an attack and cannot get enough oxygen into the brain due to hypertrophy.
Dizziness
It seems as if the person is moving around and then he may lose his balance. Some even become unconscious. Nausea is also a normal symptom in this case. This happens when the blood circulation increases. Further, Excessive sweating and body trembling can also happen. At this time the person feels much weaker physically and mentally. Feeling too hot or too cold. Even if the panic attack lasts only 5-10 minutes, this feeling can last for several hours.
Causes of Panic Attack
According to research, panic attacks have a connection with genetics. But some researchers also have contradictions to this as they don’t find any strong connection between genetics and panic attacks. A panic attack is a common thing when someone goes through a significant life change. This can be going to college, getting married, or even having their first baby.
People with high intelligence tend to have more panic attacks. Surprisingly, those who think more and think deeply about everything are more likely to have a panic attack. Because they live more in their inner world than in the outer world and they can be shocked by any small thing outside and this can also cause this attack.
Hypersensitivity is another reason. The rate of panic attacks is higher in people who are physically or mentally very sensitive. Stress is one of the main reasons for panic attacks. Even if the first attack is not due to stress, the subsequent ones will become much more active through the stress arising from the first attack.
Sometimes, taking certain medications can cause some physical side effects and eventually may create panic attacks.
Getting panic attacks at night is worse than facing them during the day. This causes the person to suddenly wake up and become completely sweaty. Suddenly an unknown unseen fear came everywhere. There is no difference between day and night attacks, but the effect seems to be greater because our mind remains subconscious at night. However, there may be some specific causes of night panic attacks.
What to Do: Remedies, and Treatment
Panic attacks are treated with various psychological therapies and medications when visiting a doctor. Besides, one can try to reduce stress through counseling. Additionally, maintaining peace of mind through regular meditation, and especially meditating before going to bed, will greatly reduce the chances of panic attacks at night.
The only way to get rid of panic attacks right away is to not be afraid and try to convince yourself that this is nothing and you will get out of this situation very easily. This will start to reduce the effects of your sudden panic attack and you will be ready for the next time and in this case, there will be no lack of confidence.
Final Words
A panic attack is a common condition that causes sudden and severe feelings of anxiety or fear. It can happen without warning and for no apparent reason. Panic attacks usually last several minutes and can be as short as two minutes, but they can continue for up to an hour. So, knowing the symptoms will easily help you to handle the situation.
Source: United News of Bangladesh