Anxiety Attacks
Anxiety or panic attacks are sudden periods of intense anxiety, fear and discomfort. It may appear as though they can occur for no real reason, the truth is that they are the body’s inherent response to something that it perceives to be harmful or dangerous.
The attacks usually last about ten minutes, but can be as short as one minute. In severe cases, these attacks can happen in cycles. These cycles may last for extended periods. These cycles can cause ’anticipation’ anxiety between episodes.
Physical symptoms of anxiety attacks generally include shortness of breath, heart palpitations and sweating. Tingling and numbness in the extremities, dizziness, lightheadedness, headaches and nausea are also commonly experienced. These may appear to be random, but they’re actually the result of the body’s preparations for protection.
Sudden feelings of fear can often be one of the key triggers for anxiety attacks. When this happens, the body will work to regulate it’s temperature by increasing the heart rate through increased adrenaline and this is what causes the increase in breathing rate. This is how the body engages it resources to prepare itself to fight or escape a situation. Because the anticipated strenuous activity rarely follows the panic attack, these reactions result in physical discomfort.
The heart palpitations are brought on by the increased heart rate. Rapid breathing (hyperventilation) results in a drop in carbon dioxide levels in the lungs and blood. Once the carbon dioxide levels go down in the blood; numbness, tingling, dizziness and lightheadedness will occur. The adrenaline causes a narrowing of the blood vessels which results in less blood flow to the head. Your main concern should be learning to breathe properly when an anxiety attack occurs and take steps to control your panic attacks, you owe it to yourself to investigate further and get to the root of the problem, it’s worth it!
