Understanding What a Panic Attack is So That You Can Learn to Cope
Wednesday, July 8th, 2009 Subscribe To Our Feed
What are panic attacks? Most people that ask this question have either experienced something that they think might have been an attack or they have seen a love one experience something. In this article you will learn exactly what a panic attack is and you will also learn some tips that will help you to deal with them effectively.
When attacks occur they don’t only affect the sufferer they also have an impact on any onlookers who often feel powerless to help. Some of the symptoms include breathlessness, pain the chest (with a feeling of constriction), increased heart rates, hot or cold flashes, burning sensations in the face or neck region, nausea, dizzy spells, vertigo, and more. To understand more about what a panic attack actually is, you ought to know the subtle differences between these symptoms and those related to a heart attack, as both are very similar.
Because of these similarities, the sufferer of an attack gets more anxious, which in turn can aggravate the situation even more.
What are some of the common causes of an attack?
There are various reasons; these might include stress, genetics and mental anxiety. The other common factors which cause attacks include side effect of some prescription drugs; environmental stress; drug, alcohol or tobacco withdrawal syndrome; and last but not the least, hereditary factors.
So what are panic attacks and can they can be controlled effectively?
If you are a sufferer an you are trying to learn how to deal with panic attacks then it would be wise to try and pinpoint what the specific triggers of an attack are for you. As soon as a patient gains a better awareness of the triggers then they should take steps to avoid the situations and conditions that might trigger the episode. There are many approaches you can take in your quest to control you anxiety, these include:
Practicing regulated breathing techniques.
Learning yoga techniques for relaxing the mind and body.
Anti-anxiety medication as prescribed by physician.
It is crucial that you understand that these symptoms could be for something even more severe than a panic attack, so you need to be ready to contact your doctor straight away if the symptoms continue. So, to get back to one of the main questions, which was - what are panic attacks - you need to look out for these early warning signs
A sudden increase in you heart beats.
Dizziness
Nausea
Skin turning pale or reddish in color
Breathlessness
If you think you or a love one has experienced an attack or are likely to, you should not worry. There are many sources you can turn to for help and there are ways to manage and even to cure yourself that you probably were not aware of. You might want to consider joining an anxiety support group to help you to cope.
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