A panic attack is a sudden episode of overwhelming fear that occurs spontaneously. It is a short period of intense anxiety, often lasting several minutes. It can happen at any moment, whether asleep or awake. It can be emotionally debilitating and terrifying, but not life threatening.
A panic attack is due to high levels of adrenaline. Adrenaline, also known as epinephrine, is a hormone and neurotransmitter that activates the fight or flight mechanism in your body. When excess adrenaline is pumped into your bloodstream, you may start to feel the symptoms of a panic attack until all the adrenaline released is used up by your autonomic nervous system. When there is no more surplus adrenaline in your bloodstream, the panic attack subsides.
These are some symptoms that you may experience during a panic attack:
- Light-headedness
- Numbness
- Nausea
- Sweating
- Tingling
- Shortness of breath or smothering
- Stomach problems
- Shaking
- Chills/heat
- Dizziness
- Flushes
- Fear of dying
- Chest pains
- Racing heart/palpitations
- Feeling of unreality
- Feeling of choking
- Fear of losing control
What can you do?
- Sit or lay down. Ground yourself.
- Think, “This will pass” “Even though I am very scared and uncomfortable, I am going to be ok”, “ I am not in danger”, “ This is not life-threatening”
- Concentrate on your breathing, and breathe deeply and slowly in through your nose for four seconds and out through your mouth for six seconds. Keep doing this for a few minutes. This will bring the needed oxygen back into your body. It is best to practice this first while you are feeling calm rather than wait until you are anxious
- Some people prefer to close their eyes and others prefer to look around and notice all the typical things happening around them to distract themselves.
- Cold water and ice works well with panic attacks. Sip cold water, put a cold cloth on the base of your neck, splash ice water on your face\
- As a lifestyle, cut out coffee, tea, soda and start a stress reduction practice. Your nervous system will thank you for it.
- Diet can affect anxiety levels. Talk to your doctor about nutrition therapy and how vitamins and minerals can support your autonomic nervous system
- If panic attacks occur often, you may want to consider medication.
